The Trend of Commitment: Pedagogical Quality and Adoption

Introduction

The education system is being challenged to change as innovative technology changes the ways we think about interactions with information and knowledge, and as new generations of students pass through with new expectations and new needs. As technological innovation continues, levels of readiness and expertise for faculty, schools, students, parents, and educational technologists become increasingly important; it is clear that “different technologies are deployed at different rates in different ways at different settings” (Molenda and Sullivan, 2002 p 3). What elements would constitute effective professional development programs for faculty? Researchers need to investigate effective ways to help each population successfully work with new instructional technologies. Effective professional development may require an understanding of the kinds of motivations and psychological resistances that determine how faculty will decide to use new technologies. To what degree, for example, is the adoption of instructional technology related to a faculty’s disciplinary affiliation or commitment to high quality instruction? As information technologies become increasingly woven into social expectations, the pressure to adopt them in education can only increase. Informing educational leaders and decision makers on the full range of issues concerning development and deployment of technology and innovation is increasingly a critical priority. It is vital to examine the role of faculty’s commitment to pedagogical quality (CPQ) when adopting instructional technology in higher education. CPQ is defined in this work as the faculty’s value of teaching and student learning.