Adoption of new technologies: the next challenge

Abstract

Computers have been used in teaching and learning for over 30 years, but their use in undergraduate science and engineering courses is still very limited. However, there is a wealth of excellent computer based resources around the world—some very good examples have been presented at the CBLIS conferences. These exemplary teaching packages are usually the product of enthusiastic staff, working in isolation or small groups and in many cases in their own time. Many good computer based teaching approaches are abandoned or discontinued once the initiator or developer leaves the area to move to some other activity. This pattern is very common all over the world. Once a new product or approach is developed, having it adopted by other teaching colleagues poses a major challenge to the developer. There are many issues related to the process of adoption of successful teaching and learning approaches using technology. This paper focuses on these issues, and discusses strategies to address them.