Accommodating the newfound strategic importance of educational technologists within higher education: a critical literature review

This text is post print version. Emerald's copyright policy does not allow the publisher's version (PDF) to be deposited on ERIC.Abstract Purpose - Educational technologists make significant contributions to the development, organisational embedding and service provision of technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environments, which are key enablers for mass access to flexible higher education. Given the increasing centrality of this role, we advocate that institutions investigate sustainable career structures for educational technologists. Design/methodology/approach - Our arguments are evidence-driven by the small body of research literature describing the role of educational technologists and contextualized by our experiences as academics and leaders of TEL projects in higher education, including managing educational technologists. Findings – The roles of educational technologists are very diverse, requiring competencies in educational leadership, both management and technical. Their career paths, backgrounds, legitimate powers and organisational locations exhibit considerable variation. Research implications - University leaders require evidence to formulate appropriate human resource strategies and performance management strategies for educational technologists. We propose further empirical research to analyze current issues and future trajectories relating to their aspirations, career structures, legitimate power, management and organisational contexts. Originality/value - Given the strategic importance of educational technologists to ICT-driven transformation, university leaders will require evidence to formulate appropriate human resource and performance management strategies for these key academic-related/professional staff. This paper brings together relevant literature for the first time, generates recommendations for further research and policy discussion. Keywords Educational technologists, flexible learning, human resource strategies, technology enhanced learning Paper type Critical literature review “I know that you’re dissatisfied with your position and your place …” - Bob Dyla

The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience

Extracted from the Executive Summary: The objective of this study was to determine whether the literature identified: 1.any evidence that the role of educational technologists has enhanced the student learning experience, particularly directly (i.e. having direct contact with students) but also indirectly. 2. if there is any such evidence, is it possible to correlate the enhancement with any particular role or position of educational technologists within the institution?Higher Education Academ

Inspiring innovation with patent information literacy in the engineering technology curriculum

Patents have wide appeal to students, faculty, and employers and can be a potent tool for integrating information literacy (IL) into engineering and technology curricula. There is evidence to show that students use patents to assess the patentability of their design ideas, explore the state of the art in a given area of technology, and to inspire creativity in their work. Faculty use patents and other complementary forms of gray literature to go beyond the traditional IL world of scholarly literature and engage students with information problems that reflect real-world design challenges. Working with patents allows students to develop strategic, innovative, and practical information skills that are valuable and attractive to employers in the modern technology workplace. Putting these ideas of patent-related information literacy into practice, this paper will discuss the collaborative efforts between academic librarians and disciplinary faculty to integrate patent IL content into a scaffolded IL sequence in a technology-focused undergraduate curriculum. This sequence, which also covers scholarly information and technical standards, presents students with increasingly complex information problems over the course of their academic career. The entire IL sequence, which includes four design classes, will be described, with a primary focus on how patent IL fits into and enhances this model

Academic Supply and Occupational Demand Report 2021

https://digitalcommons.memphis.edu/govpubs-tn-higher-education-commission-academic-programs-workforce-reports/1010/thumbnail.jp

“Tension, Frustration and Compromise in the Field” An Exploratory Study of the Habitus of Educational Technologists

Information and communications technology has radically transformed many aspects of modern life. However, this is in marked contrast to its impact on education, where disappointingly educational technology has done little to transform our higher education system. This is in spite of the emergence of the formal role of educational technologist, the improved ICT infrastructure and the evolving recognition of the importance of teaching and learning within the sector. It is apparent that within a given academic community there are many individually motivated innovators i.e. those characterized by their willingness to experiment with new approaches and embrace change. Whilst there are also many who resist and avoid any possible alterations (or interference) in how they teach their subject matter. But what do we know of the characteristics and motivations of the practitioners currently operating in the field of educational technology? Indeed can we treat the domain of educational technology as a legitimate field and worthy of study in its own right? These two questions represent the main thrust of this exploratory study which demonstrates that Pierre Bourdieu’s’ concepts of habitus, field and capital provides a suitable lens with which to seek explanations and insights into these and other issues, and in particular theorise about the practice of an educational technologist. The methodology adopted was influenced by both arts based and narrative enquiry, designed to capture the voice of the practitioners using focus group discussions prompted by a range of visual media. Grounded theory guided the subsequent analysis of a rich collection of opinions, values, beliefs and motivations on a range of issues impacting on higher education. The subsequent findings describe the tensions and frustrations of practitioners functioning within existing structures and balancing the demands from learners, academics and management. The inherent characteristics of the field as described by the participants are analysed using Bourdieu’s constructs of capital, habitus, doxa and hysteresis. The explorations and explanations afforded by these constructs are the foundations on which the final arguments and conclusions are based, including a call for an alternative doxa that will redefine the role of an educational technologist and allow the field to evolve into a recognised professional discipline

Preparing the Future Workforce: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Policy in K12 Education in Wisconsin

Last December, the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Coalition - a national organization of more than 600 groups representing knowledge workers, educators, scientists, engineers, and technicians wrote to President-elect Obama urging him to "not lose sight of the critical role that STEM education plays in enabling the United States to remain the economic and technological leader of the 21st century global marketplace." While that imperative appears to have resonated in Washington, has it and should it resonate in Madison? This report attempts to answer that question by examining the extent to which STEM skills are a necessity for tomorrow's Wisconsin workforce, whether our schools are preparing students to be STEM-savvy workers, and where STEM falls in the state's list of educational priorities

FACULTY PERCEPTIONS OF THE FACTORS ENABLING AND FACILITATING THEIR INTEGRATION OF INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY IN TEACHING

This study employed a survey research design to identify factors that facilitate university faculty to integrate computer-based technologies into their teaching practice. The purpose of the study was to measure the practices and perceptions of higher education faculty toward instructional technology. The designed survey instrument established a series of five personal profile categories. The five categories were used as variables manipulated to enable a series of statistical analyses to examine factors that enable faculty to use technology in their teaching. The survey was electronically administered to faculty in 36 universities in the Appalachian Region; a target population of approximately 4000 potential survey respondents. A total of 427 faculty from 22 of these institutions responded to the survey, which was approximately 10% of the total population. The findings, showed statistically significant correlations between the teaching with technology subscale and personal technology use subscale. This may suggest that personal use and personal knowledge are indicators of whether or not university faculty will use technology in their teaching. Additionally, a statistically significant difference was found between the extent to which female faculty reported using technology compared to male faculty members. The generational factor (age), was not shown to have any significant relationship with the frequency of faculty members’ use of technology, but results indicated generational differences on the personal requirements profile. Lastly, one finding related to the personal requirements profile indicated that the most common requirement for using technology reported by the faculty was the knowledge that doing so would enhance students’ learning

The Faculty Notebook, September 2008

The Faculty Notebook is published periodically by the Office of the Provost at Gettysburg College to bring to the attention of the campus community accomplishments and activities of academic interest. Faculty are encouraged to submit materials for consideration for publication to the Associate Provost for Faculty Development. Copies of this publication are available at the Office of the Provost