College administrators are aware of the need to implement educational technology in classrooms, but are struggling with how to do so, according to a new report.
College Innovation Network today released its first CIN Administrator EdTech Survey, which found that more than half (53%) of the 214 administrators surveyed said they had difficulty selecting effective edtech products for their institutions. It turned out that he wasn't very confident.
“Administrators are excited about providing new educational technology tools, but they also need the knowledge and knowledge to help them make informed decisions that benefit students and faculty,” said Omid Fotuhi, director of learning and innovation at WGU Labs, which funds the network. “There is not enough data,” he said. From the statement.
The College Innovation Network, a consortium that helps higher education institutions explore technology, suggests that institutions regularly conduct technology audits and seek feedback from students and faculty to increase confidence when choosing educational technology products. However, this practice is not implemented in many universities.
One-third of administrators polled said they request instructional technology feedback from faculty less than once a year, and 38% said they request feedback from students less than once a year. Technical audits were much more rare, with nearly half (48%) of managers saying they do not conduct annual audits.
The survey, conducted in conjunction with WGU Labs, a subset of Western Governors University, surveyed managers about how they are handling the rise of technology, integration and artificial intelligence.
According to the managers surveyed, the biggest benefit that educational technology products can bring is making classes more engaging. They also hoped that the products would improve online education (37%) and believed that edtech products would provide better access to support services (32%).
As generative artificial intelligence becomes more popular, attitudes toward AI are also improving. According to the survey, 52% of managers felt ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ positively about AI tools, 30% were neutral and 19% felt ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ negatively.
But despite this sentiment, there is largely inaction when it comes to AI policymaking. More than three-quarters (77%) of institutions do not have an AI policy for faculty and staff. However, there was slightly more focus on student use, with 67% saying they had no policy on student use.
“Furthermore, our data shows that a lack of certainty about AI and administrators’ confidence in their ability to effectively select educational technology products may prevent them from developing policies or action plans for leveraging AI. relevant institutions,” the report states.
The survey also addressed the future of online education, with the majority of respondents agreeing that online course offerings will continue in the future. Nearly 80% believe that their institutions will offer more hybrid courses and more microcredentials and certification programs in the future. Almost all administrators (92%) agreed that they will spend more time using educational technology products in the classrooms of the future.
“Higher education is challenged by a number of significant disruptions, and administrators sit at the center of these changing demands and are responsible for making campus-wide decisions that greatly impact students and faculty,” Fotuhi said. “This survey highlights the need for more resources to inform decision-making, which will help drive widespread adoption of educational technology.”