- \n \t
- the way the institution structures teaching activities;<\/li>\n \t
- the instructional and technology services already in place;<\/li>\n \t
- the support for media and technology use that their institution provides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nIf an institution is organised around a set number of classroom periods every day, and the use of physical classrooms, the teachers are likely to focus mainly on classroom delivery. As Mackenzie was quoted\u00a0in Chapter 10 Section 1<\/a>:\n
'Teachers have always made the best of whatever they\u2019ve\u00a0got at hand,\u00a0but it\u2019s what we have to work with.\u00a0Teachers make due<\/em>.'<\/p>\nThe reverse is equally true. If the school or university does not support a particular technology, teachers and instructors quite understandably\u00a0won't use it. Even if the technology is in place, such as a learning management system or a video production facility, if instructors are not trained or oriented to its use and potential, then it will either be under used or not used at all. Furthermore, if 'core' technologies' such as learning management systems or lecture capture facilities are not properly managed or if the services are understaffed, teachers and instructors lose patience and confidence in the technology.\n\nBecause of the inertia in institutions,\u00a0there is often a bias towards those technologies that can be introduced with the minimum of organisational change, although these may not be the technologies that would have maximum impact on learning.\u00a0These organisational challenges are extremely difficult, and are often major reasons for the slow implementation of new technologies for teaching in education (see Marshall, 2006,<\/a>\u00a0for a method for assessing the readiness of institutions for online learning).\n\nMost institutions that have successfully introduced media and technology for teaching on a large scale have recognized the need for adequate professional support for faculty, by providing instructional designers, media designers and IT support staff to support teaching and learning. Some institutions also provide funding for innovative teaching projects.\n
10.7.2 Work with professionals<\/h2>\n[caption id=\"attachment_330\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"465\"]
![\"Figure](\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2025\/05\/Chris-Crowley-2.jpg\")
<\/a> Figure 10.7.2 Chris Crowley is an Instructional Designer\/Project Manager for UBC's Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. He is involved in the design, development and delivery of online courses and learning resources in a number of subject areas including Soil Science.[\/caption]\n\nEven those experienced in using media for teaching and learning\u00a0would be wise to work with instructional designers and professional media producers when creating any of the media discussed in this chapter (with the possible exception of social media). It is important for the choice of technology to be driven by educational goals, rather than starting with a particular medium or technology in mind.\n\nThere are several reasons for working with professionals:\n- \n \t
- they understand the technology and as a result will enable you to develop a better product more quickly than working alone;<\/li>\n \t
- two heads are better than one:\u00a0working collaboratively will result in new and better ideas about how you could be using the medium;<\/li>\n \t
- instructional designers and professional media producers will usually be familiar with project management and budgeting for media production, enabling resources to be developed in time and on budget. This is important as it is easy for teachers or instructors to get sucked into spending far more time than necessary on producing media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe key point here is that although it is now possible for teachers and instructors to produce reasonably good quality audio and video on their own, they\u00a0will always benefit from the input of professionals in media production.\n
10.7.3 Questions for consideration<\/h2>\n
- \n \t
- How much and what kind of help can I get from the institution in choosing and using media for teaching? Is help\u00a0easily accessible? How good is the help? Do the\u00a0support people\u00a0have the media professionalism I will need? Are they up to date in the use of new technologies for teaching?<\/li>\n \t
- Is there possible funding available to 'buy me out' for a semester and\/or to fund a teaching assistant so I can concentrate on designing a new course or revising an existing course? Is there funding for media production?<\/li>\n \t
- To what extent will I have to follow 'standard' technologies, practices and procedures, such as using a learning management or video-conferencing system, or will I be encouraged and supported to try something new?<\/li>\n \t
- Are there already suitable media resources freely available that I can use in my teaching, rather than creating everything from scratch? Can I get help from the library for instance in identifying these resources and dealing with any copyright issues (see Chapter 12, Section 2)<\/a>?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nIf the answers are negative\u00a0for each of these questions, you would be wise to set very modest goals initially for using media and technology.\n\nNevertheless the good news is that it is increasingly easy to create and manage your own media such as web sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts and simple video production using a desktop computer or even a mobile phone. Furthermore students themselves are often capable and interested in participating or helping with creating learning resources, if given the chance. Getting students involved in media production is a very good way for them to get a deeper understanding of a subject. Above all, there is an increasing amount of really good educational media coming available for free use for educational purposes, as we shall see in Chapter 12<\/a>, so it is not necessary always to create media from scratch.\n\nOther organisational issues will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 14<\/a>\u00a0 but clearly the amount of support you can get from your organisation is a key criterion in choosing and using media.\n
References<\/h2>\nBates, A. and Sangr\u00e0, A. (2011)\u00a0Managing Technology in Higher Education<\/em><\/a>\u00a0San Francisco: Jossey-Bass\n\nMarshall, S. (2009)\u00a0E-Learning Maturity Model Version Two: New Zealand Tertiary Institution E-Learning Capability: Informing and Guiding E-Learning Architectural Change and Development<\/em>\u00a0<\/a>Wellington NZ: Victoria University of Wellington\n
\nActivity 10.7:<\/h3>\nThere is no activity provided for this section. The issues covered here are discussed in more depth in Bates and Sangr\u00e0 (2011).\n\n<\/div>","rendered":"
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2014\/12\/Video-production-studio-UI-UC.png\")
Figure 10.7.1 A video production studio at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Image: UIUC. Just as important as the technical facilities are the media professionals who can help with the design of good quality educational videos.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n 10.7.1 Institutional readiness for teaching with technology<\/h2>\n
One of the critical issues that will influence the selection of media by\u00a0teachers and instructors is:<\/p>\n
- \n
- the way the institution structures teaching activities;<\/li>\n
- the instructional and technology services already in place;<\/li>\n
- the support for media and technology use that their institution provides.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If an institution is organised around a set number of classroom periods every day, and the use of physical classrooms, the teachers are likely to focus mainly on classroom delivery. As Mackenzie was quoted\u00a0in Chapter 10 Section 1<\/a>:<\/p>\n
‘Teachers have always made the best of whatever they\u2019ve\u00a0got at hand,\u00a0but it\u2019s what we have to work with.\u00a0Teachers make due<\/em>.’<\/p>\n
The reverse is equally true. If the school or university does not support a particular technology, teachers and instructors quite understandably\u00a0won’t use it. Even if the technology is in place, such as a learning management system or a video production facility, if instructors are not trained or oriented to its use and potential, then it will either be under used or not used at all. Furthermore, if ‘core’ technologies’ such as learning management systems or lecture capture facilities are not properly managed or if the services are understaffed, teachers and instructors lose patience and confidence in the technology.<\/p>\n
Because of the inertia in institutions,\u00a0there is often a bias towards those technologies that can be introduced with the minimum of organisational change, although these may not be the technologies that would have maximum impact on learning.\u00a0These organisational challenges are extremely difficult, and are often major reasons for the slow implementation of new technologies for teaching in education (see Marshall, 2006,<\/a>\u00a0for a method for assessing the readiness of institutions for online learning).<\/p>\n
Most institutions that have successfully introduced media and technology for teaching on a large scale have recognized the need for adequate professional support for faculty, by providing instructional designers, media designers and IT support staff to support teaching and learning. Some institutions also provide funding for innovative teaching projects.<\/p>\n
10.7.2 Work with professionals<\/h2>\n
<\/a>Figure 10.7.2 Chris Crowley is an Instructional Designer\/Project Manager for UBC’s Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. He is involved in the design, development and delivery of online courses and learning resources in a number of subject areas including Soil Science.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Even those experienced in using media for teaching and learning\u00a0would be wise to work with instructional designers and professional media producers when creating any of the media discussed in this chapter (with the possible exception of social media). It is important for the choice of technology to be driven by educational goals, rather than starting with a particular medium or technology in mind.<\/p>\n
There are several reasons for working with professionals:<\/p>\n
- \n
- they understand the technology and as a result will enable you to develop a better product more quickly than working alone;<\/li>\n
- two heads are better than one:\u00a0working collaboratively will result in new and better ideas about how you could be using the medium;<\/li>\n
- instructional designers and professional media producers will usually be familiar with project management and budgeting for media production, enabling resources to be developed in time and on budget. This is important as it is easy for teachers or instructors to get sucked into spending far more time than necessary on producing media.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
The key point here is that although it is now possible for teachers and instructors to produce reasonably good quality audio and video on their own, they\u00a0will always benefit from the input of professionals in media production.<\/p>\n
10.7.3 Questions for consideration<\/h2>\n
- \n
- How much and what kind of help can I get from the institution in choosing and using media for teaching? Is help\u00a0easily accessible? How good is the help? Do the\u00a0support people\u00a0have the media professionalism I will need? Are they up to date in the use of new technologies for teaching?<\/li>\n
- Is there possible funding available to ‘buy me out’ for a semester and\/or to fund a teaching assistant so I can concentrate on designing a new course or revising an existing course? Is there funding for media production?<\/li>\n
- To what extent will I have to follow ‘standard’ technologies, practices and procedures, such as using a learning management or video-conferencing system, or will I be encouraged and supported to try something new?<\/li>\n
- Are there already suitable media resources freely available that I can use in my teaching, rather than creating everything from scratch? Can I get help from the library for instance in identifying these resources and dealing with any copyright issues (see Chapter 12, Section 2)<\/a>?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
If the answers are negative\u00a0for each of these questions, you would be wise to set very modest goals initially for using media and technology.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless the good news is that it is increasingly easy to create and manage your own media such as web sites, blogs, wikis, podcasts and simple video production using a desktop computer or even a mobile phone. Furthermore students themselves are often capable and interested in participating or helping with creating learning resources, if given the chance. Getting students involved in media production is a very good way for them to get a deeper understanding of a subject. Above all, there is an increasing amount of really good educational media coming available for free use for educational purposes, as we shall see in Chapter 12<\/a>, so it is not necessary always to create media from scratch.<\/p>\n
Other organisational issues will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 14<\/a>\u00a0 but clearly the amount of support you can get from your organisation is a key criterion in choosing and using media.<\/p>\n
References<\/h2>\n
Bates, A. and Sangr\u00e0, A. (2011)\u00a0Managing Technology in Higher Education<\/em><\/a>\u00a0San Francisco: Jossey-Bass<\/p>\n