Twenty-fifth International Conference on Learning

Abstract

The pressure on institutions of higher learning to remain competitive has accompanied a paradigm shift in teaching and learning. The struggle between comprehension and effective teaching methods raises numerous interrelated concerns for faculty and students as on-line learning software becomes an integral feature of teaching and learning in higher education. In a culture of instant gratification and constant interaction through a range of hand held electronic devises, it is no longer unsettling or even surprising to raise the question of whether traditional environments of learning should integrate more technology in teaching. Today, cyber space is a part of where we live. It is integrated into our sense of identity and value, whether we fully accept it or not. It is a place in which we all have become naturalized digital citizens authorized through the purchase of an electronic devise and access to the internet. Even faculty today, have constructed their cyber identities and legitimated their on-line presence through on-going membership and activity as cyber citizens who religiously contribute to the web. Yet, despite the increased acceptance of technology within society faculty remain relatively distant to the full incorporation of online materials and software in their courses. The challenge remains as to how faculty can reconstruct pedagogies of engagement in the classroom that will draw student interest from disconnected spaces whilst simultaneously reconnecting learning. This paper will reflect the challenges, advantages and drawbacks that emerge as faculty attempt to utilize electronic software (such as MyStatLab and StatCrunch) in meaningful ways to teach and engage the digital learner.