Student Adoption & Development of Digital Learning Media: Action Research & Recommended Practices

Abstract

Executive SummaryDigital technologies offer many opportunities for creating engaging course content. In this study we captured student perceptions and adoption choices related to creating and using digital media as learning tools. Podcasts, video and other media were integrated in a variety of contexts and tasks in two undergraduate information technology (IT) courses in a college of business.During the fall semesters of 2009 and 2010, faculty members teaching a junior-level IT and networking concepts course and a senior-level information security course, produced video-captured lectures, recorded fine-grained conceptual tutorials and podcasts, developed software simulations, and provided media for ad-hoc learning assistance. Students produced video for several class assignments. They also had the option of replacing a typical written semester report with a video project. Student satisfaction with the various forms of digital learning media, perceptions of learning, and intention to adopt for future courses were measured in a series of surveys and compared to self-reported learning styles. Of particular interest was how students would perform and respond to the higher order learning activity of creating digital output. Outcomes were generally positive, and in some cases, students reported that access to digital media positively changed the way they prepared for class and studied for exams. While students reported that developing digital media was preferable to traditional projects and felt they learned more about their topics during the process of developing a video or simulation, they noted the time commitment was high. They are not yet ready to see digital media used exclusively for content delivery and expressed a preference for a mix of media and traditional classroom lectures. The paper concludes with suggestions for introducing digital learning media into an IT curriculum.Keywords: IT education, digital media, podcasting, video production, Bloom's Taxonomy, constructivist learning theory, learning styles. IntroductionTeaching in the IT discipline offers many opportunities to incorporate technology into the classroom. While we are challenging our students to learn about technology, we also want to help them build useful business skills and an interest in life-long learning. A major challenge in IT education is to develop learning experiences that contribute toward skills development while expanding the foundations of known pedagogiMaterial published as part of this publication, either on-line or in print, is copyrighted by the Informing Science Institute. Permission to make digital or paper copy of part or all of these works for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that the copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage AND that copies 1) bear this notice in full and 2) give the full citation on the first page. It is permissible to abstract these works so long as credit is given. To copy in all other cases or to republish or to post on a server or to redistribute ...

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