Colleges and universities have spent
hundreds of millions of dollars on technology they believe will improve student
outcomes and simplify administrative tasks. Educational technology companies
continue to demolish investment records on a quarterly basis. With all this
money raised and spent under the guise of improving postsecondary education,
the 2015 Inside Higher Ed Survey
of Faculty Attitudes on Technology suggests that many instructors believe the
gains in student learning justify the costs -- even if the results are perhaps
less significant than desired.
Highlights
from the report include:
- The gap between administrators and faculty members widens as instructors -- including those who have taught online -- become more negative about the quality of online education, especially compared to face-to-face instruction.
- Nearly two-thirds of faculty members believe detection software can stop students from plagiarizing, but less than one-quarter believe students have a full understanding of what plagiarism actually is.
- Faculty members are skeptical about new academic programs that combine face-to-face instruction with massive open online courses, fearing the model threatens traditional faculty roles.
- Administrators and faculty members overwhelmingly say textbooks and other course materials are too expensive, and that instructors should seriously consider costs when assigning readings.
- A majority of faculty members are concerned about attacks on scholars for their comments on social media and feel that colleges must do more to encourage civil discourse online.
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