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Considerations for a Professional Development Program

to Support iPads in Higher Education Teaching

by Rebecca HoguePhD Candidate, University of Ottawarebecca.hogue@uottawa.caTwitter: @rjhogueBlog: rjh.goingeast.ca

@rjhogue

Definitions

Term Definition

Technology Adoption

An individual's acceptance of a technology

Teaching practice

All activities performed by teachers in the administration, preparation, delivery, and evaluation of instruction

iPDP iPad Professional Development Program

Pre-Adoption Learner

Teachers who do not yet use the iPad to support teaching practice

Post-Adoption Learner

Teachers who use the iPad to support teaching practice

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iPad Professional Development Program (iPDP)

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Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

• Quantitative measure that predicts whether an individual will adopt a new technology

• Two key variables - ease-of-use and perceived usefulness

• To increase adoption, increase the learner's:– Perception on how easy the device is to use– Perception of how useful the device is

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Technology

• Product technology: The hardware and software aspects

• Idea technology: The usefulness aspect - specifically the workflows that describe how the product is used

• Introducing the learner’s to idea technologies (contextualized ways in which the product is used) increases adoption

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Time

• Calendar time is requires for learners to absorb the information about the new technology and reflect upon how that technology can be adapted to their workflow

• An iPDP needs activities that are spread out over time

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Individual Beliefs

• Compatibility with individuals beliefs is important• Avoid associating the technology with a specific teaching

strategy or pedagogy• Begin by using technology to support common tasks (like

checking email), before introducing ideas that require a change in beliefs

• Beliefs are more likely to be changed if peers socialize the ideas

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Organizations Structures

• Organizational policies and practices will either help or hinder adoption

• In higher education, change will be faster if it is initiated by professors

• Requirements to score high on teaching, lead to a lack of innovation

• Identify stakeholders and idea leaders - those who have influence over how peers adapt new ideas

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Evaluation

• Determines whether or not the program was a success• Need to study an individual's use over time• One useful measure: Impact of a lost device and how that

impact changes over time• TAM - measuring perceived usefulness and ease-of-use

and how the values change over time

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iPad Professional Development Program (iPDP)

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Design Considerations

• Benefit both pre-adoption and post-adoption learners• Include a learning intervention (e.g. workshop) that aims

to increase pre-adoption learner's perceptions on usefulness and ease-of-use

• Integrate both product technology and idea technology• Demonstrate useful apps with workflow in a context that

learners understand • Begin with familiar activity before challenging beliefs• Seek out stakeholders and idea leaders to provide context

and champion the program

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Delivery Considerations

• Provide ways to share new idea technology (that is, workflows) at regular intervals

• Provide multiple training interventions spread out over time

• Use post-adoption learners (peers) to encourage change in beliefs of pre-adoption learners

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Evaluation Considerations

• Repeat evaluations over various time frames (in the beginning, after each intervention, and at the 3- and 6- month marks) to measure the change in the organization

• Evaluate by measuring the impact of individual's loss of a device

• Evaluate individual's perceptions using the TAM:– Ease-of-use– Perceived usefulness

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Thank-you.

Questions?

by Rebecca HoguePhD Candidate, University of Ottawarebecca.hogue@uottawa.caTwitter: @rjhogueBlog: rjh.goingeast.ca