Future Technology Impact of Service Design - Research Proposal Example

IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY ON FUTURE SERVICE DESIGN Name Institution Course Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Literature review 6 3.0 Research methodology 7 4.0 Results, data analysis and discussion 7 5.0 Research Results 10 Table of results 1 10 Table of results 2 11 6.0 Conclusion 12 7.0 References: 13 Table of results 1 10 Table of results 2 11 1.0 Introduction The business of education is currently susceptible to disruptions by technology just like other information-centric industries like magazines and journals, news media, music, encyclopedias, television as well as motion pictures. The transmission of education need no longer be bound within a campus. The technological affordability of cloud-based computing, mobile connectivity, digital textbooks, streaming videos of high quality as well as information that is available ‘just-in-time’ have pushed huge amounts of knowledge to the ‘placeless’ Web (Luecht, 2009). This has led to a major reassessment of the old ad modern schools’ missions as well as their roles within networked society. There are two major factors that have influenced the education for students in primary, secondary as well as universities and colleges in USA and world-wide. First is the rapid growth of information and communication technologies (ICT) and secondly, the key question concerning the needs of students in the twenty-first century in order for them to succeed (Morgan, 1997; Chesbrough, 2003)). The responses by schools to these factors have inevitably resulted to transformations: there are changes in the curriculum, how teachers redesign ad present curriculum; how resources are being used; and the manner in which the current buildings and classrooms are being restructured (Leydesdorff, 2006; Edquist, 1997). These particular factors were researched in our school as well as the neighboring ones. One assumption in this paper is that the reader is already well aware of the importance of integrating use of computer in the school curriculum and is accustomed with broadly conventional classroom practice concerning computer use. Empowering students to engage in meaningful, enlightening as well as challenging tasks is the key objective of all teachers and ICT has a fundamental role to undertake to ensure that this happens in every school and beyond. This research moves further than the contemporary practice and seeks to find out future trends. 1.1 Research Objectives 1. To find out the contemporary as well as possible future ICT trends in creating the ‘schools of the future’ ad especially the universities and colleges. 2. To investigate the manner in which schools are changing their curricula, delivery methods, together with other teaching methods in response to the use of information and communication technologies (ICT). 3. To scrutinize changing use of established buildings and to look at future plans for the improvement of existing facilities. 1.2 Scope of the Study In gathering data for this study, I attended several conferences relating to Computers in Education. I also visited the neighboring schools and the departmental heads of education and information in our school as well as any other area within my reach that I could find answers relevant to my research questions. Investigating these questions disclosed several philosophical approaches to the integration of ICT and a number of practical solutions in overcoming the universal problems of staff and learner access to computers among. Since technology is changing each and every day, my research focuses only on categories of change and the findings have been arranged and accounted under the caption of each of the two study questions. 1.3 Study questions Is use of ICT transforming schools? Technological innovation might now be transforming the ways the universities teach and students learn. The development of the Internet has greatly increased the numbers of teachers using computers as source of information, but it is taking longer for some schools to respond fully to this novel medium than it is in the business world. The use of computers has the capacity of transforming the education process for both students and teachers. But the question is has it? How fundamentally has the use of computer changed the way schools operate? The two major areas of concern in my study are: 1. How is the accessibility and application of ICT in schools altering the learning methods? 2. How is the use of ICT altering the way educators and administrators approach curriculum deliver? 2.0 Literature review Technological innovation and developments have resulted to enormous change in our society. However, there is difference when it comes to education since the change is not yet enormous as would be expected by now (Kerly, Hall, & Bull, 2006). Despite the fact that there were high expectations concerning instructional radio, personal computers, television, the internet, computer-based coaching, m-learning, e-learning, Web 2.0,and the most recent hi-tech innovation of our times, as well as the impact of these tools and technologies, the outcome has not been pleasing (Heller & Procter, 2009). Instead what we are seeing today are learning environments, and disengaged learners as well as technology-enhanced coaching that simply imitates face-to-face teaching (Baylor, 1999, Shaffer, & Gee, 2006). However, there is no doubt that education is changing. The means through which students learn are changing from paper-based ones to electronic media. There is considerable development of educational games that can be accessed through personal computers, mobile phones and tablets, and the academic community is giving much attention to them (Gee & Hayes, 2011). At the same time, the nature of what students ought to learn is also changing, mainly because of the large accumulation of knowledge and of technology to acquire, share as well as use that knowledge. The manner in which education is structured, presented, and administered is going through transformation, most apparently, even in other levels of education. The likelihood of bringing together one’s post-secondary education from free internet classes offerings, with accomplishment acknowledged through official recognition ‘badges’ appears to be speedily becoming a truth (Young, 2012). With the current transformations in the curriculum, systems, nature and structure of education, there must also be changes in educational assessment (Bennett, 2002). Technology can have a mutual connection with coaching. The emergence of novel technology forces tutors to understand and leverage these novel technologies for classroom use. On the other hand, the implementation of these technologies requires that classes be restructured in order to adapt to the new paradigm (Chou, Chan, & Lin, 2003). 3.0 Research methodology The survey was conducted in our schools as well as the neighboring institutions. In gathering data for this study, I attended several conferences relating to Computers in Education. I also visited the neighboring schools and the departmental heads of education and information in our school as well as any other area within my reach that I could find answers relevant to my research questions. The major part of the data was collected from my colleagues in schools and friends from other schools. The empirical data was mainly quantitative and was collected using questionnaires and direct interview. 4.0 Results, data analysis and discussion 4.1 Research Question One: How accessibility and use of ICT is changing the classrooms and learning methods The current technology has facilitated multi-modal teaching, change of curricula as well as generating rich forms of online research and partnership. About 60% of survey respondents reported that lecturers will soon be teaching in more than one medium. It will be possible for students to reviews their previous class session by simply clicking an online directory that chats the subject matter of the whole class. When the respondents were asked to evaluate various communications technologies, more than half of study respondents stated that online collaboration equipments would bring about maximum benefits in terms of enhancing educational quality by the years 2020. Almost half of the respondents said that learning will be greatly enhanced by provision of both hardware and software tools that have the capacity to deliver dynamic contents as well as supporting personally paced learning. They said that the classrooms will be characterized by: free access to on-line resources that are powerfully connected to multimedia, video, text and graphics, organized by experts in a centralized resource development facility and dispensed to individuals or groups by technology; the ability of lectures to instruct part of or the whole class with the aid of technology; ability all learners to study the same way or choose methods that best suit their individual learning styles aided by technology; and access to individualized curriculum pathways, controlled by technology as well as flexible room arrangement and furnishing. Highly developed learning management systems as well as improved video and presentation equipments are among other innovations that respondents are expecting to see bring transformation and effectiveness in the academic experience in the next five years. They expect that there will be software that support individually paced learning within the next five years. According to 54% of students respondent and 59% of administrators who responded to survey, it highly likely that Web 2.0 technology like wikis, social networking as well as instant messaging, which are in use currently in most institutions will decline in use by the year 2020 and their place occupied by online gaming and simulation software (Clarebout, Elan, & Johnson, 2002). With such changes in modes of delivering information to students, the classrooms will also need transformation or restructuring. My research showed that many classrooms layout have changed to incorporate easy access to computers as well as facilitating discussions, problem-solving in addition to decision-making that inevitably follow their use. The classes were observed to be making the following trends: reorganizing the classroom, creation of new spaces from old layouts, provision of centralized and shared facilities, and creation of flexible classroom space as well as change of traditional library areas (Lundvall, 1992). Some schools are now engaging virtual learning systems whereby all learning resources are digitally stored and students pursue personalized learning programs. The dynamics of classrooms are now very different from the traditional classrooms. The establishment of virtual classrooms has enabled the students who are home-bound, on field trips or out of school for any other reason to log in and access resources and course notes, and worksheets as well as teaching tips and maintain contact with their tutors and coursework. Apart from this, more institutions are now offering distance-learning programs where a student registers for a course online, accesses teaching materials online and does exams online. More than 65% of the respondents said that their universities offer online courses currently. The customization, and specialization as well as convenience that distance learning is providing have gained a lot of support from employed people, single parents, and employers. Several learning institutions and particularly the public universities are finding online learning as a tool to advance their mission as well as ensuring that post-graduate education is within reach of people who may not be in a position to access it. 4.2 Research Question Two: How the use of ICT is changing the teachers’ and administrators’ approach to curriculum delivery Most of schools in America ad world at large have found the need to integrate ICT into curriculum delivery. For instance, in USA, Information Technology (IT) standards have been produced and in the state of Wisconsin, IT standards have been developed and published directly relating to curriculum standards. Research studies have recognized the fundamental transformations in the behavior of learners that can be attributed to the use of Internet, and computers as well as other education technologies. The integration of ICT in classrooms has brought about these changes: the increase of different intellectual skills such as reasoning and problem solving as well as creativity, specificity of the content being taught using technology is wider and deeper, rise of research spirit due to easiness of accessing information, broader cooperation among individuals within and outside schools, teachers obtaining new information on instructional resources and accessibility of support for their use much more voluntarily with ICT, increase of cooperation among teachers within and beyond the school in times of planning activities, and the orientation of planning is now focused on ensuring students perform real task in cooperation with others. Collectively, these transformations and advances will most likely bring about profound changes in the ways courses are taught. By the year 2020, teaching will be more of result-oriented and student-centered and instructional paradigms will also need to change. Rather than concentrating on material memorization by their students, the teachers will concentrate on the ability of students’ application of knowledge to specific problems. Students need to feel they can define their own academic path. Consequently, the role of lecturers is also changing from instructor to a mentor and projects and assignments will require to be designed in a way that develops the genuine thoughtfulness of students (Pellegrino, Chudowski, & Glaser, 2001). This kind of paradigm change will offer huge potential for advancing educational quality. Finally, respondents predicted a fascinating variety of possibilities concerning how technology will most likely influence future academic contributions, stimulated by inventive faculty research, and learners’ engagement as well as the pursuit of academic collaboration. Within the next five years, 58% of respondents look forward to seeing a larger number of interdisciplinary majors, for example, a combination of environmental studies and chemical engineering, and 45% of respondents predict wider inter-university teamwork among learners from various universities. When looking ahead of the five-year prospect, more than 65% of respondents predict that learners will have the ability to fashion personalized degree programs, either within their campus or by building coursework from different institutions within the next five years and beyond. Moreover, more than half of respondents predict that most of the hardcopy materials will be replaced by online materials. 5.0 Research Results The table below shows the research question and respondents’ views on how education will change in the coming years. Table of results 1 Study question: What are the most likely effects of technology on academic courses and degree programs in your university? (% respondents) Views Within five years Longer than five years Unlikely to happen Do not know Courses will differ in length instead of being semester-based 38 27 30 5 self-motivated provision of content will permit assignments to adjust to fit students’ performance level 37 41 16 6 Conventional credit prerequisites will revolutionize 22 34 24 10 A larger number of inter-disciplinary courses will be available 58 26 10 6 There will be more inter-campus partnerships on individual coursework 45 35 12 8 Learners will be allowed to mix and match classes from different universities to meet degree requirements 31 36 24 9 Learners will have the ability to customize their own degrees 34 46 16 4 A growth of collaboration between universities and corporations will result in more professionals pursuing highly specialized certification programs 54 32 8 6 A growth of collaboration between universities and corporations will result in more learners pursuing highly specialized degrees 54 28 8 10 Table of results 2 Which tools are currently in use in your campus, and which ones will be in use within the next five years? Tools In use now Within five years Not applicable Wikis 41 30 29 Blogs 42 34 24 Video podcasts 51 35 14 Online courses 65 26 9 Social networks 58 32 10 Text messaging 62 28 10 Online gaming 24 64 12 Simulation software 28 66 8 6.0 Conclusion The phrase ‘the end justifies the means’ could be applied to technology and its enormous impact on higher education. Technology, as a driving force of transformation, has heralded our current knowledge economy and produced a generation of learners who have never known life without a computer. These changes will significantly impact higher education. For the coming ten years and beyond, more sophisticated technologies will ensure education is accessible to more individuals around the world, and will lead to greater specialization in curricula as well as teaching methodologies than ever before (Chesbrough, 2003). However, these benefits will come with an equal measure of challenges of making sure university infrastructures and operations are well set to support the adoption of technology in institutions (Bennett, Persky, Weiss, & Jenkins, 2010). Moreover, administrators will need to carefully plan for their budget funds and decide on which emerging technology will be more promising in addition to determining the best way to support these technological developments while mitigating the risk of obsolescence. These technological advances also pose a vital question to the academic world: how shall we describe an educated person in the 21st century? The research study has shown that there will be changes in the skill-sets of the future workforce due to technological advancements. Consequently, communities all over the globe will need to consider how best to utilize the opportunities provided by technology and make sure that they continue being viable in the international marketplace. 7.0 References: Baylor, A.L. (1999). Intelligent agents as cognitive tools for education. Educational Technology, 39(2), 36–40. Bennett, R. E. (2002). Inexorable and inevitable: The continuing story of technology and assessment. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 1(1). Retrieved from http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol1/1/ Bennett, R.E., Persky, H., Weiss, A., & Jenkins, F. (2010). Measuring problem solving with technology: A demonstration study for NAEP. Journal of Technology, Learning, and Assessment, 8(8). Retrieved from http://escholarship.bc.edu/jtla/vol8/8 Chesbrough, H. (2003), ‘Open Innovation: The New Imperative for Creating and Profiting from Technology’, Cambridge, USA: Harvard Business School Press. Chou, C., Chan, T., & Lin, C. (2003). Redefining the learning companion: The past, present, and future of educational agents. Computers and Education, 40,255–269. Clarebout, C., Elan, J., & Johnson, W.L. (2002). Animated pedagogical agents: An opportunity to be grasped? Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hyper-media, 11(3), 267–286. Edquist, C. (ed.) (1997), ‘Systems of Innovation: Technologies Institutions and Organizations’, London, UK: Pinter. Gee, J. P., & Hayes, E. R. (2011). Language and learning in the digital age. Milton Park, Abingdon, England: Routledge. Heller, B., & Procter, M. (2009). Animated pedagogical agents: The effect of visual information on a historical figure application. International Journal of Web-based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 4(1), 54–65. International Society for Technology in Education and U.S Department of Education, (2000). National Educational Technology Standards for Students: Connecting Curriculum and Technology, USA. Kerly, A., Hall, P., & Bull, S. 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Knowing what students know: The science and design of educational assessment. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences. Shaffer, D. W., & Gee, J. P. (2006). How computer games help children learn. Houdsmills, UK: Palgrave MacMillan. Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction (1999), Technology Literacy Challenge Fund: IASA Title III – Technology FY 1999 Wisconsin summary of Projects Wisconsin’s Model Academic Standards (CD) (1999), Raising the Bar for all Students. Young, J. (2012, January 8). 'Badges' earned online pose challenge to traditional college diplomas. Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/article/Badges-Earned-Online-Pose/130241/ Read More