Understanding the reasons academics use - and don't use - endorsed and unendorsed learning technologies

Abstract

Educational researchers have a longstanding interest in the reasons why academic staff use technologies in their teaching. The investigation presented in this paper considered drivers and barriers to the use of technology in a higher education context where it is increasingly possible for academics to not only rely on endorsed, university-based systems and tools, but also on unendorsed tools available 'outside' the university. The findings from this study showed that most staff were using a relatively standard, endorsed technology tool-set and, in most cases, there was limited use of external or emerging technologies and tools in learning and teaching. Five clear profiles of academic staff were established that represented diverse motivations for using or not using technologies in teaching. The implications of the results of this study are discussed in terms of staff training, support and professional development.