Abstract
WHILE EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY APPLICATIONS in higher education have grown dramatically during the past 20 years, significant disagreements exist as to their effectiveness and impact. Advocates and critics tend to advance competing positions, but little evidence of technology’s impact derived through disciplined inquiry has been presented in support of either position. The research that has been conducted has rarely been shared across the diverse disciplines represented in postsecondary settings, so little collective impact has been possible. In this paper, we introduce evidence related to the promise and performance of educational technology, identify problems and issues inherent in educational technology research, and propose a working framework for studying the learning effects of, and with, technology.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Askov, E., & Simpson, M. (2002). Penn State’s online adult education M. Ed. Degree on the World Campus.Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 3(3), 283–294.
Baines, L. (1997). Future schlock: Using fabricated data and politically correct platitudes in the name of education reform.Phi Delta Kappan, 78, 492–498.
Clark, R. E. (1983). Reconsidering research on learning from media.Review of Educational Research, 53(4), 445–459.
Clark, R. E. (1985). Evidence for confounding in educational computing research.Journal of Educational Computing Research, 1(2), 137–148.
Clark, R. E. (1994). Media will never influence learning.Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 21–30.
Coley, R., Cradler, J., & Engel, P. (1997).Computers and classrooms: The status of technology in U.S. schools. NJ: ETS Policy Information Center.
Cuban, L. (1998). High-tech schools and low-tech teaching. A commentary.Journal of Computing in Teacher Education, 14(2), 6–7.
Cuban, L., Kirkpatrick, H., & Peck, C. (2001). High access and low use of technologies in high school classrooms: Explaining an apparent paradox.American Educational Research Journal, 38(4), 813–834.
Fletcher, J. D., Hawley, D. E., & Piele, P.K. (1990). Costs, effects, and utility of microcomputer assisted instruction in the classroom.American Educational Research Journal, 27, 783–806.
Gilbert, N. J., & Driscoll, M.P. (2002). Collaborative knowledge building: A case study.Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(1), 59–79.
Gokhale, A. A. (1996). Effectiveness of computer simulation for enhancing higher order thinking.Journal of Industrial Teacher Education, 33, 36–46.
Hall, R., Watkins, S., & Eller, V. (2003). A model for Web-based design of learning. In M. Moore & W. Anderson (Eds.), Handbook of distance education (pp. 367–375). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Hanna, D. E. (1998). Higher education in an era of digital competition: Emerging organizational models.Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 2(1), 66–95.
Hanna, D. E. (2003). Building a leadership vision: Eleven strategic challenges for higher education.Educause Review, 38(4), 24–88, 30–34.
Hannafin, M. J. (2001). Evaluating the effectiveness of technology in schools: Questions, answers, and issues. In J. Oelkers (Ed.),Futures of education (pp. 103–115). Bern, Switzerland: Peter Lang Academic Publishing.
Hannafin, M. J., & Kim, M.C. (2003). In search of a future: A critical analysis of research on web-based teaching and learning.Instructional Science, 31(4–5), 347–351.
Jonassen, D. H., Campbell, J.P., & Davidson, M.E. (1994). Learning with media: Restructuring the debate.Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 31–40.
Kosakowski, J. (2000). The benefits of information technology. In R. M. Branch & M. A. Fitzgerald (Eds.),Educational media and technology yearbook, 2000 (pp. 53–56). Englewood, CO: Libraries Unlimited.
Kozma, R.B. (1994). Will media influence learning? Refraining the debate.Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 7–20.
Kulik, J. A., Kulik, C.-L.C., & Cohen, P.A. (1980). Effectiveness of computer-based college teaching: A media-analysis of findings.Review of Educational Research, 50(4), 525–544.
Kulik, J. A., Kulik, C.-L.C., & Bangert-Drowns, R.L. (1990). Is there better evidence on mastery learning? A response to Slavin.Review of Educational Research, 60(2), 303–307.
Kulik, C.-L.C., & Kulik, J. A. (1991). Effectiveness of computer-based instruction: An updated analysis.Computers and Human Behavior, 7, 75–94.
Madorin, S., & Iwasiw, C.L. (1999). The effects of computer-assisted instruction on the self-efficacy of baccalaureate nursing students.Journal of Nursing Education, 38(6), 282–285.
Mark, A. S., & Georges, A. (1997). Benefits of self-paced learning modules for teaching quantitative methods in environmental science.International Journal of Science Education, 19, 835–848.
Matthews, D. (1998). Transforming higher education.Educom Review, 33(5), 48–57. Retrieved October 5, 2004, from http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/html/ erm9854.html
McGorry, S. (2003). Measuring quality in online programs.Internet and Higher Education, 6, 159–177.
Naidu, S. (2003). Designing instruction for e-learning environments. In M. G. Moore (Ed.),Handbook of distance education (pp. 349–365). Mahwah. NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Noble, D., Shneiderman, B., Herman, R., Agre, P., & Denning, P.J. (1998). Technology in education: The fight for the future.Educom Review, 33(3), 22–30, 32–34.
Oppenheimer, T. (1997). The computer delusion.The Atlantic Monthly Company, 280, 45–62.
Oppenheimer, T. (2003).The flickering mind: The false promise of technology in the classroom, and how learning can be saved. New York: Random House.
Orrill, C. H., Hannafin, M. J., & Glazer, E.M. (2003). Disciplined inquiry and the study of emerging technology. In D. H. Jonassen (Ed.),Handbook of research on educational communications and technology (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.
Pear, J. J., & Novak, M. (1996). Computer-aided personalized system of instruction: A program evaluation.Teaching of Psychology, 23, 119–123.
Peck, C., Cuban, L., & Kirkpatrick, H. (2002). Techno-promoter dreams, student realities.Phi Delta Kappan, 83(6), 472–480.
Poole, D. M. (2000). Student participation in a discussion-oriented online course: A case study.Journal of Research on Computing in Education, 33(2), 162–177.
Postman, N. (1995a).The end of education: Redefining the value of school. New York: Knopf.
Postman, N. (1995b). Making a living, making a life: Technology reconsidered.College Board Review, 8–13, 176–177.
Ross, S. M. (1994). Delivery trucks of groceries?Educational Technology Research and Development, 42(2), 5–6.
Rovai, R. (2003). In search of higher persistence rates in distance education online programs.Internet and Higher Education, 6, 1–16.
Russell, T. (1999).The no significant difference phenomenon. North Carolina: North Carolina State University.
Salomon, G., Perkins, D.N., & Globerson, T. (1991). Partners in cognition: Extending human intelligence with intelligent technologies.Educational Researcher, 20(3), 2–9.
Savage, T.M., & Vogel, K.E. (1996). Multimedia: a revolution in higher education?College Teaching, 44, 127–131.
Stokes, D. E. (1997).Pasteur’s quadrant: Basic science and technological innovation. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
Surry, D. W., & Ensminger, D. (2001). What’s wrong with media comparison studies?Educational Technology, 41(7), 32–35.
Wang, F., & Hannafin, M. J. (in press). Design-based research and technology-enhanced learning environments.Educational Technology Research & Development.
Warburton, E., Chen, X., & Bradburn, E. (2002). Teaching with technology: Use of telecommunications technology by postsecondary instructional faculty and staff in fall 1998.Education Statistics Quarterly, 4(3), 98–102.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Hannafin, M., Orrill, C., Kim, H. et al. Educational technology research in postsecondary settings: Promise, problems, and prospects. J. Comput. High. Educ. 16, 3–22 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02961472
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02961472