Re: Technology and digitalization vs HE | Student Developer

Warm greeting colleagues. Please find below is an effort for this weeks discussion forum.

Gone through traditional style of teaching and learning and been an agent of change to the existing teaching methods, I wonder the role technologies have played in the transition of current education system. In my view, one cannot be considered to be an educator if they are not willing to change. The teaching audience has changed and their expectations have pushed the educators to “think outside of the box” to deliver a content that is worthwhile learning and which is more practical and appealing to the fast changing technological world. Todays learners are more actively engaged in learning through technologies which should be of highest quality. The last two PGCTT courses have correctly highlighted the change, the learning needs and the expectations when dealing with matured learners which has helped me to revisit my teaching philosophy.

The picture shared on the course page gives a visual interpretation of the move from crowed lecturer theatres to learning at one’s own comfort zone. This is only possible with the high rate at which technology and modern ICT tools have been integrated in teaching and learning. The Information Communication Technology (ICT) in education includes assistance for equipment and facilities, teacher training and support, capacity building, educational content, distance learning, digital literacy, policy development, monitoring and evaluation and public and media involvement. (Kala, 2013). USP as one of the premier regional universities have hugely invested a lot in learning through various digital technologies for which many students have benefited considering different demographic of students. Courses which were tailor made for face to face classes are now offered through blended or online mode so that education is easily assessable and is of highest quality. It would have been a ferry-tail if one can say USP has achieved a lot in terms of infrastructure that supports digital learning. As mentioned in the reading, technology enabled learning can only be successful provided the two important aspects are clearly addressed which are how to use technology and the best pedagogy that may be applied. There were lot of hindering factors that I as a coordinator faced with the regional students when coordinating foundation mathematics units at College of Foundation Studies. At foundation level, students are not ready for e-learning. They often face challenges with getting gadgets like smart devices, laptops and connectivity to complete the desired work on weekly basis. Not only that, they are often hesitant to post anything on discussion forum. They would rather wait for the next face to face class to raise the issues they face in the content. Despite those ongoing challenges, students are slowly adopting the new teaching and learning ways and have reacted positively after the effects of COVID-19.

There is no doubt that integration of technologies in teaching and learning has significantly improved student’s accessibility to basic education. If the two aspects of technology enable learning are carefully mapped, it will surely benefit our regional students. It will increase interactivity and ensure students are more engaged in the learning process which will help them retain the information. Not only that, these students will be provided with multiple learning styles which may suit each students learning needs. Multiple learning styles may encourage collaboration, improved feedback mechanisms and prepare each student for the future which will deal with more advanced technologies (Coporation, 2022).
To sum up with the week’s discussion forum, I quote from an article by Jon Marcus in The New York Times, “Theirs is not a future of falling enrolment, financial challenges and closing campuses. It’s a brighter world in which student subscribe to rather than enrol in college, learn languages in virtual reality foreign streetscapes with avatars for conversation partners, have their questions answered day or night by Artificial Intelligence teaching assistants and control their own digital transcripts that record every life achievement. In my personal view, that is where integrated technologies are leading our education system with lot of dependence on A.I. for our daily solutions to problems.

References
Corporation, V. (2022, February 14). Taiwan. New Taipei City. Retrieved from https://www.viewsonic.com/library/education/5-benefits-of-technology-in-the-classroom/
Kala, S. S. (2013). ICT education in Fiji, issues and challenges faced by tertiary education sector: an empirical survey. Educational Journal, 2(3), 91-97.
Marcus , J. (2020, February 24). How Technology is Changing the Future of Higher education. Retrieved from The New York Times: www.nytimes.com/2020/02/20/education/learning/education-technology