ERIC Number: EJ968190
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1499-6677
EISSN: N/A
The Role of Digital Technologies in Learning: Expectations of First Year University Students
Gabriel, Martha A.; Campbell, Barbara; Wiebe, Sean; MacDonald, Ronald J.; McAuley, Alexander
Canadian Journal of Learning and Technology, v38 n1 Win 2012
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.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Teaching Methods, Undergraduate Study, Pilot Projects, Generational Differences, College Freshmen, Expectation, Internet, Integrated Learning Systems, Computer Mediated Communication, Teacher Attitudes, Student Attitudes, College Instruction, College Faculty, Mixed Methods Research, Freshman Composition, Focus Groups, Interviews, Student Surveys, Qualitative Research, Statistical Analysis, Computer Use, Computer Assisted Instruction, Influence of Technology, Handheld Devices, Open Source Technology
Canadian Network for Innovation in Education. 260 Dalhousie Street Suite 204, Ottawa, ON K1N 7E4, Canada. Tel: 613-241-0018; Fax: 613-241-0019; e-mail: cnie-rcie@cnie-rcie.ca; Web site: http://www.cjlt.ca
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A