Director’s Message
By Fedro Zazueta
Academic Technology
Adding technology to conventional teaching and learning paradigms is usually accompanied by the expectation that the quality of learning will improve while the cost of instruction will decrease. Bolting technology to conventional courses simply adds the cost of the technology. In addition, to effectively utilize these types of technologies in teaching requires specialized skills. Due to these gaps in expectations and practice, the quality of learning is usually not improved and the cost of instruction is often increased.
However, documented evidence of successful use of technology in education was presented by the National Center for Academic Transformation (NCAT). While focusing on learning content knowledge, critical thinking, retention and cost of instruction, NCAT presented a successful approach to the incorporation of technology in teaching. Fundamentally, improvements in quality and cost result from thoroughly redesigning the course as well as improving the pedagogical and management skills of instructors. With an initial investment in the creation of a course, costs can be saved in its delivery while learning outcomes are improved through better methods of distribution, interaction and course management.
Tags: Academic Technology
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Posted on Wednesday, May 14th, 2008.