TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING: A STORY FROM HIGHER EDUCATION IN IRELAND

Increases in class sizes combined with significant cutbacks in budgets have resulted in staff in higher education being asked to do more with less. The aim of this paper is to highlight how technology is being used to address pedagogical and logistical challenges in higher education in Ireland. Data was collected for this study from four different colleges across the higher education sector. A qualitative approach was taken and semi-structured interviews were held with eight academic staff from four different disciplines: Arts, Engineering, Humanities and Science. Common pedagogical challenges were identified from the interviews: assessment of presentation skills; group work and peer evaluation; the first year experience and student motivation. Several different technologies were examined in this research as practical solutions to the aforementioned challenges; on-line quizzes, wikis, on-line peer evaluation, YouTube, screen casting and audio feedback. Results of the research revealed positive feedback from the staff, with regard to the benefits of these technologies and an increased appetite for use of other technologies in the future. In addition, research illustrated that with minimal training for the staff, significant efficiencies can be obtained in these key areas of higher education. Future research would be to expand the number of academic staff and institutes involved in this study and examine the implementation of a training programme for staff on technology enhanced learning. Furthermore, future research should also investigate the impact of these technologies on the student learning experience.