Disciplinary patterns in adoption of educational technologies

Abstract

In UNSW a cross-discipline Fellowship in Innovating Teaching and Educational Technology (ITET) sought to build communities of practice that would transform the University’s learning and teaching practices and systems. One cohort of 21 ITET Fellows provided cognitive maps of their strategies for using educational technology as they entered the programme. Analysis of the maps showed that academic discipline affects both the way that educational technology is perceived and the resulting strategies for its use. There are implications for educational support staff, in that their own professional knowledge and values may clash with those of the teachers they are working with. There are also implications at institutional level, in that the optimum mix of central and discipline-based support may vary across institutions and from one institution to another.