The Role of Digital Technologies in Learning: Expectations of First Year University Students

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...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of learning and technology 2012, Vol.38 (1)
Main Authors: Gabriel, Martha A, Campbell, Barbara, Wiebe, Sean, MacDonald, Ronald J, McAuley, Alexander
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Canada
College Faculty
College Freshmen
College Instruction
Computer Assisted Instruction
Computer Mediated Communication
Computer Use
Expectation
Focus Groups
Foreign Countries
Freshman Composition
Generational Differences
Handheld Devices
Influence of Technology
Integrated Learning Systems
Internet
Interviews
Mixed Methods Research
Open Source Technology
Pilot Projects
Qualitative Research
Statistical Analysis
Student Attitudes
Student Surveys
Teacher Attitudes
Teaching Methods
Undergraduate Study
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Summary: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.
ISSN:1499-6677