Pitfalls and potential : Lessons from HEQCO-funded research on technology-enhanced instruction

Part of a broader effort to identify and evaluate innovative practices in teaching and learning being implemented at the province’s colleges and universities, the goal was to commission research dealing with “pedagogical practices that aim to enhance the quality of student learning through the introduction and integration of new technologies.” Eligible courses could be delivered “face-to-face, ble [...] Second, and perhaps more importantly, we were eager to encourage institutions and faculty members to assess the effectiveness of what they were doing in the classroom, to help foster a ‘culture of evaluation’ that might lead the sector to reflect on the quality of the education being provided to students rather than focus on innovation for its own sake. [...] The students in the course were not familiar with the use of iclickers and only used them once in the course. [...] When Elliott and Colquhoun (2013) measured the effects of learning studios on student success and satisfaction and surveyed both students and faculty on their appreciation of the space, they found that many of the technologies integrated into the enhanced classroom were not utilized due to a lack of training. [...] Students in the intensive blended model had the highest engagement scores, as measured using the Classroom Survey of Student Engagement (CLASSE), while students in the third model were least satisfied, citing unclear course structure and the infrequency of meetings with the instructor.