The UK Professional Standards Framework for Teaching and supporting learning in Higher Education lists the “appropriate use of digital and/or other technologies and resources for learning” as a key part of the core knowledge an HE practitioner should have. (Advance HE, 2023)
As we embrace the possibilities of blended and now fully online learning, internet-based technology cannot fail to become part of the learning experience. A quick survey of students on this course created a list of over 30 web platforms and electronic technologies that could be used to sit on the fringes of the main Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) that are in use for onsite and online learning.
It is the use of the word “appropriate” that is key in the framework definition. it is backed up by Dr, Garry Allen, Director or Information Technology in the Faculty of Life Sciences at RMTI University when he says…
The introduction of technology should be contextually appropriate. Its the capacity to make an informed and effective choice of technology that’s the important distinction for any staff that are teaching to a given field.
(Allen 2011)
In Essentials for Blended Learning Stein and Graham remind us that we need to emphasize learning outcomes over technology. (Stein and Graham, 2020) with Gilly Salmon recommending the careful introduction of technologies over the five stages of e-tivity based learning. Noting that at the beginning
Participants need to gain experience in the technology in use without believing it to be what the course is about.
(Gilly Salmon, 2013, p.22)
Prof Kerri-Lee Krause, Director at Griffith Institue of Higher Education sums all of this up pretty well
Any integration needs to be fit for purpose. So just using the latest gadgets and the latest technology because it’s there is not going to sustain itself, students very quickly see through that facade. The value technology when it adds to their learning not when it’s just seen as a gadget and a bolt-on.
(Krause, 2011)
So clearly it is important to select technology wisely and focus on what the student does and what learning outcomes they are aiming at and ensure that any technology supports the pedagogy rather than limits or defines it.
Allison Littlejohn offers a useful table of high-level considerations for the adoption of technology into a learning environment.
| Success factors for effective use of tools | Barriers |
| Easy to use Cheap Recommended by or used by peers Support providing in the form of a workshop or one-to-one mentoring Closely linked to user needs and requirementsObvious benefits Provides a solution to a problem Integrates with existing tools and resources Interesting or fun Support by a vendor Open source | Expensive Difficult to obtain Complicated to use Doesn’t link with existing systems Too many functions or too much information Risk of systems breaking down Increased risk where the tools become mission critical Functionality which does not obviously map to existing practice |
Whilst I don’t necessarily believe that ‘Cheap’ is a good criterion for assessment, maybe “Cost Effectiveness” would be a better parameter, these factors do prompt consideration of what problem is being solved or what student-centric activites they can support easily.
Easily being the operative word. This week i tried out Padlet as it had been recommended by other peers. I found it to be very limiting compared to a tool like Miro that I have used before. On further consideration however it is very quick to get students using whereas on some training courses I ahve delivered using Miro there is always an element of training required to get students using the platform comfortably ahead of them actually starting to learn the actual subject being taught.
Reference list
Advance HE (2023). Professional Standards Framework for teaching and supporting learning in higher education 2023. [online] p.5. Available at: https://advance-he.ac.uk/knowledge-hub/professional-standards-framework-teaching-and-supporting-learning-higher-education-0?_ga=2.86413976.1030223719.1678184612-1637215259.1678184612.
Allen, G. and Krause, K.-L. (2011). Considerations for choosing technology for teaching. [online] www.youtube.com. Available at: https://youtu.be/5lNMd3zRYrY.
Gilly Salmon (2013). E-tivities : the key to active online learning. London: Routledge, p.22.
Littlejohn, A. (2004). The Effectiveness of Resources, Tools and Support Services used by Practitioners in Designing and Delivering E-Learning Activities: Final Report. [online] Available at: https://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20081225004835mp_/http://www.jisc.ac.uk/uploaded_documents/Final%20report%20(final).doc.
Stein, J. and Graham, C.R. (2020). Essentials for Blended Learning, 2nd Edition. Routledge, p.1.