The foundations of educational technology: A needs assessment

Abstract

developments in the field (Pershing, Molenda, Paulus, Lee, & Hixon, 2000; Reiser et al., 1999). The educational technology program at Arizona State University (ASU) has offered a course called "Foundations of Educational Technology" since 1970. Our course has evolved over the past 30 years from a survey of the product development cycle to an examination of the accomplishments and issues in the field. Recently, we conducted a needs assessment to determine the optimal instructional content and delivery method for the course. The needs assessment also examined feelings about using the Internet to deliver the course. The needs assessment was prompted in part by the results of a focus group comprising students, graduates, and faculty of our educational technology program and employers who hire our graduates. The focus group indicated that "knowledge about the field" and "technical literacy" were among the essential skills and knowledge a student should possess upon graduation from our program. Another impetus for our needs assessment was the recent merger of the Educational Technology program and the Educational Media and Computers program at ASU and the desire to combine two courses about the field into one course. The purpose of our needs assessment was to answer the following questions: 9 What is the optimal instructional content for a foundations course in educational technology? 9 What is the optimal delivery method for a foundations course in educational technology? 9 What feelings do respondents have about the use of the Internet for a foundations course in educational technology?