Dive Brief:
- Students and faculty have somewhat differing views when it comes to technology use in the classroom, according to an Educause Center for Analysis and Research survey with responses from 11,141 faculty members and 35,760 students across the nation, reports Campus Technology.
- When it comes to learning management systems, the survey found most faculty are satisfied with it, but students become more frustrated with it as the tasks become more difficult and complicated. And while many students report their teachers have adequate technology skills, they say that few faculty use this technology for more sophisticated purposes.
- While at least 80% of students said they found student success systems moderately helpful, the survey found most faculty don't use them. And, when survey authors reported to Campus Technology on how CIOs could support faculty members, they stressed explaining student demands would not sway faculty. Rather, exaplining research on effectiveness and learning outcomes to faculty on technology use would be more effective.
Dive Insight:
Technology in the classroom is now unavoidable — whether students or faculty like it or not. The fact that online education has completely disrupted the industry is a testament to just how pervasive technological tools are becoming, which only highlight a need for stakeholders to start considering the disconnect between professors and students on how the technology can be integrated into the classroom more effectively. For CIOs the survey results demonstrate even more how choosing the right technologies for institutions may be even more of a challenge — as finding the types of tools that help both faculty and students may be difficult. In an interview with Education Dive, Virginia Tech CIO Scott Midkiff explains that as IT department leaders approach edtech, it's important to consider overall institutional needs, as well as specifically what kinds of technology are actually going to help students:
"What are the expectations of students today? Students are coming through K12 with more technology in the classroom. They are consumers of technology, and so there are certain expectations about access to technology to help them learn in their classes at the university. And just in terms of being competitive and providing a good experience — it's important for the university to make those investments," said Midkiff.
"If you look at measures of student success — how do we get students through a program effectively, so that they spend less money, we spend less money, and the student comes out really knowing what they're supposed to do. There are opportunities to help those students in the classroom through technology? Learning analytics is an area, for example, to help students focus in on the areas where they have difficulties and to let them learn those objectives more effectively."