Faculty pedagogical developers as enablers of technology enhanced learning

Abstract

As the integration of digital technologies in higher education continues to increase, there is a need to understand how to best support university teachers as designers of technology‐enhanced learning (TEL) in order to support students to achieve academic success. In this study, we have examined the Faculty Pedagogical Developer Initiative at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden, an innovative project to support a bottom‐up change process of teachers as designers of TEL, with the intent to strengthen the professional pedagogical development for the faculty. Data were collected from interviews and official documents. Actor–network theory was applied for the analysis. The results suggest that the initiative stimulated both practical implementation of digital technology in educational programmes and also spurred a debate about teachers as designers of TEL between these pedagogical developers and other teachers across different schools and subjects at KTH. However, there are important social, organisational and technical challenges that should be considered when developing support for university teachers as designers of TEL. This paper concludes that this process requires a deep understanding of four interrelated elements: information, technology, organisation and social arrangements. Practitioner NotesWhat is already known about this topic Faculty interest in applying technology in innovative ways has evolved. Teachers are rarely involved as participatory designers in the TEL contexts. Collaboration among teachers in the TEL design process is an effective strategy. What this paper adds It uncovers dynamics of the bottom‐up change approach of university teachers as designers of TEL interventions. An insight into how the available technology plays a part in transforming teachers’ practices. Deeper knowledge about the usefulness of actor‐network theory in empirical HE research. Implications for practice and/or policy There is a need for a critical perspective on supporting university teachers as designers of TEL. Bottom‐up approaches to the faculty pedagogical development in TEL should be continuously supported from the top. Bottom‐up initiatives should be driven by teachers who are recognised for their teacher excellence and trusted among the faculty.

Se former à l’usage des dispositifs de téléprésence, visioconférence et webconférence en enseignement supérieur

“…Nous retrouvons ce même constat dans d'autres études portant sur l'intégration des technologies en enseignement (Glover et al 2016;Kukulska-Hulme, 2012). D'ailleurs, la littérature dans ce domaine fait état d'une transition vers des approches centrées sur le développement continu des formateurs (Murthy et al, 2015;Viberg et al, 2018) où l'objectif est moins de tenter de répondre à un besoin ponctuel des formateurs (quick learning) que d'implanter des réponses institutionnelles dans le but de soutenir les formateurs dans leur développement professionnel.…”

(Re)framing a philosophical and epistemological framework for teaching and learning in STEM: Emerging pedagogies for complexity

“…(2010) highlights the central importance that most professionals now place on the concept of lifelong learning and relatedly, the social nature and opportunities for formal and informal educational contexts. A pervasive theme in much of the literature on educational development and change is the role of technology in enhancing the learning experience (Levin & Wadmany, 2005; Viberg et al, 2019). The Stoyanov et al .…”

A card game for designing activities for technology-enhanced learning in higher education

“…Recently, the emphasis has shifted away from the representation of LDs per se to the process of eliciting such representations from tutors; a shift that signifies teaching as a design practice (Mor et al, 2015;Muñoz-Cristóbal et al, 2018) that could be studied through participatory design approaches which actively involve the main stakeholders of higher education (Flynn et al, 2018). As highlighted by Viberg et al (2018), as "the integration of digital technologies in higher education continuous to increase, there is a need to understand how to best support university teachers of Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) in order to support students to achieve academic success" (p.2637). Researchers also stress that empowering teachers/instructors as designers is a challenging task (Wasson & Kirschner, 2020).…”

“…Considering the existing gap of knowledge about how one can effectively support university teachers as designers of TEL (Viberg et al, 2018), this study presents a participatory design approach towards LD for TEL. This approach seeks to actively engage its stakeholders (i.e., educators and students) in the TEL design process through Game-based learning (GBL), where GBL refers to the integration of gaming into learning experiences to increase engagement and motivation.…”