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The perceived effectiveness and impact of educational technology faculty development activities in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University

Posted on:2008-08-27Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:Ohio UniversityCandidate:Al-Washahi, Mariam AFull Text:PDF
GTID:1447390005478593Subject:Education
Abstract/Summary:
Educational technology (ET) faculty development activities have experienced a notable growth in higher education intimately tied to the organizational development and quality of education. However, the questions of to what extent these activities are effective and whether they have remarkable impact still lack clear answer. This study contributed to addressing these concerns by conducting a qualitative evaluation that aimed to understand the perceived effectiveness and impact of these activities in the College of Education at Sultan Qaboos University.;The research methodology was solely based on qualitative inquiry and utilized the use of open-ended and in-depth individual interviews, focus group, and document analysis as the basic methods to collect data. Besides providing a complete picture of the ET faculty development activities' perceived effectiveness and impacts and ways to improve them, the study may play a vital role in building awareness of the faculty development significance and its role in the COE' development.;The findings revealed that there is no structured form of program or plan that has a clear vision, goals, and strategies for ET faculty development in the COE. They also revealed the lack of systematic evaluation and follow-up that encourage and support faculty members in applying technology in their classrooms. Within the limitations of the lack in these aspects, the stakeholders could only provide a rough picture of the impact of the ET faculty development. They noted the improvements in integrating technology in their teaching increase in their confidence as teachers. This in their point of view lead to more engagement of students in learning and more utilization of technology in their projects and their teaching as pre-service teachers. The college's culture, in their view, has become a technological culture within which faculty members rely on technology in their daily activities and form networks to learn technology.;The study recommended that the COE should develop a comprehensive plan of ET faculty development in which it defines the vision, goals, and strategies. It also recommends conducting needs assessment, offering different types of delivery strategy, providing follow-up, and conducting continuous evaluation to ensure application.
Keywords/Search Tags:Faculty development, Technology, Activities, Education, Perceived effectiveness, Impact
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