Students Own Experiences of Digital Technology and Implications for the Design of University Education - Research Proposal Example

Research Proposal How own experiences of digital technology use in their personal lives might have implications for the design of university education: Case study Saudi Universities. Abstract Young generation in Saudi Arabia has much more interaction with digital technology than their ancestors. This has called for a need to review the implications of their technology use upon the way they approach their studies. This research is directed at identifying students’ perceptions regarding the importance of incorporation of digital technology as a means of imparting education in the classroom. A related aim of this research is to evaluate the influence of digital technology in the classroom upon the learning skills of the students and their commitment with the studies. Hypothesis Students appreciate studying in an educational setup where they find an opportunity to make use of technology. Questions What are the Saudi students’ experiences of digital technology? What are the Saudi students’ perceptions about technology driven education? What have been the conventional criteria of design of the education in the Saudi Universities? What are the prime factors that distinguish between the technology-led-education and traditional education in Saudi Arabia? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the technology-led education and traditional education in Saudi Arabia? Justification In the last decade, higher education in Saudi Arabia has undergone major transformation. There has been a three-fold increase in the number of universities in the last ten years. Consequentially, postgraduate students have increased in number. Along with this, improvement in the quality of education and making Saudi education come at par with the education of technologically advanced countries in terms of quality has been the major goal of Saudi universities in the 21st century. Several events have recently occurred that have reflected increased interest of the students in Saudi Arabia in e-learning. In the year 2009, international conference regarding cyber learning and distance education was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time in her entire history. This led to the establishment of the Center for e-Learning and Distance Learning. This center was developed in accordance with the plan prepared by the Saudi Ministry of Higher Education that was directed at cultivating a robust infrastructure for the promotion of technology led education in the Universities of Saudi Arabia. Taking a look at the recent advancements that have been made in the field of education in Saudi Arabia, it becomes evident that this is a very crucial time for understanding how students’ own experiences of digital technology use in their personal lives influence their perceptions of ideal university education. Young people have conventionally been the primary users of innovation information technology (Rheingold, n.d. p. 97) “remaining at the top of Internet usage statistics and distinguishing themselves as early adopters of features such as instant messaging, peer-to-peer file sharing, and social networking tools” (Xenos and Foot, n.d.). Thus, the matter fundamentally concerns the youth and hence the future of Saudi nation. This research will generate this information so that educationalists may be facilitated in adjusting the university education according to the aspirations of students which is conducive for the students’ increased participation and better academic performance. Provision of digital media in Saudi universities will “enhance their civic engagement, which comprises political activism, deliberation, problem solving, and participation in shaping a culture” (Levine, n.d., p. 119). Literature Review Many learning theories have surfaced over the centuries since Confucius. A vast majority of these theories of learning emphasize upon the importance of school classroom and mediation of an experienced and well-trained mentor in promoting learning among the students, though some educationalists like Argyris and Schon (1996) and Knowles and Associates (1984) also believe in theoretical learning outside a classroom. In the contemporary age, learning has been defined as, “The processes of coming to know through conversations across multiple contexts amongst people and personal interactive technologies” (Sharples, n.d.). Learning is essentially a cultural-historical activity which is facilitated by language, tools and technology. If we look at children and youth through the lens of digital media, we have a population that has been historically subject to a high degree of systematic and institutional control in the kinds of information and social communication to which they have access. This is one reason why the alchemy between youth and digital media has been distinctive; it disrupts the existing set of power relations between adult authority and youth voice. (Ito et al., 2008, p. ix). Taylor (1990) described a framework in his article which serves as a step towards the development of an integrated mobile learning theory. Learning was described as a labile activity wherein people conduct conversations with one another to gain knowledge. For making the enquiry productive, technology plays the role of mediator in a dynamically altering relationship. “The mediation can be analysed from a technological perspective of human-computer interaction, physical context and digital communication, and from a human perspective of social conventions, community, conversation and division of labour” (Taylor, 1990, p. 11). The interaction of these two opinions results into a co-evolution of technology and learning. In a revolutionary learning society, proponents of the use of information and communication technology (ICT) as a resource of education base their favor on the learning opportunities that the various types of ICT have to offer. Since the early 1990s when the World Wide Web was introduced, digital generation has remained the focus of all changes with respect to the media landscape (Montgomery, n.d.). According to Selwyn, Gorard, and Furlong (2006, p. 2), three arguments have primarily been raised in favor of incorporation of ICT as an educational resource in the classroom; use of ICT in classroom can result in increased participation on the part of the students, a whole range of educational provisions can be easily supported by ICT, and that ICT can improve the tendency of adults to learn. On the other hand, the digital divide that may result from the use of ICT in the classroom has been used as the main argument by the opponents of the practice. “In sum, those questioning the optimism of ICT and the emerging learning society add caveats, such as the need to move beyond the simple dichotomy access vs. non-access when talking of the learning society” (Selwyn, Gorard, and Furlong, 2006, p. 3). The incorporation of ICT in the curriculum is also not free of controversy. Students may not be quite optimistic about the effect of ICT use on the quality of education specially if internet is employed as a means of information. Although cyber world is another name for the world of information, yet the validity and reliability of information is quite questionable. The information may be biased, political (Earl and Schussman, n.d., p. 72) and in accordance with the opinion of the group of people controlling the cyber world. The only thing a white person will contribute is a posting that will defend their position or undermine anything that would not be in their best interests, whether it helps Asians or not. Often they will appeal to an idealistic logic that has no basis in the real world… However, they should not be in the forums because they contribute NOTHING to the forum, except to taint the forums with their own self-serving ideas. Hell, they already got control of the media, is there any way for an Asian to express their [sic] ideas to other Asians without a white person corrupting the exchange of ideas? (Delphi cited in Byrne, 2008, p. 15). Hence, young generation need to be enquired about their perceptions of ideal education and incorporation of digital technology in education to gain a fair understanding of the matter. Methodology This research will be of quantitative nature. Students’ perceptions will be retrieved from the respondents via there response on questionnaires. First, focus group sessions will be conducted in which students will be asked to identify the factors affecting their experience with technology and factors that make an educational system ideal. The factors thus identified will be incorporated into a questionnaire, which will be delivered to the respondents. Respondents will mark the level to which they agree to each factor on a likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, with “1” meaning “totally disagree”, “2” meaning “somewhat disagree”, “3” meaning “neither agree nor disagree”, “4” meaning “somewhat agree”, and “5” meaning “totally agree”. Factor analysis will be conducted to identify the common variables that influence the respondents’ interaction with technology and perception of ideal education. Data will be collected from the students enrolled in Saudi University with at least half of their graduation course completed. Equal number of boys and girls will be asked to fill the questionnaires. Conclusion Young generation in Saudi Arabia has a lot of interaction with technology. This may have caused a change in their perception of ideal education. Learning is in the best form when it complies with the aspirations of the students. This research will find students’ perceptions so that students’ involvement in the university education in Saudi Arabia may be enhanced. Schedule Activity Time (Start to Finish) Thesis approval Literature review Focus groups Formulation of questionnaire Data collection Data analysis Report writing Thesis presentation References: Argyris, C, & Schön, D 1996, Organizational learning II: Theory, method and practice. Reading, Mass: Addison Wesley. Byrne, DN, The Future of (the) ’Race’: Identity, Discourse, and the Rise of Computer-mediated Public Spheres, Learning Race and Ethnicity: Youth and Digital Media. Edited by Anna Everett. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 15–38. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262550673.015. Earl, J, and Schussman, A n.d., Contesting Cultural Control: Youth Culture and Online Petitioning, In Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth, Edited by Lance Bennett, UK: The MIT Press. Ito, M et al. “Foreword.” The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and Learning. Edited by Katie Salen. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. vii–ix. doi: 10.1162/dmal.9780262693646.vii Knowles, MS, & Associates 1984, Andragogy in Action: Applying modern principles of adult education, San Francisco: Jossey Bass. Levine, P n.d., A Public Voice for Youth: The Audience Problem in Digital Media and Civic Education, In Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth, Edited by Lance Bennett, UK: The MIT Press. Montgomery, KC n.d., Youth and Digital Democracy: Intersections of Practice, Policy, and the Marketplace, In Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth, Edited by Lance Bennett, UK: The MIT Press. Rhenold, H n.d., Using Participatory Media and Public Voice to Encourage Civic Engagement, In Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth, Edited by Lance Bennett, UK: The MIT Press. Selwyn, N, Gorard, S, and Furlong, J 2006, Adult Learning in the Digital Age. Information Technology and the Learning Society, Lillehammer University College, pp. 1-8. Sharples, M n.d., A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age, The University of Nottingham. Xenos, M, and Foot, K n.d., Not Your Father’s Internet: The Generation Gap in Online Politics, In Civic Life Online: Learning How Digital Media Can Engage Youth, Edited by Lance Bennett, UK: The MIT Press. Taylor, J 1990, Digital Technologies and Cognitive Development Or Can our theories of learning help us understand what people are doing when they learn through interaction with networked, integrated, interactive digital technologies? The Open University, UK. pp. 1-12. Read More