Assignment onRelevant Literature Review

Submitted to:

Dr. Samina LuthfaAssistant ProfessorDepartment of SociologyUniversity of Dhaka

Date of Submission: 11.01.2015

Group no. : 15Course name: Research MethodologyCourse no. : 361

TITLE: “Usage of Technology and Quality of Higher Education in University of Dhaka . ”

List of Group Members:

Name of Group Members Roll

1. NADIA AYMAN 67

2. MD. WAJADUL ISLAM 43

3. MD. RAFIQUL ISLAM 37

4. TASHLIMA AKTER 87

5. SWAPAN SARKAR 57

6. SHAFI ULLAH MD. NASIM 48

7. ABDULLAH AL MUJAHID 75

Contents

Part I. Literature Review on “Adoption of educational technology ten years after setting strategic goals: A Canadian university case”

General Topic………………………………………………………………………………………………....1

Variables………………………………………………………………………………………………………….1

Research Questions………………………………………………………………………………………...2

Geographical Location……………………………………………………………………………………..3

Research Method…………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Findings of the Study……………………………………………………………………………………….4

Limitation by My Perception…………………………………………………………………………....5

Strength by My Perception……………………………………………………………………………….6

Part II. Literature Review on “Mega-universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education”

General Topic…………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Variables…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….8

Research Questions……………………………………………………………………………………………8

Geographical Location………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Research Method………………………………………………………………………………………………..9

Findings of the Study………………………………………………………………………………………...10

Limitation by My Perception………………………………………………………………………………11

Strength by My Perception…………………………………………………………

Literature Review on“Adoption of educational technology ten years after setting strategic goals: A Canadian university case” by George Zhou & Judy Xu

General Topic:

This study collects information regarding what experiences, perspectives, and expectations university instructors have for professional development and seek a solution to promote a wider, more in depth use of technology. It explores the interplay between instructors' concepts of teaching and use of technology, and searches for the best solutions to help them use technology more effectively. This article have indicated that there exist numerous barriers against university instructors adopting educational technology and more studies are necessary to help develop solutions.

Variables:

There are three types of variables found in this research. They are:

1. Dependent variable: All instructors and students including faculty members and sessional instructors at the University of Alberta participate in this research are dependent variables.

2. Independent Variable: Adoption of educational technology remains independent variable in this research.

3. Intermediate variables: There are three types of factors influencing the adoption of technology at universities which plays the role of intermediate variable. They are:

i. Technical factors,ii. Individual factors and

iii. Organizational factors.

Research Questions:

1. Resident/ non-resident:2. Age:3. Sex:4. Education:5. Rank:6. Contact number of the interviewee:

7. Questions related to the university instructors' concept of teaching: a. What are the uses of student centered teaching approaches?b. What are the importance of teaching goals relative to teaching subject

content?c. What are the perspectives of teaching?d. How are the Criteria for teaching success?

8. Questions related to use of technology: a. Is there any experience in using computers for Studying? For how long you

have the experiences?b. Do you feel comfort with the use of computers?c. How are you expertise in using a variety of computer tools (Web searching/

browsing, PowerPoint, Spreadsheets, Database, Webpage creation/ editing/ publishing, Photoshop, WebCT, Blackboard, etc.)?

d. Do you agree or disagree with following statements: Students communicate better with the instructor and classmates Students are better able to manage their learning Students can learn the material more easily or thoroughly

Faculty is better able to present more complex material Faculty can spend more time with individual students Faculty can spend less time lecturing Faculty can spare time from teaching for research

e. What are the barriers in using computers (lack of instructors, time, tools, experiences, rewards etc.)?

f. What are the sources for computer users acquiring computer skills for teaching?

g. What are the sources where computer users gained pedagogical knowledge for using computers?

Geographic Location:

This research was conducted at the University of Alberta, a large, prestigious university located in western Canada and enrolling over 35,000 students. In its vision statement, the university aims to "become indisputably recognized, nationally and internationally, as one of Canadian's finest universities." The mission of the university is stated to "serve our community by the discovery, dissemination and application of new knowledge through teaching and research."

Research Method:

In this research, researchers basically used Qualitative method. All instructors including faculty members and sessional instructors at the University of Alberta were invited to complete an online survey. The survey used Likert scale, ranking, yes/no, fill-blank, and open ended questions to assess instructors' concept of teaching and collect information about their use of computer technology. It had 30 questions, but most of them included multiple components. Participants were asked to provide a total of 111 responses. The survey was piloted with a small number of instructors before being administered widely. It took approximately 30 minutes to finish.

The survey consisted of three parts. The first part assessed university instructors' concept of teaching from four different aspects. The second part focused on instructors' current use of computers, expertise in computer technologies, perceived impacts of computers on teaching and learning, factors influencing their use of computers, barriers to the use of computers, experiences and preference in professional development. The third part collected demographic information. At the end of the survey, a couple of open ended questions provided participants with an opportunity to give more detailed feedback on any topic covered in the survey.

Five focus groups were conducted with voluntary participants from different Faculties, to collect qualitative information for an in depth understanding of the topics covered in the survey. These five interviewees came from Faculties of Science, Business, Medical Science, Agriculture and Education respectively. Each interview lasted about one hour. Focus group discussions and interviews were recorded and transcribed by a research assistant for analysis.

The quantitative survey data were analyses with SPSS software. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses were validated by at least two researchers.

Findings of the Study:

Past studies indicates that adoption of technology has positive influences on learning process in higher education. According to an Australian journal "Adoption of educational technology ten years after setting strategic goals: Canadian university case", computer based educational technology has the potential to improve teaching practices in higher education. Studies have indicated that there exist numerous barriers against university instructors adopting educational technology. Educational technologies serve our community by the discovery, dissemination and application of new knowledge through teaching and research.

Several plan in higher education defined e-learning as teaching and learning through information and communications technologies that may include, but are not limited to, the following: presentation technologies (e.g. Power point), the internet, video conferencing, email, disciplinary software, learning management systems and educational games. It believes that e-learning has direct relationship

with two major university themes, namely improving the quality of undergraduate experience and focusing on the teaching and research continuum. E-learning offers possibilities for active teaching and learning processes despite large class sizes, increased access to teaching and research information. Earlier studies identified the lack of training as one of the main barriers to use of computer technology. Later studies continue to advocate the importance of professional development for helping university instructors adopt technology. Participants were asked about how comfortable they were with the use of technology in teaching. Among the computer users group, 78% felt comfortable, 17% felt somewhat comfortable, and only 5% did not feel comfortable.

However two aspects need to be considered for the use of technology in Higher education which promote or enhance higher education. Firstly, the university needs to modify its reward system so that it will better recognize the effort and scholarship of using computers in teaching. Secondly, an effective channel needs to be found to deliver to instructors’ positive evidence and successful cases concerning the use of computers and technology.

Limitations by My Perception:

1. Lack of support to help instructors uses technology. Approximately 15% of its instructors had started using computers in teaching when the strategic plan was formed.

2. Exist of technical factors includes variables like access to technology, technical support, etc.

3. Access of individual factors include the available time that university instructors can spend in learning how to use technology, their tolerance of possible failures in using technology, and their beliefs in the effectiveness of technology in enhancing teaching and learning.

4. Access of organizational factors, such as a technology strategic plan, administrative support, professional development, and an incentive policy, could influence the adoption of technology.

5. The limited number of available supplementary materials and web engaged activities may be one reason for this; an important reason comes from an instructor's concept of teaching.

6. Unknown of how to use technology with pedagogical effectiveness.7. Lack of training as one of the main barriers to use of computer technology.8. Hardware or software is unstable and always breaks down.9. There is no recognition from the university or department administration for

using computers in teaching.10.Insufficient time to develop instruction that uses computers.11.No reward from the university or department administration for using

computers in teaching.12.Limited research literature that shows significant improvements in learning as a

result of using computers.

Strength by My Perception:

1.E-learning offers possibilities for active teaching and learning processes despite large class sizes, increased access to teaching and research information, and facilitating collaboration with local and remote instructors and researchers.

2. Computer based educational technology has the potential to improve teaching practices in higher education.

3. During the past ten years, several organizational units including the e-learning group at the Computing and Network Services, Academic Technologies for Learning at the Faculty of Extension, and Arts Resource Center at the Faculty of Arts, were set up to promote the use of technology by providing technical support, professional development workshops, and instructional design services.

4. Three types of factors influencing the adoption of technology at universities: technical factors, individual factors, and organizational factors.

5. Web enabled supplements provide students with access to course related materials they would otherwise not have the opportunity to study.

6. Web engaged activities provide students with information processing tools and promote higher order thinking.

7. Information dissemination uses of course web pages were far more common than web enabled supplements or interactive activities

8. Technology may make content delivery more efficient and less expensive,

9. To triangulate the survey data, five focus groups were conducted with voluntary participants from different Faculties, to collect qualitative information for an in depth understanding of the topics covered in the survey.

10. More and more instructors have started to use technology and become familiar with it.

11. A web link for the online survey was sent through an automatic email dispatch program to approximately 2500 email addresses.

12. Male instructors, younger instructors than 35 years old, and associate professors are slightly over-represented in the sample as a model of random selection.

13. Approximately 90% participants reported that they used computer technologies in teaching (computer users) while 10% did not use computer technologies other than word processing and email tools (non computer users).

14. Approximately 52% of the computer users had used computers in their teaching careers for more than five years, 36% between two and five years, and 12% less than two years.

Literature Review on“Mega-universities and Knowledge Media: Technology Strategies for Higher Education”_ by John S. Daniel

General topic:

This study mainly discusses about the methods of education and learning with reference the mega universities in implication of technology and media networking in different fields of education sectors around the world.

Variables:

In this study, technological impact is independent variable and the mega universities and conventional universities are dependent variable. Because, recent education system is mainly technology oriented. Especially, the students of mega universities use new technology to increase their competitive advantages in the wider context of changing competitive environments.

Research Questions:

1. Address:2. Age:3. Sex:4. Education:5. Rank:6. Contact number of the interviewee:7. What is the empirical influence of new technology for the developing

knowledge capacity over the quality of education in the mega universities? Is the main question of this study?

8. May mega universities have significant and growing international law?9. What is the role of new technology on the mega universities?10.How to apply the new technology on these institutions?11.Is it possible the implication of new technology on these institutions at all?

Geographical Location:

This is a thesis in the Department of Education for the Degree of Master of Arts (Educational Technology) at Concordia University located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is conducted by John S. Daniel and published by National Library of Canada. This thesis contributes to the most important educational phenomenon, the development of distance learning in the last twenty years and the challenges it now faces. In 1995, among some fifty public institutions around the world dedicated the distance education, there were ten large tertiary-level institutions with enrollments of over 100,000 a year. Their combined enrollments exceeded two millions registered students.

Research Method:

This study employs a variety of method to match the different types of analysis

required. This research has been measured by qualitative variable in which we can see the impact of technology in higher education of mega universities around the world. The world educators should aim to develop the potentiality of people and meetings this challenge will require most cost -effective method for education and training. The lower unit costs of these mega universities, compared to the conventional class room based universities have impressed policy makers. Absolute size is more an appropriate measures than size of relative to population. Some argue that the convergence of computing, communications and the cognitive science has produced technologies whose potential in education is superior, in qualitative manner.

Findings of the study:

1. It focuses on the strength and weakness of these systems drawing on porters approach to the competitive advantages of organizations.

2. Distance education is the instructional method which brings educational attainments and acquisitions of skills and training.

3. Correspondence education has a contribution to create students centered learning system in the modern multimedia distance education

4. New technology has brought about remote class room teaching systems through audio and video conferencing.

5. The remarkable database and the documentary resources of the International center for distance learning had helped to carry out a series review of the mega universities and the open universities.

6. The objectives of this study is the advancement and dissemenation of learning ,knowledge by teaching and research, by a diversity of means such as brodcasting and technological devices appropriate to higher education ,by coresspondence tuition and residential courses ,seminars in other relevant wayes and by a diversity of means including the use of any communication technology.

7. Mega universities change their teaching and support systems with the help of implementing technological strategy.

8. Distance education has evolved with two generation, correspondence courses and multimedia packages but, knowledge media represent a third generation that support the open learning which enriches the distance education by giving students rapid communication with the people and learning resources of the academic community.

9. Distance teaching universities can be cost- effective in comparison with the conventional universities.

10. Mega universities have a prominent role in the national higher education strategy and national policy in each country.

11. This imperative research gives special significance to a successful alternative instructional technology that has yielded the economics of scale associated the mass production of industry.

12. The separation of institution and student in both time and space requires the use of media communications for increasing knowledge and education.

13. Remote-classroom system (distance education) has found it necessary to modify conventional classroom (correspondence education).

14. The sole purpose of using audio-visual media is to enhance the learning registered students, it is better to make them available as an audio cassettes and video cassettes.

15. Distance education included only the possibility of occasional meetings for didactic and socialization purposes.

Limitations by my perception:

1. It is very large research there may be the existences of biasness in the research.2. As it is a worldwide research it includes many more mega universities over the

world.3. It is also an expensive research these might be the existence of time, money,

information loss.4. As it needed a large number of people so there might be any fault in selecting

its sample.5. It focused only upon technology but mega universities were not developed only

by the contribution of technology.6. Since, the Mega universities have large number of students so it is difficult to

bring out a good result.7. Despite the dramatic technological developments in the twentieth century there

are few instances where alternative approaches to an education and training have reduced costs.

8. The scarcity of physical resources may limit the quality of the material environment in which many people live.

9. There is no greater access to internet, satellite and terrestrial broadcasting for TV or Radio.

10. Mega universities are large and complex institutions.

11. It is difficult to use TV, which is expensive and does not reach students in rural areas.

12. in some countries, cultures is unfavorable for distance learning.

13. University trained peoples who could act as tutors are also in short supply, especially in rural area.

14. Low social recognition of distance education as the major obstacle for implementing distance education.

15. The weakness of remote-classroom systems is that students are still constrained by obligation of attendance at a set time and place.

16. The major perceived weakness of correspondence education is the extent and immediacy of interaction.

17. Poor reliability of the computer network in local study center.

18. In most areas, the mega universities will seek to be leader in the application of technology rather than developers of the technology itself.

Strength by my perception:

1. New technologies lead to distance teaching institutions to serves to students beyond their national boundaries.

2. Many mega universities enroll thousands of students outside their own countries; they are the part of the global enterprise of education and training.

3. Satellites could transmit video signals to remote class room network.4. Mega universities use media with multiple objectives and mind.5. Ordinary working people could study part time from home.6. Remote class room approach is it’s potentials for interaction between students

and teachers and between students.

7. Governments created their mega university for increasing access to higher education at low cost.

8. As the cost of telecommunications decline remote class room teaching will be an increasing viable option even where numbers are small.

9. Class room instructors believe they can adapt they can adapt relatively easily to the demand of teaching over video or video link.

10. Video transmissions are described as tools of motivation which break down

geographical isolation.

11. Video transmissions are described as tools of motivation which break down geographical isolation.

12. Average cost- per students is decreases very slowly.

13. Technological developments have reduces the entry barriers to distance education so that economics of scale are no longer always pre-requisite.

14. Many mega universities have privileged access to communications facilities.

15. Distance education has evolved as a function of time, place, and technology.

16. The developments of telecommunication produce a new interest in the remote class room method of distance education.

17. The key strength of correspondence study is its flexibility for both students and institutions.

18. Mega universities have interrelationship with institutions like BBC.