Technology-Based Learning and Learning Outcomes

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Table of Contents

Background
Problem Statement
Literature Review
Methodology
References

Background

In the recent past, technology has undergone major developments. These developments have changed people’s lives, institutions, as well as the working environments. The education sector is one of the institutions that continue to adopt technology in learning. But even though the stakeholders in the education sector consider technology-based learning as the solution to challenges experienced in traditional learning, the efficacy of technology-based learning continues to be questioned. Thus, the purpose of this study is to evaluate how technology-based education influences the education system concerning students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction.

Problem Statement

Importance and Evidence of the Problem

The importance of the problems arises from the significance of technology in promoting effectiveness in educational institutions. Recent statistics reveal that the prevailing shortcomings in the educational sector in the US emanating from lack of adopting technology (Nafukho, 2015). However, technology-based education is faced with problems that vary from one environment to another. According to Abrahams (2010), technology-based barriers in the education sector can be classified into two major categories: student barrier and educator barrier. While the student barrier entails reduced social contacts, the educator barrier entails challenges in developing an education philosophy that can facilitate the transition from traditional learning technology-based learning.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to evaluate how technology-based education influences the education system concerning students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction. This necessitates obtaining both qualitative and quantitative data. The variables under study include satisfaction level and learning outcomes. The quantitative data from these variables will help the study achieve measurable results, while the qualitative data will add weight to the research, as it will create an avenue for a comparison between the past literature and the current study. The sampling procedure will be handled randomly, as this will help create an avenue for generalization of the findings (Rubin & Babbie, 2009). Given the high rate of changes in technology and social factors, the study will include the college students, while eliminating the graduate students. This will facilitate the acquisition of information that is based on current affairs. The study will choose Monaco Hotel in Washington as the venue for the study, to ensure that the external environment does not affect the attitudes of the participants.

Research Questions

Concerning the problem statement, this study was able to come up with three major research questions:

What proportion of students is prepared to use technology-based education for learning purposes?
What challenges do learners face as they undergo a paradigm shift from traditional learning to technological-based learning?
Does technology-based education help address communication and cultural barriers during the learning process?

The rationale of the Research Questions in Achieving the Purpose of the Study

The three research questions adopted for this study are groundbreaking. The first research question seeks to establish the level of engagement required for a learning institution to adopt technology-based education. The second question seeks to establish whether technology-based education is groundbreaking enough to facilitate readiness to change. The third question, on the other, seeks to establish the degree to which technology-based education can address the challenges facing the traditional education system.

Literature Review

While the education sector continues to search for strategies for improving education, especially after the introduction of technology-based learning, the practice is still faced with challenges that are mainly premised on the assumption that technology is meant to improve efficacy in the training programs. This has elicited diverse studies in the area of technology-based education. While some studies advocate for social constructivism theory, which demands that learning starts from an individual platform to a collaborative platform (Rimmington & Alagic, 2008), others advocate for situated cognitive theory, which is based on socio-cultural phenomenon such as using animation in the learning process (Iskander, 2007).

Methodology

The study adopted both quantitative and qualitative research methods. The instruments used for data collection was a questionnaire. The questions adopted were based on two major technology-based education theories: social constructivism theory and situated cognition theory. The choice of the questionnaire, as the instrument for data collection, was premised on the fact that it creates an avenue for making quick analysis and comparison between the collected data (Kothari, 2004). The study was able to gather a population of 347 people. However, 127 people were excluded from the study since they did not meet the set criterion for eligibility. The statistical tests used to analyze the collected data include mean, standard deviation, and paired t-test.

Research Results

The results of the study reveal both unanimous and mixed results. First, 78 percent of the students use technology-based learning for problem-solving, experimentation, and creativity purposes, Second, 67 percent of the participants contend that undergoing a paradigm shift from the traditional to technology-based education requires the technology-based education to engage students cognitively. Third, there was a mixed reaction concerning the extent to which wireless technology contribute to employee motivation. While 51 percent of the participants attest to the fact that wireless technology motivates students to adopt changes, 49 percent of the participants oppose this viewpoint. This can be explained using Hills’s (2003) findings, which affirm that the learners are motivated to use technology-based education during the early stages owing to a dire need for changing formality and the need for novelty. Additionally, Sharma (2012) affirms that the level of motivation towards technology-based education drops as learners get used to the new technology. Forth, the result revealed that 78 percent of the participants accept the presence of personalized and collaborative learning, which is addressed through the social constructivism theory. This state of affairs has promoted learning through adopting creativity in a safe environment, hence addressing the cultural issues in communication.

How the Study Contributes to Leaders in the Field

The findings in this study reveal that technology-based learning improves the learning outcomes for most students. This is confirmed through increased levels of innovativeness and problem-solving skills in learning. However, the success rate of this achievement depends on how the leaders approach the programs from the change process to adaptation. This helps the leaders to be cognizant of the fact that adopting technology-based learning calls for the need to take into account the most critical variables for the change process, as well as the most viable sustainability initiative.

Conclusion and the Need for Future Study

This study has evaluated how technology-based education influences the education system concerning students’ learning outcomes and satisfaction. Firstly, technology-based education has improved the learning outcomes of most students, as confirmed by high levels of problem-solving skills, experimentation, and creativity. Secondly, to achieve a paradigm shift from the traditional to technology-based education, there is a need for increased levels of engagement. Thirdly, sustaining technology-based education requires consistent levels of motivation. Moreover, the study has established one major area for future study: establishing the role of the private organization in supporting technology-based learning.

References

Abrahams, D. (2010). Technology adoption in higher education: a framework for identifying and prioritizing issues and barriers to adoption of instructional technology. Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, 2 (2), pp.34 – 49.

Hills, H. (2003). Individual preferences in e-learning. Aldershot: Gower.

Iskander, M. (2007). Innovations in E-learning, instruction technology, assessment, and engineering education. Dordrecht: Springer.

Kothari, C. (2004). Research methodology: methods & techniques. New Delhi: New Age International (P) Ltd.

Nafukho, F. (2015). Handbook of research on innovative technology integration in higher education. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.

Rimmington, G., & Alagic, M. (2008). Third place learning: Reflective inquiry into intercultural and global cage painting. Charlotte, N.C: IAP.

Rubin, A., & Babbie, E. (2009). Essential research methods for social work. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Brooks/Cole.

Sharma, S. (2012). E-adoption and technologies for empowering developing countries: Global advancements. Hershey PA: Information Science Reference.

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