Business School Students’ Perceptions and Expectations of the Use of Technology Devices and Applications in Higher Education
Research Track
Matt Glowatz, Linda Dowling-Hetherington, Audrey Dempsey and Elanor McDonald, College of Business, University College Dublin
Digital technologies in disciplinary contexts
Key terms – technology, applications, devices, higher education, business
Students’ expectations are sometimes put forward as a driving force behind a greater use of technology in Higher Education (HE) (Kirkwood and Price, 2013; Margaryan et al, 2011). While the potential to transform learning and teaching utilising technology has been much talked about in the literature, it has also been argued that technology has not fundamentally changed teaching practices (Henderson et al, 2017; Kirkwood and Price, 2013). Indeed, as Selwyn (2010: 66) suggests, ‘many of the fundamental elements of learning and teaching remain largely untouched by the potential of educational technology’. Research also suggest that students are not actively calling for universities and faculty to dramatically increase their use of technology and that they prefer a more moderate use of technology in their studies (Caruso et al, 2005; Lohnes and Kinzer, 2007). In a study undertaken by Henderson et al (2017), students outlined in detail how several technologies and applications have helped with their learning, research and collaboration. While Henderson et al (2017: 1567) suggest that ‘digital technologies are now an integral aspect of the university student experience’, their research findings also imply a disparity between the rhetoric around the use of technology to enhance learning and the reality regarding students’ actual use of technology.
In the context of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ireland, little or no research has been conducted to examine Henderson’s identified potential disparity. Furthermore, it is unclear as to how university students’ prior expectations of the use of technology by faculty compares with their actual experiences of technology to enhance learning both inside and outside the classroom. To address these gaps in the literature, an online survey was distributed to 6,956 undergraduate and graduate students enrolled across five diverse geographical campus locations of University College Dublin’s (UCD) College of Business, namely Dublin, Singapore, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. The survey was designed to explore key aspects of the use of technology devices and applications in HE. The research examined students’ ownership and adoption of technology devices and applications for both general purposes (non-study or learning related) and for study / learning related purposes. It also set out to provide insights into students’ perception and expectations of the use of technology devices and applications by faculty.
The preliminary research findings highlight the extent to which students use various devices (particularly laptops and smartphones) and applications (particularly email, internet and WhatsApp) for learning related purposes. Students reported that technology has the potential to enhance lecturer-student and student-student interaction and learning more generally. The vast majority of students reported that their lecturers use technology and applications either more than or at least as much as they had expected for teaching-specific purposes, but would like to see even greater use of technology. The paper aims to provide faculty with some insights into students’ technology and applications usage which may prove useful when designing modules and planning classroom delivery and related learning activities.
