Written by: L. M. Cong
Published by: Book Chapter in Tertiary Education in a Time of Change
MBA News Digest Comment: None.
Extracted Content: In the real implementation of synchronous tools, there are numerous barriers to the adoption at scale in Higher Education. Primary problems include, for example, the digital literacy of teachers, increased workload for staff and technology competency of students (Ertmer, 1999; Hew & Brush, 2007). Furthermore, if staff and students are not well prepared and engaged for the effective use of the technology, it may not necessarily improve the student experience. Much research has been conducted into investigating if synchronous tools improve student satisfaction or learning outcomes. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to how to properly design the implementation of synchronous tools in order to improve the student learning experience. Where students’ learning experience is not improved, it may not necessarily be that the technology itself doesn’t work, but the pedagogies and implementation process have not been designed well. Given online education is a primary trend in tertiary education, it is imperative to investigate it.