Emerging Technologies in Higher Education: Is it All About Learning Management Systems

Abstract

A lot is being invested in the use of emerging technologies which encompass web-based technologies like Learning Management Systems (Blackboard or Moodle) for teaching and learning in Higher Education institutions across South Africa. The question to ask is, “Are Learning Management Systems the only technology available” to enhance teaching and learning. The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether LMS usage has an added advantage in the Higher Education environment as opposed to other technologies like wiki’s, blogs, facebook, twitter and Google drive. This paper investigates the enablers and constraints of the lecturers that use an LMS called Blackboard, as opposed to those that use other technologies. A social realist perspective was used to understand the agential influences, structural or cultural in the use of Blackboard’s and other technologies. This study could be described as being located within an interpretive paradigm employing qualitative data collection methods as a form of inquiry. An open ended questionnaire was distributed to thirty seven lecturers who use different types of technologies to enhance their teaching and students’ learning. Data was analysed into themes that align to the research questions on the survey. Lecturers felt positive about their current use of Blackboard and the support given and felt that it will be beneficial to their teaching and learning practices if other technologies received the same support. This paper recommends that the use of technologies like blogs, wikis and facebook..... creates profound learning experiences that enhance the classroom environment. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n11p117