Pedagogical, institutional and human factors influencing the widespread adoption of educational technology in higher education

Phillips, R. (2007) Pedagogical, institutional and human factors influencing the widespread adoption of educational technology in higher education. In: EDUCAUSE 2007: The Best Thinking in Higher ED IT, 23 - 26 October 2007, Seattle, WA

Abstract

This paper will present an analysis of the factors which influence the adoption of educational technology in higher education. It will consider the characteristics of different types of educational technology, in terms of interactions between students and other students, educators, resources and computers. It will also consider what is known about learning in higher education, claiming that learning environments should be student-centric, knowledge-centric, assessment-centric and community-centric.

The paper then considers the way that educational technology can effectively facilitate learning, through a deep-learning, student-centred, outcomes-based approach, focusing on learning activities. It argues that educational technology is mature enough from a technical perspective, and we know enough about how to design effective educational technology environments, but this knowledge is not widely applied. Weaknesses in project management and teamwork factors have impacted on project success in the past, but these issues are also well understood if not widely applied.

Finally, the paper discusses research about institutional and human factors which impact on adoption of new technologies in higher education, identifying several human factors which influence adoption. The paper concludes that these issues can only be addressed through effective leadership and change management.

Item Type:	Conference Paper
Murdoch Affiliation(s):	Teaching and Learning Centre
Conference Website:	http://www.educause.edu/annual-conference/2007
URI:	http://researchrepository.murdoch.edu.au/id/eprint/12209

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