Page 37 - Campus Technology, July 2017

RESEARCH
TOP 7 TECHNOLOGIES THAT FACULTY WISH THEY DIDN’T HAVE TO DEAL WITH
1) Current learning management systems
2) Mobile devices (including smart watches)
3) Printers, scanners and copiers
4) Desktop computers, workstations and laptops/chromebooks
5) Non-interactive projectors and displays
6) Software/courseware provided by textbook companies
7) Document cameras/overhead projectors
TOP 10 TECHNOLOGIES THAT WILL BECOME IMPORTANT IN EDUCATION OVER THE NEXT DECADE
1) Virtual/augmented/reality
2) Mobile devices and apps
3) 3D modeling/scanning/printing
4) Adaptive, personalized learning
5) Video and streaming
6) Collaboration tools and social media; Wearables and Internet of Things (tie)
7) Cloud based tools; Interactive whiteboards and projectors (tie)
8) Audio/videoconferencing
9) Next-gen learning management systems
10) Free, fast, safe internet
the vote. Close behind was mobile devices (including smart watches), cited by 10 percent of respondents.
Other answers that raised our eyebrows: anything free and unsupported, Google, cheating/“tutoring” sites, surveys by students, cart-based anything, tech people and non-tech faculty. (Can you really have those last two both ways?)
We also asked faculty what technologies they think will become important in education in the next decade. The most popular answer there by far was virtual/ augmented/mixed reality, garnering 81 percent of responses (it topped the list last year as well). Mobile devices and apps, 3D modeling/scanning/printing, adaptive/personalized learning and video/streaming
all rounded out the top five.
A few of the less common answers that caught our eye: access to technology only by the affluent, neural embeds, “some are not invented yet” and live 3D instruction (we as- sume that last one is tongue-firmly-in-cheek).
When we asked faculty for freeform comments on the state of technology in education, they left us with plenty of food for thought. Our favorite closing words:
“Tech in education is here and always will be, but the way we teach its use must remain flexible,” said one respondent from a Massachusetts college.
“Technology is here to stay,” agreed a respondent from a
two-year college in Georgia. “It is changing so rapidly. But, that is a good thing. That means it is trying to get better and better all the time.”
“Technology integration needs to become seamless for adoption to continue to thrive,” commented a university faculty member in Florida.
“Technology facilitates education, but education happens with or without it!” asserted a respondent in Texas.
“The biggest changes to affect education with regard to technology will come in the form of new software applica- tions that are emerging and do not currently exist,” said a respondent from an Alabama community college.
And one faculty member in Pennsylvania put it simply: “Excited for the future!”
Looking
To compare our 2017 survey results with last year’s data, check out “Teaching With Tech: A Balancing Act” in our August/September 2016 issue.
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CAMPUS TECHNOLOGY | July 2017
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