A Pedagogy for Original Synners

Part of the Volume on Digital Young, Innovation, and the UnexpectedThis essay begins by speculating about the learning environment of the class of 2020. It takes place entirely in a virtual world, populated by simulated avatars, managed through the pedagogy of gaming. Based on this projected version of a future-now-in-formation, the authors consider the implications of the current paradigm shift that is happening at the edges of institutions of higher education. From the development of programs in multimedia literacy to the focus on the creation of hybrid learning spaces (that combine the use of virtual worlds, social networking applications, and classroom activities), the scene of learning as well as the subjects of education are changing. The figure of the Original Synner is a projection of the student-of-the-future whose foundational literacy is grounded in their ability to synthesize information from multiple information streams

Pull and Push: Strengthening Demand for Innovation in Education

Examines policy, information, and cultural barriers that minimize the "demand pull" for educational innovation. Calls for encouraging early adopters, bolstering smart adoption, providing better information, and rewarding productivity improvements

Technology adoption into teaching and learning by mainstream university faculty: a mixed methodology study revealing the \u27how, when, why, and why not\u27

The field of educational technology has been and continues to be an influential component within the vast array of educational strategies, pedagogies, plans, and processes designed to enhance student learning. Faculties are realizing the relevance and potential of educational technologies in their teaching and professional and personal growth. However, the distance between envisioning technological use and actual implementation is often a long, winding road for many educators. University faculty members are in the midst of a strong emphasis by various stakeholders to travel that road and to travel it with speed and accuracy. The mainstream members of tertiary level faculties encounter both obstacles and support along the road in varying degrees and proportions. The purpose of this exploratory mixed methodology study was designed to reveal the voice of those often hesitant travelers and to determine the how, when, why, and why not of their choosing to integrate technology into their teaching and learning. Data were collected through a survey administered to faculty from three academic colleges and interviews of selected survey respondents. Data were analyzed descriptively, by way of path analysis, and with the constant comparative method. This study attempted to provide insight into the processes of the adoption of innovation by mainstream faculty members, thus resulting in a Technology Integration Process Model. The results suggest that faculty members recognize potential benefits of technology in teaching and learning and that peer interactions and collegiality are significant in helping them learn new innovations and strategies. This fundamental knowledge is expected to inform the design of professional development relevant to those continuing on the journey and those who have not yet chosen to travel

How to design for persistence and retention in MOOCs?

Design of educational interventions is typically carried out following a design cycle involving phases of investigation, conceptualization, prototyping, implementation, execution and evaluation. This cycle can be applied at different levels of granularity e.g. learning activity, module, course or programme. In this paper we consider an aspect of learner behavior that can be critical to the success of many MOOCs i.e. their persistence to study, and the related theme of learner retention. We reflect on the impact that consideration of these can have on design decisions at different stages in the design cycle with the aim of en-hancing MOOC design in relation to learner persistence and retention, with particular attention to the European context

Higher education technological knowledge and patterns of technology adoptions in undergraduate STEM courses

Identifying, examining, and understanding faculty members’ technological knowledge development and the process of technology adoption in higher education is a multifaceted process. Past studies have used Rogers (1995, 2003) diffusion of innovation theoretical framework to delineate the technology adoption process. These studies, however, have frequently reported the influencing factors based on the statistical analysis such as regression analysis-based approach, and have not focused on the emerging process of technology adoptions or the developing process of technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. A mixed method study was designed to see how faculty members acquire different technologies and develop technological knowledge that might help them adopt technologies in their classrooms and online using different pedagogies. A sample of STEM teaching faculty members with different ranks, tenure, teaching experience, and varied degree of experience in the use of educational technologies participated in the study. A survey was designed to identify internal and external factors affecting technology adoption and its effective use in different teaching activities. To elaborate survey results, the study also included class observations as well as pre- and post-observation interviews. Online classrooms used by the faculty via Blackboard learning management system, online flipped classrooms, or other websites such as Piazza were also examined for data triangulation. The findings of the study indicate that faculty members are influenced by their own professional motivations and student learning to improve their teaching methods and to enhance student interactions and learning through the use of different educational technologies. The adoption process was identified as spreading over a period of time and it looked at how faculty members’ developed their technological knowledge and pedagogical knowledge. With the recognition of the social, organizational, and professional motivational factors both expert faculty members, university administrators, and technologist could be made aware of the critical components necessary to construct and support a bottom-up or user-centric successful innovation adoption decision process. The bottom-up approach would use expert professors as change agents and educational designers that would encourage exchanges and meaningful dialogues about educational technology adoptions and effective uses of technology with pedagogy within each discipline and department

Modelling benefits-oriented costs for technology enhanced learning

The introduction of technology enhanced learning (TEL) methods changes the deployment of the most important resource in the education system: teachers' and learners' time. New technology promises greater personalization and greater productivity, but without careful modeling of the effects on the use of staff time, TEL methods can easily increase cost without commensurate benefit. The paper examines different approaches to comparing the teaching time costs of TEL with traditional methods, concluding that within-institution cost-benefit modeling yields the most accurate way of understanding how teachers can use the technology to achieve the level of productivity that makes personalisation affordable. The analysis is used to generate a set of requirements for a prospective, rather than retrospective cost-benefit model. It begins with planning decisions focused on realizing the benefits of TEL, and uses these to derive the likely critical costs, hence the reversal implied by a 'benefits-oriented cost model'. One of its principal advantages is that it enables innovators to plan and understand the relationship between the expected learning benefits and the likely teaching costs

Clinical Nurse Educators' Adoption of Socioculturally-Based Teaching Strategies

Thesis (Ph.D.) - Indiana University, Nursing Science, 2009Nursing education is faced with addressing the challenge of educational reform as a result of the rapid changes in the complexity of health care delivery systems, increased technology and biomedical knowledge, a shortage in nursing faculty, and increased enrollment in schools of nursing. Although national nursing organizations have called for reform and innovation in nursing education little is known about the factors that are related to educators' adoption of such changes. The purpose of this descriptive, exploratory, correlational, survey study was to explore the adoption of socioculturally-based teaching strategies (SCBTS) by examining the following variables in relation to their adoption using Everett Rogers' diffusion of innovations model: (a) clinical nurse educators' perceived characteristics of SCBTS, (b) clinical nurse educators' perceived organizational support for innovation, and (c) selected demographic characteristics. Minimal research has been conducted regarding the factors related to clinical nurse educators' adoption of SCBTS, which may better prepare nurse graduates for today's health care system. Findings from this study suggest that adoption is not straightforward, but the perceived characteristics of teaching strategies play an important role in the clinical nurse educator's decision to adopt or not adopt SCBTS. Rogers' model was partially supported based on the findings that clinical nurse educators were more likely to adopt a teaching strategy if it was perceived to be advantageous, compatible, and not too complex. On the other hand, clinical nurse educators were more likely not to adopt teaching strategies that they must "try out" or that must be observable by others, which was not supportive of Rogers' model. Adopters of SCBTS were more experienced clinical educators who felt supported by their academic organizations in terms of innovation; however organizational support for innovations was not associated with adoption of the teaching strategies. Holding a certificate in a nursing specialty, the type of program in which the educator taught, and the age of the educator were not associated with the adoption of SCBTS. Future research using Rogers' model or other appropriate models is called for to further explore the adoption of SCBTS by clinical nurse educators

Technology Use in Higher Education Instruction

The significance of integrating technology use in higher education instruction is undeniable. The benefits include those related to access to instruction by underserved populations, adequately preparing students for future careers, capitalizing on best instructional practices, developing higher order thinking activities, and engaging students whose relationships with technology are increasingly native, among others. The significance of the current study is based on the fact that few prior studies focused on the factors that support, or inhibit, the use of educational technology by faculty in schools of education. The data collection instrument was a survey designed by the principal investigator based on review of the literature and professional experience. Five constructs were addressed by the survey: institutional policies, belief in the learning benefits, efficacy with integrating technology with content, barriers to technology use, and personal uses of technology. The survey was administered online and targeted 379 full and part time faculty in schools of education throughout the U.S. A total of 203 faculty members responded which was a response rate of 53%. Several path analyses were conducted to determine the variables that most related with the dependent variable, rate of technology adoption for professional instructional purposes. The variable that had the strongest relationship with the adoption rate for professional use was the adoption rate for personal use. This held true for all subgroups except part-time and older faculty. Suggestions for future research include the use of additional data sources to measure the variables described here. Study of the role of institutional policies in technology adoption should consider administrator perspectives in addition to those of faculty. Study of learning benefits should consider students\u27 views in addition to those of faculty. Finally, efficacy variables should consider perspectives of college leaders and administrators

Sustainable faculty development: issues in technology for teacher education

This dissertation centers around research and development on faculty preparation for integration of technology for teacher education. Chapter 1 is the general introduction in which the background and the significance of the research topics are addressed. Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4 consist of three published or publishable papers. Chapter 5 is the general conclusion. Chapter 2 summarizes the literature related to one-on-one technology mentoring programs in higher education and K--12 institutions nation wide, and identifies themes contributing to a successful mentoring program. Chapter 3 describes the pedagogical shift of an exemplary technology-using teacher educator through her eight-year journey with a one-on-one technology mentoring program. A grounded theory approach was used to relate and integrate the stages experienced by an exemplary technology-using teacher educator who moved from limited knowledge and use of technology to learning to apply basic applications in the classroom and on to integrating innovative technology. In Chapter 4, results from an online survey on the issues of sustainability of faculty\u27s use and integration of technology in teacher education programs are presented. Based on the findings of a pilot case study, the survey was developed to gather quantitative data from 60 teacher education faculty members from 31 higher education institutions. The purpose of the survey study was to investigate how to encourage faculty members who have made significant use of technology to continue to use technology in their teacher preparation courses and to sustain efforts in making technology an essential component across the curriculum in teacher education programs. In addition, the survey results helped to identify effective faculty development practices and provided information on breaking down barriers to faculty\u27s continued technology integration.;Taken together, the three studies in this dissertation provided insights in effective faculty development practice for supporting faculty integration of technology into their teaching. Results from all three studies suggested the importance of forming a community of faculty members working to integrate technology. In addition, all three studies provided evidence for the effectiveness of the one-one-one mentoring approach to faculty development in this area