Exploring challenges faced by different stakeholders while implementing educational technology in classrooms through expert interviews

Abstract

Advanced technology has provided new opportunities for its application in the education field, creating new learning environments to suit the changing environment and learning requirements of learners. Many studies focused on users’ performance after the implementation of the technology, and less attention was placed on identifying and solving the challenges and issues faced by users during the implementation of these technologies. In order to explore these issues raised and challenges faced during the implementation process of technologies in the classroom, seven professors who are experts in the field of educational technology were interviewed during conferences and events of the IEEE Technical Committee on Learning Technology during 2015–2016. Through the expert’s lenses, this paper analyzes the experience shared by these experts in implementing and utilizing new innovative technologies in classrooms, including four recently prevalent innovative concepts and learning environments, i.e., collaborative learning, game-based learning, mobile learning, flipped classroom, and seamless learning. This paper further explores on the potential challenges and issues one would face when integrating new innovative technologies in a classroom from the perspective of different users’ groups (i.e., learners, teachers/educators, schools/universities, developers and researchers), along with a discussion on the potential and development of two future learning environments.