Development Of Technology-enhanced Learning Research Articles

Barriers, enablers, and motivations for staff adoption of learning analytics: Insights for professional learning opportunities from an Australian university


 
 
 Understanding the capabilities and motivations of academics towards adopting and using Learning Analytics (LA) to support their development of technology-enhanced learning is an important first step in designing an effective and flexible adoption plan. Situated in a regional university, this paper reports on the initial data-gathering stage of an on-going study aimed at designing and trialing an adoption plan to support individual staff to engage deeply with LA to inform and enhance their teaching practice and their students’ experiences. This paper analyses a staff survey (N=74) and transcripts from 28 semi-structured interviews conducted over 22 months with eight academics. Survey respondents reported low levels of knowledge about, and use of, LA, as well as a lack of confidence in accessing, interpreting, and acting on, data. Inductive and deductive thematic analyses of interview transcripts support these findings. Analysis further identified three main themes of indicators of successful LA adoption: effective learning design and enhanced teaching practice; improved student experience; and academic recognition. Based on these results, this paper proposes elements that can be included in a suite of professional learning opportunities that will enable academic developers and institutions to support individual staff to successfully adopt of LA.
 
 

Assemblage of CoreLife Skills Through Technological Innovation

With the increasing emphasis on developing graduate employability skills, termed as CoreLife Skills in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and growing use of technology in education; this research investigates the assemblage of CoreLife Skills through technological innovation in a vocational education and training (VET) institute in the UAE. This article draws on the concepts of the sociology of translation from an Actor-Network Theory as both methodological and analytical tool. The research unfolds the socio-material assemblages using existing frameworks: Levels of Teaching Innovation (LoTi) and HEAT (higher order thinking, engaged learning, authentic learning, and technology use). The research stirred the development of technology-enhanced learning and a CoreLife Skills development (TEL-CSD) framework for effective integration of technology to enhance students' CoreLife Skills. Based on the findings, two conclusions are drawn: CoreLife Skills cannot be developed independently of general learning and cognitive skills, and technology alone cannot promote CoreLife Skills.

Recent Developments in Technology-Enhanced Learning: A Critical Assessment

Les nostres societats són considerades societats del coneixement, on l’aprenentatge al llarg de la vida obté cada vegada més importà ncia. Al mateix temps, les tecnologies digitals formen part de gairebé tots els aspectes de la nostra vida i tenen un paper important en l’educació. En l’última dècada s’han vist nombrosos avenços en l’à mbit de l’aprenentatge enriquit per la tecnologia. El 2004 George Siemens va presentar el connectivisme com a teoria de l’aprenentatge per a l’era digital. Les seves idees van inspirar la creació de cursos online massius oberts (MOOCs), que han estat objecte de gran atenció recentment. La literatura científica relacionada amb l’ús de dispositius digitals per a l’aprenentatge s’ha centrat en les potencialitats que els usuaris perceben d’aquests dispositius. La investigació del disseny també ens ha mostrat que els entorns d’aprenentatge enriquits per la tecnologia són complexos i han de ser vistos com a ecologies d’aprenentatge. Les discussions sobre connectivisme i MOOCs, les potencialitats dels dispositius digitals i la investigació del disseny han aparegut en diferents discursos observats de manera aïllada. En aquest sentit, és important assenyalar que els avenços en l’aprenentatge enriquit per la tecnologia poden i han de mostrar-se relacionats entre si.

Whose interests count? The university under pressure to keep abreast of national developments in technology-enhanced learning

AbstractThis paper explores whose interests count and whose interests should be considered in the adoption of technology-enhanced or e-learning in higher education (HE). We look at three key actors in the UK context, which we perceive as a policy-driven system. First, we examine the HE sector and the influential reports by UCISA, JISC and Becta. Second, we look at the response from a post-92 university in relation to its key corporate objectives, mission statements and the outcome of its HEA technology-enhanced learning benchmarking exercise and resulting targets. Third, we report on findings from our research, involving a focus group and online surveys, on staff and students’ actual experience of technology-enhanced learning. The findings challenge the university’s and the government’s policy targets.