Instead of fearing that new technology will spark disruptiveness among students, instructors are more hesitant towards new technology due to a lack of tech-savviness.
According to an article by Mechdyne Corporation, instructors “prefer traditional [teaching] methods because they are not comfortable or confident in running new, high-tech tools themselves.”
This lack of confidence enables instructors to back away from investing in new learning technologies, and can often end up hurting students’ college experience. This is especially true if a certain technology is needed to prepare students for the real world, or give students a taste of how technologies in the work world will function.
Technology Success Story
Instructors, like Dr. May Katherine Scott at the University of Wyoming, end up taking their teaching opportunities to another level when they invest in new technologies.
In Scott’s case, she pushed for the university to invest in a CAVE for her art history students.
Check out how Marquette University uses their CAVE solution here.
“I think it’s important for instructors to have the necessary support systems in place to quell any fears we might have in using new tech products in the classroom,” Scott told Mechdyne. “For me, this was crucial in making the decision to incorporate the CAVE as a teaching tool into my Art History survey class.”
Since installing and utilizing the CAVE in her classes, Scott said she’s seen improvement in student learning.
“The students experienced art history in a whole new way,” she says. “By actually being able to walk through the architecture that our textbook only discussed in a short paragraph, they had the opportunity to engage with the architecture on a much deeper level.”
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