Педагогічні науки/6. Соціальна педагогіка

Бересток О.В.

Кобжев О. М.

Сумський національний аграрний університет,Україна

Technology integration into higher education institutions. Internal and External Factors.

Technology has changed the way instruction is delivered on the campuses of colleges and universities, especially in terms of online instruction. According to a recent report funded by the Sloan Foundation, Allen and Seaman (2008) found that almost two-thirds of all higher education institutions in the United States offer online courses and/or programs in order to remain competitive with other institutions of higher learning and to fulfill the diverse needs of today's busy students. More and more universities are providing faculty with the tools necessary to incorporate technology into the classroom and move their courses into an online environment. Many instructors take advantage of the new techniques and opportunities made available through online technologies and use them regularly, while others tend to rely on the more traditional methods of delivering course content. For example, Professor Green has taught both online and traditional courses for over three years. He incorporates technology into the majority of his coursework: posts student assignments and documents in the course management system (CMS), uses presentation software and Internet resources, where appropriate, to supplement his lectures, and has moved many of his courses entirely online. He also requires students to contact him through email regarding problems and questions. The purpose of this case study was to investigate faculty perceptions of the usefulness and importance of online technologies, the factors that contribute to the decision of a faculty member to use or not to use the online course management system, and the barriers that exist which make the use of online technologies difficult.

Internal Factors

The most common internal factors that influence an instructor’s decision to incorporate technology in teaching are individual beliefs (Albion & Ertmer, 2002), feelings of anxiety (Dusik, 2000), fears, preferences and perceptions (Grasha & Yangarber-Hicks, 2000) and feelings of competence (Dusik, 2000). The decision to incorporate new pedagogy into teaching is attributed to the instructor’s feelings about themselves and what they have previously learned. Given this, one can extrapolate that if an instructor has a positive attitude or orientation towards technology they will be more inclined to incorporate it into their teaching.

Another way beliefs factor into the decision whether or not to integrate technology is the the view instructors have towards various teaching practices and styles. Grasha and Hicks (2000, p. 3) found that teaching styles are based on “the needs, emotions, motives, beliefs, and attitudes of the teacher and that these teaching practices, when used positively, are the force behind student success.” In addition, Ferguson (2004) builds on this and indicates that teachers’ decisions to integrate technology into instruction are based on their teaching styles and strategies. Ferguson’s study places faculty into four types based on their use of technology in instruction: first-wave (self-starters), second-wave (traditionalists), third-wave (careerists), and fourth-wave (reluctants). The personal beliefs of each group encourage or hinder the use of technology in instruction. These beliefs used to group faculty members are often developed early in their academic career. Albion and Ertmer (2003) explain that teachers’ beliefs about technology use are formed “during time spent in the classroom either as teachers or students” (p. 36). Therefore, whether faculty members form their pedagogical beliefs about using technology while they are in school themselves, or after they begin their teaching careers, efforts should be made to improve their interaction with technology early in their careers.

External Factors

External factors include faculty demographics, specifically age and gender, class size, and institutional support. Demographics such as age and gender may be primary factors that influence whether faculty members use technology (Cooper, 2006, p. 331). In their study, Peluchette and Rust, (2005) state that at the university level, faculty who are in the middle of their careers can either be “allies or stubborn opponents as their institutions adjust to competitive pressures, revise programs to meet the needs of increasingly diverse students, and integrate new educational technologies" (p. 201). Several reasons are provided as to why this may be true. First of all, tenured faculty may not be compelled or motivated to use technology. Secondly, older or senior faculty members may not have the knowledge or training to use technology. This leads to competency issues for older or tenured faculty, as discussed earlier in this study.

Another demographic factor is gender differences. According to Spotts (1997), male faculty members tend to rate their knowledge and use of technology higher than their female counterparts. However, female instructors take factors such as lack of time and lack of professional advancement into consideration when deciding whether or not to integrate technology into the curriculum. Additionally, Lumpe and Chambers (2001) posit from their study that female instructors are more likely to believe that external factors, such as administrators, students, equipment, and professional development, directly influence a person’s ability to be successful with technology.

According to Pleuchette(2005), another external factor, class size, can negatively influence technology use. When faculty members use technologies such as email and chat rooms, larger classes can be difficult to manage, especially when teaching an online course.

Institutional support, the final external factor reviewed, encompasses a wide range of topics including faculty development, ease of access for faculty members who wish to use technology, policies and procedures, and support for technological issues. Osika (2006) explained successful technology programs require support from the entire institution. Those most successful and engaged with supporting instructional technology, especially online technologies, were those institutions that included technology support in their long-term strategic plans.It is clear that successfully implementing technology, as well as distance learning programs, into the curriculum is a complex issue facing institutions of higher learning. This issue is complicated further by the various factors which influence instructors’ use of technology in a classroom setting.