Literature Review - The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience
Have you read anything interesting on this subject? Please share the literature you find most useful
The project and primary contacts
Participate using Cloudworks
The Challenge
What's in it for you?
The Questions
Supportive literature
The project and primary contacts
The University of Exeter has obtained funding from the Higher Education Academy to undertake a review of the literature pertaining to: The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience.
The primary contact for the project is Dr Tom Browne, Education Research and Evaluation Advisor, Education Enhancement, Academic Services, tel:01392 72 3232, email: t.j.browne@exeter.ac.uk
Participate using Cloudworks
We are using Cloudworks as a place where you can share awareness of, and critically evaluate the literature in order to inform a literature review funded by the HEA, which aims to assist HEIs in determining what they really expect from, and how they may choose to develop, their educational technologists. The resultant Cloudscape will be referenced in the final report to the HEA and in appreciation of your contributions, you will be acknowledged explicitly in the report. All comments will be subject to a Creative Commons Attribution licence.
The Challenge
Over a decade ago, the UK Dearing report recommended that all institutions should review the changing role of staff as a result of [ICT], and ensure that "staff and students receive appropriate training and support to enable them to realise its full potential". In a recent UCISA(1) survey contribution of technology enhanced learning (TEL) was identified as a major driver in enhancing the student experience, permeating all institutional strategies, policies and actions. To what extent has the subsequent literature identified and acknowledged the role of the educational technologist in achieving such an objective, in an environment where institutions are increasingly emphasising the pre-eminence of improving the student experience and where TEL is increasinly being regarded as institutionally relevant?
What's in it for you?
Establishing a better understanding of the contexts within which educational technologists can flourish, should assist institutions in overcoming the barriers to the successful deployment of TEL as part of an overarching ambition of improving the students' experience.
The Questions
A series of questions have been posted to assist in framing the sharing of pertinent literature. They have been added as Clouds at the bottom of this page, click on a question to view, contribute a reference and participate in the discussion. You will first have to register with Cloudworks, but this is a quick process and free of charge. More information about the site can be found here. Once you have registered, email alerts will be sent to you when someone contributes to a Cloud you are following.
For the purposes of our research this conversation will run from late August through to early September 2009, although it is very much hoped that the conversation will continue to run and be updated over time providing a persistent resource for researchers in this area.
When you click on the questions below, you will observe that each has been 'seeded' with a quote taken from a reference list listed in Shurville et al (2). Do not be constrained by, or feel obligated to agree with the quote! They are merely there to stimulate your thoughts in identifying pertinent literature.
Supportive literature
1. Tom Browne, Roger Hewitt, Martin Jenkins and Richard Walker (2008). Survey of Technology Enhanced Learning for higher education in the UK. UCISA. http://www.ucisa.ac.uk/publications/tel_survey.aspx
2. Shurville, S., Browne, T. and Whitaker, M. (2009). Accommodating the newfound strategic importance of educational technologists within higher education: A critical literature review, Campus-Wide Information Systems, Vol. 26, No. 3, pp.201-231. http://eric.exeter.ac.uk/exeter/handle/10036/78389
NEW (28/9/2009)
A big thank you to all contributors to this Cloudscape. I've was on holiday last week but on my return was delighted to note a flood of new contributions. Keep them coming. I will digest and follow them up asap. Tom Browne
Clouds in this Cloudscape
- Literature review cloudscape: User survey - Please feedback your experience of using Cloudworks (3 comments)
- Q1: What is the relevance of the student experience to the role of the educational technologist? (16 comments)
- Q2: Where should educational technologists be 'positioned'? (18 comments)
- Q3: Are educational technologists impacting on changing pedagogies? (5 comments)
- Q4: What are the career trajectories and challenges for educational technologists? (3 comments)
- Q5: How do educational technologists gain institutional seniority and influence? (8 comments)
- Q6: What are the different emphases in the roles of educational technologists? (12 comments)
- Q7: To what extent does an educational technologist have to navigate between 'innovative' trends and established practices? (5 comments)
- Q8: What is the relevance of educational technologists in relation to educational strategic missions? (1 comment)
- Q9: Is the role of the educational technologist relevant to the contribution of the University to the wider knowledge economy?
- Undertaking a literature review
Cloudstream
- Undertaking a literature review
cloud added to the cloudscape Literature Review - The positioning of educational technologists in enhancing the student experience by Rebecca Ferguson on 12 May 2010 - "Potter, S. (2006). 7: Undertaking a literature review. In S. Potter (Ed.), Doing Postgraduate......"
on the cloud Undertaking a literature review by SocialLearn on 13 March 2010 - "Very interesting Tom. I wonder what sort of measures should educational technologists alongside...
added to Q6: What are the different emphases in the roles of educational technologists? by Giota Alevizou on 13 November 2009 - "I'd strongly encourage participants to have a look at Laura Czerniewicz's blog at:...
added to Q6: What are the different emphases in the roles of educational technologists? by Tom Browne on 12 November 2009 - "This article has just come out, looking at practice in South Africa, and drawing on Technological...
added to Q3: Are educational technologists impacting on changing pedagogies? by Martin Oliver on 29 October 2009 - "Martin,
thanks for this. Grainne brought our attention to her work in Q6 but at that point...
added to Q2: Where should educational technologists be 'positioned'? by Tom Browne on 19 October 2009 - "Thought I'd post this up - it's an email from Seb on the ALT members list:
Date: Fri, 16 Oct...
added to Q2: Where should educational technologists be 'positioned'? by Martin Oliver on 19 October 2009 - "Writing some sort of summary of the Alt mailing list is definitely in hand. Given time...
added to Literature review cloudscape: User survey - Please feedback your experience of using Cloudworks by Tom Browne on 16 October 2009 - "For me the interesting thing has been how the discussion has developed over time, and the role you...
added to Literature review cloudscape: User survey - Please feedback your experience of using Cloudworks by Rebecca Galley on 16 October 2009 - "I do hope that if you have engaged with this Cloudscape in any way that you have completed the...
added to Literature review cloudscape: User survey - Please feedback your experience of using Cloudworks by Tom Browne on 15 October 2009