December 20169 tend to start with the technology first, often on a trial and error basis. In some ways, this trial and error approach helps to champion the use of technology in education. However, it may fall short in many ways. For instance, lecturers may develop game applications that are relevant to their teaching but may fail to integrate the use of these applications into the curriculum. So it ends up as learning without intended learning objectives.Overall, we observe that:· There has been an evolution and shift from teacher-centered to student-centered pedagogies.· Most universities, however, may have limitations in adopting student-centered pedagogies.· Existing technology tend to be catered towards teacher-centered teaching rather than student- centered teaching.· Educators tend to integrate tech-nology in their teaching on a trial and error basis, rather than being pedagogy driven and evidence-based.These observations suggest that both educators and technology industry partners have a role to play in technology enhanced teaching and learning in higher education.What Higher Educational Institutions Could Do?Higher educational institutions need to strategize and realign their vision and missions to embrace technology in teaching and learning. For instance, if the institution adopts problem-based learning but sticks to traditional standardized annual exams, the effectiveness of teaching and learning, and the use of technology are likely to fail. The choice of teaching method, use of technology and assessment methods need to align well. Universities need to also avail support structures and incentives for technology enhanced teaching and learning.While it may be easier for new-age, young universities and niche schools within traditional universities to adopt student-centered teaching and learning methods, a majority of the traditional lecture-based universities may face limitations in scaling up and institutionalizing student-centered pedagogies. These universities may instead choose to adopt a Flipped classroom approach which allows for online lecturing and increased class time for active and student- centered learning.Such blended approaches, in terms of teaching methods as well as blending face-to-face with online teaching is likely to allow for wider and more effective use of technology in teaching and learning. What Technology Companies could Do?Often, technologies used in education lack the human touch. For instance, a common complaint is that online discussion forums in Learning Management Systems are "boring" and not like Facebook. So it will be useful for technology companies to understand the needs of the education sector, and realize the importance of developing personalized tools for teaching and learning. Many educational institutions use a Learning Management System (LMS) as their IT backbone for teaching and learning. In some instances, the LMS systems are not that well-designed for certain functions such as collaborative activities. This means that educators are "forced" to use other tools. While there is a wide array of complementary technology tools available, it can be mind boggling. Many of these tools also tend to be stand-alone making integration with LMS and other tools. Hence, technology companies need to also consider the interoperability of their products, across tools and hardware devices.ConclusionIn sum, in order to speed up the adoption of technology in teaching and learning in higher education, · Universities need to consider their pedagogies at university level and strategize ways to integrate technology in teaching and learning to suit their context. · Technology partners have to build systems and services that are tailored to the needs of universities, allowing for personalized learning and interoperability of systems and technology tools.Higher educational institutions and technology industries need to also work in partnership rather than in silo, to promote better adoption of technology in higher education. Many educational institutions use a Learning Management System (LMS) as their IT backbone for teaching and learningNachamma Sockalingam
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