SALT LAKE CITY, May 25, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The College Innovation Network (CIN), an initiative spearheaded by WGU Labs, today published the results of its 2022 CIN EdTech Faculty Survey, aimed at understanding faculty’s experiences with education technology (EdTech). Drawing on the survey’s insights, the report provides actionable strategies that administrators and EdTech leaders can adopt to help faculty get the most out of EdTech and ultimately improve the student experience.
The published report, Faculty as EdTech Innovators: Moving Beyond Stereotypes to Promote Institutional Change, indicates that, contrary to popular belief, most faculty aren’t resistant to EdTech. In fact, they feel confident in their ability to adapt to it. The challenge, according to survey respondents, is that faculty need more time, resources, and input to evaluate and use EdTech effectively.
Survey participants included 402 faculty members across eight teaching-focused institutions: Arizona Western College, Central Ohio Technical College, Northern Virginia Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, Bennett College, California University of Pennsylvania, Loyola University New Orleans, and Rio Salado College.
Conducted in November 2021, the multi-institution survey contained 51 items to better understand the faculty experience with EdTech and teaching. Specifically, the survey asked about their teaching approach, EdTech decision making, EdTech implementation and support, and perspectives. Among the findings:
- 41% of faculty identify as EdTech leaders and 48% identify as enthusiastic followers after seeing successful use cases.
- 30% of faculty are dissatisfied with the time they have to learn how to use and implement new EdTech and 15% report they do not receive effective EdTech training.
- More than 80% of faculty report that accessibility for students with disabilities and for underserved students is “very” or “extremely important” when choosing EdTech products.
“The transition to tech-enabled teaching hasn’t always been smooth, yet it’s encouraging to see that hasn’t deterred faculty from embracing new technology,” said the report’s author, Dr. Nicole Barbaro. “Without faculty support for technology initiatives in the classroom, technology transformation initiatives across the university can fail. We need to ensure we’re seeing faculty as partners in EdTech, not as barriers.”
Dr. Omid Fotuhi, Director of Learning Innovation at WGU Labs, added, “Our results give faculty a voice—something we must also do when procuring and implementing EdTech on campus. It’s clear that the ways in which universities make EdTech decisions do not fully consider the time, resources, and training faculty need for successful implementation in their courses. If our ultimate goal is to improve student learning experiences with tech, we must make sure we’re fully supporting our faculty, too."
About the College Innovation Network
The College Innovation Network (CIN) was launched in 2020 by WGU Labs—Western Governors University’s research and development hub—with support from the Charles Koch Foundation. CIN is a network of higher education institutions committed to addressing the core challenge of promoting belonging and engagement in the modern higher education environment. CIN leverages technology to build highly engaged learning communities from enrollment through graduation, and beyond. CIN supports educational institutions by identifying areas of need, implementing effective education technology for students, and demonstrating impact through research. Join us as we build learning communities where all students belong. Learn more at wgulabs.org/cin.
About the CIN EdTech Survey Series
CIN is in a unique position to learn about the student and faculty experience with EdTech by leveraging the diversity of institutions within the Network. The CIN EdTech Survey Series is a biannual survey administered across the Network with the goal of generating valuable insights to help institutions understand how faculty and students experience EdTech. These insights can be applied to improve faculty and student experiences, and ultimately bolster the impact of EdTech across the sector.
