The Role of Digital Technologies in Learning: Expectations of First Year University Students / Le rôle des technologies numériques dans l’apprentissage : les attentes des étudiants de première année universitaire

Abstract

A growing literature suggests that there is a disjuncture between the instructional practices of the education system and the student body it is expected to serve, particularly with respect to the roles of digital technologies. Based on surveys and focus group interviews of first-year students at a primarily undergraduate Canadian university and focus group interviews of professors at the same institution, this study explores the gaps and intersections between students’ uses and expectations for digital technologies while learning inside the classroom and socializing outside the classroom, and the instructional uses, expectations and concerns of their professors. It concludes with recommendations for uses of digital technologies that go beyond information transmission, the need for extended pedagogical discussions to harness the learning potentials of digital technologies, and for pedagogies that embrace the social construction of knowledge as well as individual acquisition. Des études de plus en plus nombreuses suggèrent qu’il existe un écart entre les pratiques d’enseignement dans le système de l’éducation et la population étudiante desservie, notamment en ce qui concerne le rôle des technologies numériques. La présente étude, fondée sur les résultats de sondages et d’entrevues de groupe auprès des étudiants de première année inscrits à une université canadienne principalement axée sur les études de premier cycle, ainsi que sur des entrevues de groupe auprès de professeurs du même établissement, explore les écarts et les concordances entre, d’une part, l’utilisation et les attentes des étudiants relativement aux technologies numériques dans l’apprentissage en classe et dans les relations sociales en dehors des classes, et, d’autre part, l’utilisation de ces technologies dans les pratiques d’enseignement, les préoccupation et les attentes des professeurs. L’étude se conclut par des recommandations concernant une utilisation des technologies numériques dépassant la transmission de l’information, et la nécessité de discussions pédagogiques poussées permettant d’exploiter le potentiel des technologies numériques dans le cadre de l’apprentissage ainsi que de méthodes pédagogiques adaptées à la construction sociale des connaissances et au mode individuel d’acquisition des connaissances.

Exploring a new learning landscape in tertiary education

“…A team of researchers at a small university in Canada explored these “new learners” who were arriving from the secondary school system and just beginning their post‐secondary experiences (Gabriel et al , 2009). The overall goal of the study was to identify implications of new learners' predominant usage of, and preference for, digital technologies and how these might impact the teaching and learning environments in tertiary institutions.…”

“…Several of these same studies indicate that while youth are heavy users of internet for homework/school assignments, they also recognize the issues with authentication of information found on Internet (Media Awareness Network, 2005) and they maintain “a healthy skepticism of Internet resources” (Gabriel et al , 2009, p. 4). Yet they may not be getting the instructional support they need to be critical consumers of information from the internet (Latham and Gross, 2009).…”

The Pedagogical Purposes of the Use of Virtual Learning Environments and Web 2.0 Tools in Tertiary Language Teaching in a Blended Learning Environment

“…However, this transformation seems to be considerably slower than changes in the society due to the inflexible and conservative nature of education (Kajtár, 2006). Although buzzwords such as lifelong learning, global learning, collaboration and student-centred learning have become common, pedagogical innovations often remain at a theoretical level and classroom practices reflect a traditional teacher-centred approach (Buda, 2010;Ertmer & Ottenbreit-Leftwich, 2010;Gabriel, Campbell, Wiebe, MacDonald, & McAuley, 2012;Lakatosné, 2010;Lakatosné & Kárpáti, 2009;Waycott, Bennett, Kennedy, Dalgarno,  Gray, 2010). The rapidly changing social, The concept of lifelong learning emerged at the end of the 20th century as a response to the rapidly changing world and the need for up-to-date knowledge that cannot be provided by formal education (Kajtár, 2006).…”

“…Access to some core technologies, such as mobile phones, computers and the internet has been found to be almost universal among today's students, who tend to use a range of communication tools, such as email, instant messaging and texting very frequently (Bennett & Maton, 2010;Bullen, Morgan, & Qayyum, 2011;Hargittai, 2010;Jones  Shao, 2011;Kennedy, Krause, Judd, Churchward, & Gray, 2008;Kennedy et al, 2009;Kvavik, 2005;Margaryan, Littlejohn,  Vojt, 2011;Oliver & Goerke, 2007;Sánchez, Salinas, Contreras, & Meyer, 2010;Selwyn, 2008). In recent studies social media has appeared as a widely used tool as well (Gabriel et al, 2012;Jones  Shao, 2011;Margaryan et al, 2011). More advanced technologies associated with web 2.0, which require active participation, such as blogs, wikis, content creation activities or 3D virtual worlds are used by a minority of students (Bennett & Maton, 2010;Jones  Shao, 2011;Kennedy et al, 2009;Kvavik, 2005;Margaryan et al, 2011).…”

“…Moreover, the intensive use of technology in their free time does not mean that they transfer those behaviours to educational contexts (Bennett  Maton, 2010;Oliver  Goerke, 2007;Schulmeister, 2008Schulmeister, , 2010. Core technologies, such as word processing and email are widely used for study purposes (Gabriel et al, 2012;Kvavik, 2005;Papp-Danka, 2013;Schulmeister, 2010). As for the educational use of the internet, the results of most studies indicate that students rarely use pedagogical software or websites created for selfstudy language learning (Bordonaro, 2003;Duggan, Hess, Morgan, Kim,  Wilson, 1999;Fehér  Hornyák, 2011).…”