Penni Tearle

ICT implementation: What makes the difference?

This paper addresses the question of why some schools have managed to introduce widespread use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) into teaching and learning across the curriculum, where other schools have had much less “success” in this matter. The issue is addressed through interpretive, case study research in a UK secondary school where almost all staff are now using ICT to enhance and extend learning in their subject areas. After setting the context, a summary of the methods used and an overview of the findings are presented. Whilst some of the findings are specific to the context, it is suggested that much can be learnt from the single case, both by practitioners seeking to develop ICT use and researchers interested in taking the subject forward in other contexts.

A theoretical and instrumental framework for implementing change in ICT in education

This paper summarizes the development and practical testing of a theoretical framework for the identification of important factors in relation to the implementation of ICT into a UK secondary school. The approach is characterized by considering the process of implementing use of ICT across a whole school for teaching and learning as a special case of implementing change. The theoretical framework was derived from reviewing and synthesizing the literature in the field of change management and that of ICT in schools. Using an interpretive approach, a single case study was the practical basis for undertaking research, guided but not constrained by the theoretical framework and finally mapping the case study findings against it. This process enabled the possible contribution of the framework with regard to the implementation of ICT in schools, to be assessed, and its further development considered.This paper summarizes the development and practical testing of a theoretical framework for the identification of important factors in relation to the implementation of ICT into a UK secondary school. The approach is characterized by considering the process of implementing use of ICT across a whole school for teaching and learning as a special case of implementing change. The theoretical framework was derived from reviewing and synthesizing the literature in the field of change management and that of ICT in schools. Using an interpretive approach, a single case study was the practical basis for undertaking research, guided but not constrained by the theoretical framework and finally mapping the case study findings against it. This process enabled the possible contribution of the framework with regard to the implementation of ICT in schools, to be assessed, and its further development considered.

Cultural Disconnection in Virtual Education.

This paper reports a small‐scale investigation into the differences in learning behaviour exhibited by members of an intercultural group undertaking an online course on educational enquiry in support of doctoral research in education. Differences in learning behaviour can be attributed in part to the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the participants. As virtual learning environments are seldom designed to accommodate cultural diversity, there is often a disconnection between the intended and the actual experiences of the participants. This study explores the characteristics of this disconnection. It is suggested that virtual learning environments should be designed to take account of the mutual transformation of both learner and environment in educational processes. Some technological developments that may lead to virtual learning environments becoming adaptive are described. However, it is emphasised that inclusivity will depend upon an adaptive dynamic in the virtual learning environment that is essentially social.

Enabling teachers to use information and communications technology for teaching and learning through professional development: influential factors

Abstract This article reports on a study to identify factors which influence the outcomes of professional development in the use of information and communications technology for teaching and learning across the curriculum. A mixed-method approach of survey and case study was adopted, with survey data collected from 40 schools in the United Kingdom, and case studies undertaken in a further three. Two broad areas were identified as being of particular influence: the whole-school context in which the training was set and the nature of the professional development itself. Within the first category the whole-school characteristics and culture and access to resources and support were the main areas arising, whilst in the second the content, scope and structure of the professional development as well as the process through which the professional development was ‘delivered’ were found to be the key issues.

Use of Information Technology by English University Teachers: Development and Trends at the Time of the National Inquiry into Higher Education

Abstract The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was informed by a research study on information technology assisted teaching and learning in higher education in England led by the Telematics Centre at the University of Exeter. Evidence on educational quality and economic value was sought through literature reviews, case studies, seminars and a set of questions put out on the World Wide Web. This article presents a generalised summary of the working methods and outcomes of the institutional case studies, focusing mainly on educational rather than economic contexts and issues. The research confirmed that information technology assisted teaching and learning should be viewed as an intricate and repeated set of innovations applied to complex and rapidly changing interdependent systems. As a result, the full costs and benefits have not been considered by institutions. It is recommended that staff and institutional developments are synchronised through strategic management of change and that ai...

Six case studies of information technology-assisted teaching and learning in higher education in England

Abstract In August 1996 the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) commissioned a six-month research study of IT-assisted teaching and learning (ITATL) in higher education. This was to inform policy and also to provide evidence to the Review of Higher Education in the United Kingdom (Dearing, 1997). The research study was led by the Telematics Centre at the School of Education at the University of Exeter, working in collaboration with the NatWest Financial Literacy Centre at the University of Warwick and the Institute of Learning and Research Technology at the University of Bristol. A key element of the research was the case studies of ITATL undertaken in six HE institutions. This article reports the case studies. It provides a more comprehensive view of the educational outcomes of the research than the final report published by HEFCE which placed a greater emphasis on the economic aspects (Boucher et al, 1997). The outcomes are discussed in terms of the educational costs and benefits of ITA...

The development and evaluation of a multimedia resource to support ICT training : Design issues, Training processes and user experiences

This article addresses issues surrounding the process of training people in the use of information and communications technology, and the application of the outcomes of training in the workplace. The topic is discussed in the context of the evaluation of Ensuring Effectiveness of ICT Training. This is a CD-ROM developed as a pilot multimedia resource to inform and support the training process. The resource highlights issues that are important if objectives of ICT development and training are to be achieved. The article cites previous research in this area, provides an overview of the multimedia resource Ensuring Effectiveness of ICT Training and then discusses and reports on the pilot study, focusing on design issues, training processes and user experiences.

Multidisciplinary Collaboration and the Development of Multimedia Resources: The Images for Teaching Education Project.

SUMMARY The University of Exeter heads the Images for Teaching Education Project which has developed multimedia products under Phase 2 of the Teaching and Learning Technology Programme. An aim of the project was to investigate the educational potential of a range of image‐based multimedia formats. Products include videodiscs, videotapes, Photo CDs, and Photo CD portfolios with computer‐ and paper‐based support materials; some of the latter are linked to images through barcodes. The management of the project and the development of the products, which involved specialists in subjects, the design and use of educational materials, the production and use of images and sound, and the evaluation of teaching and learning, are described in a national context. The processes and outcomes of collaboration are discussed and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach is emphasized.

The transfer of educational multimedia across professional boundaries

This paper addresses issues of transferability of multimedia materials across professional boundaries. It describes certain aspects of the development of a multimedia resource for teacher education, with particular reference to the integrative learning framework in which it was embedded. It then describes the process of adapting the framework to develop a training resource for a different profession and target audience, and applying it to this new audience and context. The paper concludes with a general discussion arising out of this work, regarding those features of an integrative learning framework which may be transferable and those which are more situationally dependent.

The Images for Teaching Education Project: developing multimedia resources within an integrative educational framework

The University of Exeter heads a consortium which has developed multimedia resources primarily for initial teacher education. Amongst a range of resources produced are Critical Encounters in Secondary Education, which deals with critical incidents in the classroom and how to deal with them, Multimedia in the Learning Environment, which deals with both the nature of multimedia and how it may be used in support of a range of approaches to teaching and learning and English Chalklands which deals with interpretational and judgemental responses to landscape. The resources are described and discussed in the context of the educational framework which has been developed to guide their use.