Abstract
The use of software applications to develop and present course material via the internet has raised questions as to how far 'on-line learning' should be integrated into the academic programmes of study provided by higher education institutes. Responses to the opportunities presented by on-line learning in the UK have broadly fallen into three categories: individual departmental initiatives to use pedagogical technologies for a particular unit or programme of study; formation of strategic partnerships with private sector companies; and the founding of university consortia for the purposes of providing on-line courses (Collier 2001). This research puts forward the argument that although educational values and organisational practice have traditionally been held as discrete within academia, responses such as those outlined above will draw the educational and the organisational into a closer relationship with one another. This holds implications for both academic autonomy and professional identity and calls for a detailed account of the role that technologies will play in shaping this re-appraisal of higher education provision. The performative model of society (Strum and Latour 1988) will inform the interpretive, qualitative case study of two universities' responses to the challenge of integrating pedagogical technologies. At this stage, the contribution of this research in progress is to provide some conceptual foundations for considering activities associated with integrating pedagogical technologies from an organisation-wide perspective and to offer some preliminary findings suggested by initial fieldwork.
Recommended Citation
Darking, Mary, "Integrating Pedagogical Technologies into UK Higher Education: Conceptual Foundations" (2002). ECIS 2002 Proceedings. 83.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/ecis2002/83