Academics' Use of Technology with Face-to-Face Teaching: Factors Predicting the Use of Blended Strategies

Abstract

Positioned in the literature related to academic professional development, this study makes a contribution to the understanding of academics’ blended practices by exploring how various factors influence academics’ use of technology with face-to-face teaching. The primary research question addressed by the study is ‘Why do some academics tend to use technology together with their face-to-face teaching to achieve blended teaching strategies to support learning, while others do not?’ The study arises from a context in which a growing number of universities are investing considerable resources in blended learning, as an institutional strategy to respond to the pressures of uncertain economies, increasing globalisation, and the changing expectations of cohorts of digitally savvy students. However, the success of blended learning as an institutional strategy is firmly grounded in the widespread adoption of effective blended teaching practices, which has generally failed to happen. Currently, the adoption of effective blended teaching practices is limited to a minority of academics. The premise underlying this study is that understanding the factors shaping academics’ blended learning practices is fundamental to the provision of the professional support needed to facilitate the uptake of effective blended practices on a larger scale. Unfortunately, existing blended learning literature provides meagre insight into academics’ blended practices. This study stems from the urgent need to better understand academics’ blended teaching practices.