LP#1-Faculty Leaders in Ed Tech Adoption
At the college I work we have been moving very quickly it seems in our adoption of mobile technologies. Administration from the outset basically said this is happening so hopefully you will get on board or be left behind. While I personally see advantages to teaching and learning with tech (increased engagement, opportunity to create richer learning environments), many felt that it was forced upon us. I believe that as a result of this there is pushback from faculty and resistance to adopting more new technology as it continues to evolve.
Every new technology advancement presents an opportunity to engage our learners, however, we need a mechanism to also engage our faculty in becoming leaders in the field of ed tech.
LP#2-Ensuring Quality Online Course Design
Advancements in technology have enabled online learning to become a legitimate alternative in almost any field of study. Our college has invested in online course development via software (Articulate), hardware (VR/AR), and staff (ID’s, developers). We have discovered that while all of these investments are important in online course design, having the subject matter expert (often the faculty) trained in what makes a course successful is just as essential. Content knowledge in their field is not enough to make sure that a course is designed properly.
Training all of our faculty externally in online course design is an expensive proposition and not likely feasible. Developing an in-house online training program that can be easily accessible for those who are involved in online course design.
Conclusion
After reflecting on both of the above issues, I believe that investigating faculty leaders in tech adoption will in the end yield more applicable results. While the online course design is also an important issue within our college, focusing on having faculty leaders in ed tech may result in a solution that solves both issues.
Resources
Dron, J. (2014). Innovation and Change: Changing how we Change. In Zawacki-Richter, O. & T. Anderson (Eds.), Online distance education: Towards a research agenda. Athabasca, AB: AU Press.