Page 155 - Innovative Professional Development Methods and Strategies for STEM Education

Introducing Educational Technology into the Higher Education Environment

CONCLUSION

As higher education invest in technologies that support teaching and learning, it has become a priority to
ensure that lecturing staff are adequately trained. The traditional workshop approach did not succeed in
empowering lecturing staff to the point where they are able to use educational technology independently.
This chapter proposed a comprehensive professional development framework that stretches over a
period of a year, and consists of four distinct components. The framework makes provision for building
the necessary capacity, providing time, resources and support in the development and implementation of
technology-enhanced learning materials, and provided lecturers with the opportunity to conduct research
based on their improved teaching activities.
The Partners@Work framework is heralded as a highly successful professional development programme
to build capacity and elearning leadership in the University of Technology where it was implemented.
As a result of the success stories that were generated by the lecturers involved with the programme, the
number of academic staff interested in enhancing their teaching with technology multiplied manyfold.
Another significant consequence that two other higher education institutions has adopted this approach,
opening the scope for inter-institutional collaboration and further refinement of the framework.

REFERENCES

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Cuban, L. (2001). Oversold & Underused: Computers in the Classroom. Harvard. University Press.

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Greyling, F. C. 2007. The why and how of technology-assisted learning: Authentic professional devel-
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