If you build it many won't come anyway...
Abstract: One of the most frustrating (for me)
things in higher education is the large number of faculty members (and even
students) who have little or no interest in new technology, even when that
technology could enrich the learning experience.
To a large percentage of the faculty where I work,
all they use computers for is to do Email and word process. It is frustrating
when you present them with new enabling technology and they just ignore it.
What is worse though, as has been happening lately, is when the university buys
faculty new computers, like laptops, and they either sit in the box unused or
are taken home for personal use. These machines are intended to be used as part
of a laptop initiative encouraging the use of laptop computers in the classroom.
It is not surprising that new technology is
not being embraced. I know many of the faculty in one school can't even put
together a web page of their course
syllabus.
This is not just limited to higher
education. It is in the K-12 grades too. At my son's high school they have a
system called "Edline" that enables students and parents to track grades. It is
a great system but out of about six instructors only one of my son's teachers
use it. Most of them don't even use
Email!
In these times of fiscal austerity it
is hard to understand such a pattern of use. As we enter a new year and speak
to academics about "emerging technology." The reality is we are still
struggling to implement the technology of the last century.
Posted: Thu - January 1, 2004 at 07:57 PM