Faculty proficiency with technology: distribution among rank and institution

Abstract

There has been a rapid growth in interest to integrate technology into the engineering curriculum, both to extend the reach and effectiveness of teaching and learning, and in response to industry needs. We have conducted a survey of engineering faculty at the eight coalition universities to identify the training needs and present levels of experience with various technologies. The results of that survey are presented in this paper, with an emphasis on the variations between faculty rank and the institutions' emphasis on teaching and research. The results showed that, as a coalition, there is little variation between faculty rank (Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor) with regard to either (1) faculty skill level, (2) current use of various technologies, and (3) faculty willingness to attend technology workshops. When the data was further segregated according to whether each institution's main mission is research or undergraduate teaching, the results were unchanged for faculty skill level and current use of each technology. The only observed difference between research and teaching institutions was that a higher percentage of Associate and Full Professors at teaching institutions are willing to attend technology workshops, while Assistant Professors are equally as willing as their peers at research institutions.