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Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education

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A special issue of Informatics (ISSN 2227-9709).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2016) | Viewed by 34482

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Diego Bonilla

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Guest Editor

Communication Studies Department, Coordinator, Digital Communication and Information Minor, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J St., Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
Interests: computer-mediated communication; new media engineering; digital storytelling; data tracking; online learning; immersive virtual environments; critical thinking in electronic informational environments; flipped classes; synchronous and asynchronous online collaboration; open educational resources

Prof. Dr. Mark Stoner

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Communication Studies Department, California State University, Sacramento, 6000 J, St. Sacramento, CA 95819, USA
Interests: instructional communication; mediated learning; relationship of communication to thinking, learning and teaching; rhetorical criticism

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Disruptive Technologies, Higher Education, and Harnessing the Promise of a Revolution.

Pressures for the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) are ubiquitous in higher education. In an environment of constant change, technological innovations are outpacing our ability to identify and appropriate the affordances of those innovations for teaching and learning. The information regarding the affordances of an instructional technology often does not originate from research because the time-span of scholarly endeavors investigating the use of the instructional technology is outpaced by technological evolution. In many instances, information about the affordances of a technology comes from vendors touting the potentialities of their technology rather than empirical research. Beyond teaching, research and service activities, faculty in higher education increasingly are challenged with vetting constantly evolving software and hardware that, in social and commercial environments, privilege the use of new technologies for work and entertainment.

The questions in higher education regarding ICT use, in general, and disruptive technologies (DT), in particular, go beyond simply knowing about particular technologies (e.g., gaming, adaptive learning, etc.) Promulgators of the inherent value and inevitability of “disruptive technologies” create an affirmative vision of technologies that may or may not be appropriate for the complex social, and now technological, environment of the modern university classroom.

Numerous questions about the relevance, appropriateness, and effects of “disruptive technologies” beg addressing. Here are just a few:

• The term “disruptive technology" is often used in place of “new technology” or “alternative technology”, when disruptive technology is a particular kind of technology and market phenomenon. What exactly is a disruptive technology in higher education?

• Discussion in the literature often fails to differentiate the nature of education from product manufacture or sales. What are the processes by which disruptive technologies may find a location for use in the unique context of higher education? What are the drivers for adoption of a disruptive technology in higher education? In higher education, how do we distinguish technologies for class management from technologies for instruction and learning?

• Probably the most important question is, how can we predict the multidimensional effects of implementing disruptive technologies in higher education? If adopted, what new privacy/security concerns do such technologies, arise? What are the real costs of failed attempts to adopt evolving technologies?

Fast technological development is a given at this point in history, but its effects in higher education still have yet to be determined. Numerous and critical questions about what instructional problems may be mitigated, solved, or created by new technologies, particularly those deemed “disruptive technologies” have yet to be answered. The promise of a revolution in higher education to transform its efficiency and effectiveness sparked by disruptive technologies is one that must be carefully examined.

We are soliciting studies that develop and elaborate our understanding of the nature and role of disruptive technologies in the context of higher education. It is important that we get past the hype cycles of ICT/DT innovations, and systematically examine the potentialities and limitations of technology generally and disruptive technology, in particular.

Studies are drawn from a variety of perspectives, methods and disciplines are invited.

Prof. Dr. Diego Bonilla
Prof. Dr. Mark Stoner
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Informatics is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

higher education
information communication technology
adoption
culture
learning
teaching
collaboration
privacy
security

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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1026 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Disabling and Enabling Technologies for Learning in Higher Education for All: Issues and Challenges for Whom?

by Sangeeta Bagga-Gupta, Giulia Messina Dahlberg and Ylva Winther

Informatics 2016, 3(4), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics3040021 - 28 Oct 2016

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 8541

Abstract

Integration, inclusion, and equity constitute fundamental dimensions of democracy in post-World War II societies and their institutions. The study presented here reports upon the ways in which individuals and institutions both use and account for the roles that technologies, including ICT, play in disabling and enabling access for learning in higher education for all. Technological innovations during the 20th and 21st centuries, including ICT, have been heralded as holding significant promise for revolutionizing issues of access in societal institutions like schools, healthcare services, etc. (at least in the global North). Taking a socially oriented perspective, the study presented in this paper focuses on an ethnographically framed analysis of two datasets that critically explores the role that technologies, including ICT, play in higher education for individuals who are “differently abled” and who constitute a variation on a continuum of capabilities. Functionality as a dimension of everyday life in higher education in the 21st century is explored through the analysis of (i) case studies of two “differently abled” students in Sweden and (ii) current support services at universities in Sweden. The findings make visible the work that institutions and their members do through analyses of the organization of time and space and the use of technologies in institutional settings against the backdrop of individuals’ accountings and life trajectories. This study also highlights the relevance of multi-scale data analyses for revisiting the ways in which identity positions become framed or understood within higher education. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education)

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435 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Socio-Economic Evaluation of a European Project: The DIYLab Case

by Juana M. Sancho-Gil and Pablo J. Rivera-Vargas

Informatics 2016, 3(3), 13; https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics3030013 - 29 Jul 2016

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 8220

Abstract

This paper builds on the results of a 3-year long European project, the main aim of which was to deeply and sustainably transform teaching and learning practice in primary and secondary schools and higher education, by introducing Do it Yourself (DIY) philosophy in order to expand digital competence and foster students’ agency and collaborative learning. Three universities and three primary and secondary schools have been involved in a Collaborative Action Research (CAR) process in order to analyse their current institutional context and perceive needs, strengths and weaknesses; to undertake professional development activities and the design of DIYLabs; implement DIYLabs in the selected courses; and reflect upon ways of improving the institution’s performance. This paper offers a global vision of the research and implementation processes and the results achieved, from the perspective of the socio-economic dimensions involved in a project aiming to make a difference in teaching and learning to meet the challenges of a society highly permeated by digital technology (DT). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education)

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240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modifying Dialogical Strategy in Asynchronous Critical Discussions for Cross-Strait Chinese Learners

by Jean Yiching Chiu

Informatics 2014, 1(2), 174-189; https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics1020174 - 08 Sep 2014

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 6188

Abstract

In this global era, critical thinking has become crucial for educators and learners. The purpose of this research was to explore how modifying a dialogical strategy in asynchronous online discussion forums impacted Chinese learners’ critical thinking. Due to the Chinese cultural impact of social harmony, the majority of learners tend to maintain silent and avoid critical discussions in instructional settings. The author deployed an affectively supportive model in a modified dialogical strategy to structure Chinese EFL learners’ asynchronous critical postings by probing and questioning while requiring labeling of each cross-referencing posting as Agree/Disagree/Challenge/New Perspective. The participants were two cohorts of similar cultural background but under different political systems in China and Taiwan, here engaged together in cultural interactions. This study employed two research methods: standardized critical thinking tests, and focus groups. Findings reveal that learners in both cohorts indicated some improvement in their critical thinking skills. Nevertheless, there remain affective and cultural issues. Future studies are thus recommended to further investigate the potential of an adaptive model to engage critical discussions with English native speakers and optimize critical thinking for Chinese learners in an EFL environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education)

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Other

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6466 KiB

Open AccessConcept Paper

Developing and Improving Student Non-Technical Skills in IT Education: A Literature Review and Model

by Marcia Hagen and David Bouchard

Informatics 2016, 3(2), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/informatics3020007 - 17 Jun 2016

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 10609

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify portions of the literature in the areas of Information Technology (IT) management, skills development, and curriculum development that support the design of a holistic conceptual framework for instruction in non-technical skills within the IT higher education context. This article review provides a framework for understanding how the critical success factors related to IT and Information Systems (IS) professional success is impacted by developing students’ non-technical skills. The article culminates in a holistic conceptual framework for developing non-technical skills within the IT higher education context. Implications for theory and research are provided. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Information and Communication Technology in Higher Education)

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