I came across “Using Technology to Support Postsecondary Student Learning: A Practice Guide for College and University Administrators, Advisors, and Faculty” from Dr. MJ Bishop’s recent tweet:
I enjoyed the opportunity to serve on this panel… interesting to see first hand the need to begin framing our #highered #edtech research around the educational problems we’re trying to solve instead of around the technologies themselves… https://t.co/iZncacZlV3
— MJ Bishop (@drmjbishop) May 19, 2019
It’s going to take me a long time to digest this report, but there are a few things that jump out at me:
- As shown in Table 1 below, the report breaks down five practice recommendations related to the use of technology based on theory and research. For example, the first recommendation – within the ballpark of my dissertation topic – suggests, “Use communication and collaboration tools to increase interaction among students and between students and instructors.” While this recommendation is based on the value of the underlying theories of social learning, the report notes “a minimal level of evidence based on three studies of the effectiveness of communication tools designed to foster collaboration and build community,” which is a call from the rooftop for additional research! Again, much along the lines of what I outlined in the discussion of my dissertation.
- The panel includes leaders in the instructional design field – yay! For example, Dr. Dabbagh, an early supporter of our work at Designers for Learning, is the panel chair. Also, MJ is a perfect voice to foster evidence-based practice initiatives.
- As MJ notes in her tweet, it’s fantastic to focus on the educational problems and opportunities to support learning instead of around the technologies themselves. Amen!
- Finally, the report is in the public domain, so share it to your heart’s content!
