Are students getting used to Learning Technology? How student media usage patterns change. [1612] Home : Annual Conference 2017

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Tue, Sep 5 2017, 3:30pm – 5:00pm

Authors: Carina Dolch

Room: Library Rm (1)

Theme: Wildcard

Type: 40-minute session

Description

To be able to develop content, as well as to implement learning technologies with a contemporary design, the Instructional Design Process (Morrison et al., 2011) recommends to know how the media reaches the target group, addresses their needs and which foundations have to be laid to ensure a long-term, profitable implementation of learning technologies. Even if institutions or Instructional Designers are thinking of taking these factors into account, there is not much research in relation to higher education students. The focus of this session is a study, which investigates media usage patterns and behavior with a total of 3,666 German higher education students. To be able to identify trends, and to consider this in the design of future learning environments, the first survey in 2012 (N = 2,339) was replicated in 2015 (N = 1,327). Based on the results of this study, the session will focus on whether Learning Technology has become the “new norm(al)” in the higher education system. Possible strategies and ideas for further innovations and changes will also be presented for discussion.

The development of digital media and educational technology is a dynamic field in higher education. Accessibility of technology is one thing and how well access is given full play for academic purposes is another, which can be identified as a rhetoric-reality mismatch. Moreover, the increased diversity of student profiles is challenging. According to Moore & Kearsley (2011), educational challenges are evidenced in university curricula, delivery modes and student support systems. Establishing e-learning and distance learning has been seen as one possible solution towards serving the diverse needs of students.

The longitudinal analysis presented here was carried out to investigate changes in students’ media usage patterns. In general, a decrease in the frequency of use of all (digital) media, tools and services from 2012 until 2015 was found. These findings correspond to the current Digitalisation Index in Germany (Initiative D21, 2016), which shows that die index value of people with higher education decreased from 2015 to 2016: People with a higher education are evidently more critical of new developments in digitalisation, they “do not want to be at the forefront of all technology trends” (ibid., p. 27, own translation) and are increasingly wanting to be offline (ibid.).

During the session, participants will gain an understanding of the student body in the German higher education system and of their media usage patterns. Furthermore, an overview of the demand for and supply of digital teaching and learning formats will be provided. These results can be a starting point for institutions to rethink their knowledge on students’ needs and skills, and they show basic developments that may be transferred to other countries’ higher education systems.

References

Initiative D21 (2016). 2016 D21-Digital-Index – Jährliches Lagebild zur Digitalen Gesellschaft. Berlin: Initiative D21. Retrieved from http://www.initiatived21.de/wp-content/uploads/2016/ 11/Studie-D21-Digital-Index-2016.pdf

Moore, M. G., & Kearsley, G. (2011). Distance education: A systems view of online learning. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (2011). Designing effective instruction. (6th ed.), Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

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