Reasons Instructors Cite for not Using Instructional Technology

Reasons Instructors Cite for

not Using Instructional Technology

Bryan Brown

• Training higher education instructors to use instructional technology is often encountered with difficulties. These complications are usually associated

with instructors’ reluctance to learn and use instructional technology.

Top 3 Reasons Instructors do not use Instructional Technology

• Higher education instructors typically reference several reasons they feel influence their decisions to use instructional technology

• The top 3 reasons instructors typically cite for not utilizing instructional technology are:

• Testing demands

• Lack of suitable training

• Lack of motivation

Testing Demands

• Instructors are often overwhelmed by the demands of preparing their students for testing and find it difficult to see any value in using instructional technologies in their particular content area.

(Burns, 2010)

Solution• Present instructors with training on

technologies that they may perceive as beneficial to teaching their students with.

o For instance, an instructor teaching an accounting course may be more willing to learn and incorporate the use of a software in teaching, if it had activities or materials that would prepare students to take the CPA exam.

Lack of Suitable Training

• Many instructors report that the instruction they receive related to technology integration, whether face-to-face or online, is too focused on how to use the software instead of integrating it into the teaching process.

(Burns, 2010)

Solution• Ensure that instructors are provided with

various examples on how they can implement technologies they are trained on into their teaching.

o Through the use of examples, instructors will be able to visually see how technologies can be used in their teaching. Therefore, they will be more confident to implement the technologies themselves once they see how it can be done.

Lack of Motivation

• Some instructors often cite a lack motivation as the reason for not incorporating technology into their teaching. o This lack of motivation is often the result of

instructors perceiving no benefit to their students’ learning in the use of instructional technology.

Solution• Provide instructors with institutional support,

peer support and data on the impact to students learning to assist in motivating faculty to integrating technology into their teaching.

(Tuttle, 2012)

Conclusion• Instructors typically reference several reasons

they feel influence their decisions to use instructional technology. These reasons often lead to difficulties when attempting to train instructors in use of instructional technology.

o Therefore, solutions need to be established to address these reasons and make training of instructional technology for instructors less difficult.

References

Burns, M. (2010, September). How to help teachers use technology in the classroom

the 5J approach. Retrieved from http://elearnmag.acm.org/featured.cfm?aid=1865476

Shutterstock images. (2014). Images from Shutterstock.

Tuttle, H. V. (2012). The lived experiences of faculty who use instructional technology: A

phenomenological study. Retrieved from DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska –

Lincoln. (AAI 3518162)