Research released today by VLE provider D2L shows that 91% of university lecturers are in favour of learning technologies as tools for student engagement.
The research surveyed over 500 UK-based lecturers in HE, asking about attitudes towards the use of technology in education.
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Eighty per cent of respondents agreed that increased technology options would have a positive effect on the education system, and half of those asked (50%) stated that tech could alleviate administrative pressure.
Elliot Gowans, senior vice president, international, at D2L, said: “This research indicated that lecturers recognise the positive impact technology can have on student engagement and the role it can play in relieving workplace stresses, but there are still a number of barriers preventing technology being used to its full potential.”
The research also covered edtech adoption rates, barriers preventing greater adoption rates, and current pain points suffered by university lecturers when using existing technology.
This research indicated that lecturers recognise the positive impact technology can have on student engagement and the role it can play in relieving workplace stresses, but there are still a number of barriers preventing technology being used to its full potential.
– Elliot Gowans, D2L
Ninety-one per cent of lecturers surveyed have access to an LMS, but only 56% use it regularly. Of those that do use the LMS regularly, 75% use it to share course materials, whereas only 36% use gamification to engage with students.
Gowans continued: “While the majority of lecturers use rudimentary means of implementing technology in their teaching practices, such as communicating with students electronically and sharing course materials online, a far smaller proportion utilise more sophisticated technology-enabled teaching methods, such as automated plagiarism detection and gamification.”
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In terms of pain points, 50% of lecturers said students are demanding greater availability of course materials online, with 44% wanting more online and remote working opportunities and 42% wanting more detailed feedback. Despite the 91% of lecturers that acknowledged technology’s place in addressing many of these issues, nearly half (47%) feel that more training and support for the educators themselves is needed to be able to fully utilise technology in the classroom.
“If education technology is going to have the positive impact that industry, higher education institutions and lecturers all believe it can, there needs to be a greater emphasis placed on supporting lecturers in using it to its utmost,” said Gowans.
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