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Determinants of Engineering Faculty Members’ Integration of Electronic Communication in Teaching
Abstract
Using data collected from a sample of 52 engineering faculty members at the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, we explore the relative impact of faculty members' personal characteristics, computer self-efficacy, and attitudes toward the Internet on integration of electronic communication in teaching. The study reveals that computer self-efficacy in using the WWW is the only predictor of integration of electronic communication in teaching courses. Our results also show that computer self-efficacy in using the WWW was related to attitudes toward the Internet, age, and gender. The results suggest that these variables need to be considered when planning training programs or differential staffing for reconciling faculty and their integration of electronic communication in teaching courses.
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This study examined the effects of learning group gender composition and the use of nonverbal communication by a computer on performance and motivation following a computer-assisted biology lesson. The results showed that before the lesson began, group gender composition influenced self-reports of experience and knowledge about computers and also how subjects arranged their computer desktop. During the lesson, when a computer image of a human face was present on the screen, girls who reported low anxiety performed better and were more motivated to use the program relative to girls who reported high anxiety. In contrast, boys who reported high anxiety performed better and were more motivated to use the program when the tutor was present on the screen relative to boys who reported low anxiety. The implications of these findings for classroom gender organization and for using gender-appropriate educational software are discussed.
How confident are college faculty to integrate technology in their teaching? This study examined relationships between faculty computer self-efficacy and integration of electronic communication when teaching. Faculty at a Research I land-grant university were mailed a self-report questionnaire yielding a 59 percent response rate. Over half used electronic communication in their courses, mostly for course-related announcements and deadlines, but least for synchronous communication. Computer self-efficacy scores differed on age, gender, college, integration, and computer experience. Low integrators and female faculty reported lower confidence in using computers. As universities offer courses with significant Web-presence, faculty development efforts need to increase self-efficacy by providing hands-on experiences in technologically supported environments.
In this study, we investigated the use of computers by faculty in business school course preparation and delivery. We surveyed a systematic random sample of faculty members and found that computer use varies by faculty demographics, application area, and course load. An analysis of the demographic data indicates that the extrinsic factors examined were not consistently related to technology use. This may support the research identifying intrinsic characteristics as more compelling in technology adoption. Our study's results provide benchmark information, specifically as a catalyst for change.
Data gathered from 83 prospective business educators on computer anxiety, attitudes toward computers in education, attitudes toward computers as a teaching tool, and computer liking were correlated with data on subjects' computer systems and applications literacy. A relationship between computer attitude and computer system literacy was found, and implications for programs to prepare computer literate teachers were drawn. (MES)
Computer self‐efficacy is a significant factor that differentiates adopters and non‐adopters of computer technology among university faculty. Faculty who judge themselves unable to use computers effectively and confidently will not adopt them in the classroom even when the hardware and software are available to them. In this case study, a program was designed and implemented to enhance faculty computer self‐efficacy. Using Bandura's four sources of efficacy information as a guide, the program consisted of showcases, seminars, workshops and funding. The in service program had a positive impact on both faculty and administration. The in service program was a cost‐effective way for administrators to support faculty in the use of computer technology in instruction. The faculty gained confidence and enhanced their computer self‐ efficacy resulting in a community of faculty with shared interests in using computers in the classroom. Components of the program, its evaluation and recommendations for implementation are discussed.
Higher education cannot realize the potential impact of computer technology until faculty are comfortable using technology for instructional activities. Current computer hardware and related information technologies are now faster, possess greater memory, and are available at lower costs than their predecessors. Faculty in higher education can and should make imaginative use of these technologies to enrich the learning environment and support student learning. Many faculty are sufficiently comfortable with the technology to use it in the classroom; however, many others are not. Indeed, the pace of the information revolution has left many faculty members bewildered and unsure of how or when they can utilize this ever‐changing phenomenon. Academic administrators must, therefore, develop mechanisms to help faculty become comfortable with the use of computers in their instructional activities (Olivier and Shapiro, 1993).
The purpose of this article is to describe an in service program designed to improve instructional computer use by faculty at a university campus. The authors found that computer self‐efficacy is related to adoption among the faculty on this campus as it is at others (Faseyitan and Hirschbuhl, 1992). Therefore, the program objective was to enhance the computer self‐efficacy of the faculty and their desire to integrate computers into instruction.
First, we establish how improved self‐efficacy is linked to computer usage in instruction, establishing the framework for the in service program. Next, a detailed description of the program is presented. Finally, we present an evaluation and an assessment of the impact of the in service program on the self‐efficacy of faculty at our campus.
Hypertext is being used more and more often for on-line course texts. However, the navigational freedom offered by a rich
link structure is a burden for students who need guidance throughout the learning process. This paper presents a framework
for adaptive link structures. By enabling links when a student is ready to read the pages these links lead to, and disabling
links to pages that are no longer needed, the student can be assured that links always lead to interesting new information
she is ready to read. This framework is illustrated by means of the courseware for an on-line course on ‘Hypermedia structures
and systems’, developed at the Eindhoven University of Technology.
may be defined by tags, a template, a program, a database query, or by some application. Virtual documents have grown out of a need for interactivity and individualization of documents, particularly on the Web. The paradigm of the Web has quickly shifted our expectations for information from that of retrieval of electronic copies of documents from a large repository of relatively static information to manipulation of a large collection of information resources. Some of these resources are documents and some of these resources are processes that create documents. In addition, the role of user is shifting from reader to active participant and author. Users expect hypertext functionality to be available with digital documents: to be able to make comments and annotations, to be able to initiate discussion, and to be able to add content and links while reading, both individually and collaboratively. Categories of Virtual Documents Virtual documents can be categorized, ro