A Study on Usage of advanced technology in pedagogical learning -A Case study of Management education

Author: 1 Dr. Giridhar K.V. Assistant Professor, Department of MBA, Sahyadri Arts & Commerce College, Kuvempu University, Shimoga-577203. :giridhar.malnad@gmail.com : 9980647833 : 08182-240022

Author: 2 Mr. Krishna M.M. Faculty Member, Department of MBA, Sahyadri Arts & Commerce College, Kuvempu University Shimoga-577203. :krishna.gurukrupa636@gmail.com : 9611473965 : 08128-401758

Office Address: Sahyadri Arts & Commerce College (Constituent college of Kuvempu University), Vidhyanagar, Shimoga-577203. Karnataka State

A Study on Usage of advanced technology in pedagogical learning - A Case study of Management education
Introduction:
Technology has evolved and become more central to teaching and learning. Overhead projectors were used to deliver course material in classrooms in the 1960s and 1970s. Today professors are using more advanced technology such as PowerPoint and blackboard to deliver course information. In spite of the apparent trend toward increasing the usage of more modern forms of technology in the classroom, the confluence of technology in the classroom is being debated within academe. On the other side of the argument are those who contend that using modern technology such as PowerPoint provides both structure to and clarification of material to a lecture, and these are important to the learning process. Others suggest that the visual component of PowerPoint lends itself even greater value for those students whose learning is improved through the use of visual aids. There are also those who suggest that PowerPoint enhances students' learning by adding variety to the delivery of course material. Professors who employ various methods of teaching such as a PowerPoint, video segments and overhead projectors during one course lecture are able to better keep students' attention, thereby, reducing boredom with the lecture and, consequently improving the overall learning experience. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore students' perceptions of the value that technology may or may not bring to the classroom.

Significance of the Study:

Understanding the relationship between technology and pedagogical learning instruction has taken on new significance as technology use on college campuses has expanded. In essence there are two sides to the debate. On one side of the argument are those who question whether the use of modern technology increases pedagogys ability to learn and retain more information. In other words, are learners walking away from courses that use advanced technology feeling that they have learned more compared to courses in which advanced technology is not used? Some also fear that the use of technology may lead to the creation of barriers between the student and professor by fostering an atmosphere that is not conducive to student centered interactions.

Objectives of the study:

To study the how technology improves pedagogical learning system. To study the role of technology in Distance teaching in a networked virtual environment. To know the existing pedagogical approaches.

Methodology:
This study is based on the secondary data. But, opinion of management students, professors and pedagogy learners through distance education gathered and used in findings and suggestions of the study. Secondary data like books, articles from journals and newspapers, website are used in the study.

Review of Literature:

Methods of delivering course material have changed dramatically over the years. Textbooks offering pedagogical resources, such as PowerPoint slides and videos, are attractive to professors given time constraints and the pressure to publish. Withrow, Weible, & Bonnett found that the overwhelming majority of introductory textbooks in criminal justice courses offer teaching and pedagogical support such as test banks, electronic lecture outlines, audio, and/or visual teaching materials (e.g., overhead transparencies, videos and presentation slides). While the theoretical discussions are occurring, researchers have also begun to empirically examine the issue of technology in higher education. The research focuses on four broad areas distance education, discipline specific studies, faculty perceptions, and specific technology tools. Research about distance education has compared distance delivery methods such as on-line and television deliveries with traditional methods. Specifically, researchers have investigated differences in the performance, attendance, and educational attitudes of students who participate in distance education with those who participate in traditional educational settings. Another area of educational technology research has been discipline specific. Mitchell and Pedras & Horton discussed the benefits of on-line discussions, email, and multi-media projects in teacher education programs. Similarly, other researchers have focused on the use of technology in disciplines such as psychology, communications, foreign language, and medical education. Thus, technology is being used across disciplines. A number of researchers have investigated PowerPoint presentations in the classroom. Ahmed and Sazbo and Hastings found no significant difference in the performance of students who were taught using PowerPoint and those who were taught without PowerPoint. They suggested that the difficulty of the material and the quality of the instructor may be more important. Frey

&Birnbaum's study suggested that the use of PowerPoint did affect students' perceptions of the lectures and the instructor. Specifically, students favored PowerPoint lectures and thought of instructors who used them as more organized. Overall, there is still much to be learned about educational and instructional technology use in higher education. Faculty across a wide variety of disciplines and institutions are increasingly using tools such as PowerPoint, course web pages, electronic mail, and on-line discussions in the confines of or in conjunction with traditional classroom settings. Previous research has examined the efficacy of specific tools or the usefulness of technology strategies in specific disciplines. What has been largely overlooked is research that focuses on multiple tools, comparisons among tools, or use across disciplines. In addition, a number of studies have focused on outcomes such as faculty perceptions or student performance. Yet students' perceptions of technology use have not received widespread attention. To address these gaps, this study sought to investigate college student experiences with and attitudes toward a variety of instructional technologies. Distance teaching in a networked virtual environment S. Nipper (1994) suggests that there are basically three generations of distance teaching. The first generation is traditional correspondence teaching, the second generation distance teaching he describes as multi-media-teaching with broadcasted media, cassettes and some face-to- face tutorials. Both had production and distribution of teaching/learning material as main objective. Communication between the learners has not been the general practice. The communication has mainly been one-way or restricted two-way. Third generation teaching focuses on collaboration between the learners in on-line conferencing, with the assistance of a tutor. By communicating in

groups, teachers and learners are in a more equal relation. More important: learning, although a personal matter, is no longer an individual matter: one learns best by and with others. Today there is a tendency to focus less on distance teaching, and focus more on development of an on-line learning environment with many-to-many communication. When institutions establish an inter-institutional collaboration, a virtual university, it is important to agree on a common platform or learning environment for the students attending this university. The first step is to establish a common home page for this virtual institution, where students get all the information they need (e.g., how to register, costs involved, minimum technical specifications, equipment needed, exams, courses available, names of teachers, etc. More importantly, the networked learning environment would represent a shared space where partner institutions would jointly develop and implement courses, and where instructors and students would interact. Existing Pedagogical approaches Information and communication technologies (ICT) are having an increasing impact, affecting the way we live, work and play as well as the ways in which we access information, communicate and learn. To meet the challenges of the knowledge society, it is crucial to understand how people learn and how ICTs can assist in the learning process. The last 200 years we have transformed our society from a relatively static one to a society where the only constant is change. Certainty is gone. There is an abundance of perspectives on everything, even on fundamental scientific units. The discovery in quantum physics that an event is ultimately inseparable from its observation undermines the assumption that science is objective and impersonal.

Science has tried to formulate general explanatory laws that apply universally, which were in operation before they were discovered, and which would have been discovered sooner or later by somebody. This impersonal objectivity is partly gone. There is a shift from a largely mechanical view of the world to a more ecological, holistic and constructivist view. This transition in our understanding of the world can be described as a rapid development towards increasing complexity; a state of affairs in which entities, data, or even theories within a particular domain or framework exceeds ones resources for handling them (Mortimore 1999). Some would even argue that we are rapidly moving towards a state of super-complexity; a state of affairs where one is faced with alternative frameworks of interpretation required to make sense of ones world and to act purposively on it. In this super-complex world, individual leaners need tohave powers of self-reliance that can cope with and act purposively in an inchoate, unpredictable and continually changing and challenging world. This can be presented in educational terms as a paradigm shift in (see Table 1), from the traditional to the new. Table 1: From Traditional to New Approaches in Education. Traditional Ego-focused, self-assertive Rational/logical Expanding in nature Cowboy economy CompetitivePerformer attitude Defined/limitedAtomic/fragmented Quantity Linear, predictive Hierarchical New More socially integrating More intuitive Conserving nature- Earth is a space-shipeconomy More collaborative -Learner attitude Holistic More focus on quality More non-linear, towards super-complexity More network oriented

Decisions by leaders

More consensus oriented

One way of coping with this dynamic world is to move from the traditional, rather fragmented way of experiencing the world to a more holistic approach. If we can build an understanding of physics and the human world from a perspective that reduces material and living units to smaller units, over to a perspective that integrates everything into meaningful patterns or networks of communication, we develop a more holistic understanding. Bruner (1996) in his Folk pedagogy describes four models: Learning by being shown;

Learning by being told; Learning by constructing meaning and; Learning by joining a knowledge-generating community. Most approaches to teaching and learning can be sorted in three main blocks. Instructional: This approach is the traditional, teacher and content-focused approach, described above as mainly surface teaching, or the two first categories mentioned by Bruner. This approach tends to see learners as rather passive receptors absorbing and regurgitating what the teacher tells them. The learners are dependent on their teacher, who selects the sources, decides pace and judges the students performance. Basically, the instructional approach sees knowledge as fairly static and objective. From the learners perspective this can be described as she taught me. The approach is an effective tool for the teacher to set the pace, cover the syllabus and be in control. It does not usually call for deeper understanding, and encourages performers. However, in a complex or a super complex world, the instructional approach might not always be sufficient, nor the most efficient way to learn.

Constructivist: This approach argues that people have to be active learners and construct knowledge themselves. The knowledge is seen as more subjective, dynamic and expanding rather than objective and static. The main tasks here are processing and understanding of information, making sense of the surrounding world. The learner has a clear responsibility for his own learning. This approach can be summed up as I made sense of. Constructivism demands participation at all levels and moves responsibility and empowerment down the hierarchy, thereby flattening it. The teacher, the instructive "Sage on the Stage" will increasingly become a "Guide on the Side" in this setting.

Social Constructivist: Social constructivism means that the students joins a knowledgegenerating community and in collaboration with others solve real problems as part of their study. In a social constructivist environment, the teacher will himself be a learner together with his students, as the generic skills of collaboration, problem solving and creating new knowledge are important goals by themselves. The time and pacing will be seen as less relevant compared to instructional studies. The tasks will be processing and assessing knowledge and generating and co-constructing new knowledge.

Findings of the study:

Technological: The Internet capacity between several third world countries and others is clearly a bottleneck. The digital divide is real. Difficulties range from setting up modems, slow Internet connections to technophobia and skepticism about technology in general. Students must be able to navigate comfortably between different virtual rooms including own room and group rooms, contribute online in threaded group discussions,

navigate and search efficiently on the Internet. This is technologically demanding on bandwidth capacity as well as user friendliness. Learner Community: Computer literacy will vary. Students from rich countries will probably have some advantages being more computer literate. Many will be unfamiliar with online debates; some will focus more on HTML skills than on debate issues, some will feel reluctant to commit their ideas to an electronic permanent record, thereby exposing their ignorance to the world (the so-called lurkers). Many students habitually see other students as competitors. An obvious challenge will be to make students promote shared learning and establish efficient collaboration through good cross-cultural communication in a virtual environment. Teaching Community (professors and tutors): The training of teachers and their capacity to follow up the students in a consistent study network is a challenge. All teachers should at least manage to update their own subject. Institutional: There will necessarily be discussions on the prestige and weighting of courses at different places in the world, and cooperation between various course deliverers might not always be easy Pedagogical: Designing a learning environment that starts and structures discussions and encourages participation. As Jonassen, Peck and Wilson (1999) state:

The primary goal of education at all levels should be to engage students in meaningful learning defined as active, constructive, intentional, authentic and cooperative.

However, many universities will have less experience with Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) and constructivist pedagogy, which will be a challenge to professors as well as to students. Moreover, according to Brown (1999), the traditional instructional approach:

The transmittal notion the strategy of distilling the essence of a discipline and sequencing it over several years to masses of students, is buried in most of us through our school experiences.

Last but not least, the challenge is to make a study that produces students having a positive impact on the future development in their countries. No small task.

Recommendations for the study:

Focus of attention: determines if a student mentally follows a lecture and, therefore, the degree of behavioural change. E-learning requires a strategy for getting and keeping the learners attention. It is necessary to consider cognitive processes such as the learners selection of incoming data into the sensory memory, organising and integrating this information by building connections in short-term memory and encoding it by transferring it to long-term memory. Thus, it is recommended to apply certain principles for instructional design. Motivational states: of students are of importance for stimuli given by the teacher to promote the learning process. Motivation affects the amount of time that people are willing to devote to learning. Yet, this willingness to learn results from different motives beginning with the intention to achieve something, competing against colleagues, helping

other people, or emotional factors like anxiety. Motivational orientation can be classified in to three styles: (a) meaning-oriented, (b) reproducing-oriented, and (c) achievingoriented motives. Motivational aspects for e-learning may also depend on learning content, pointing out the relevance for an instruction or including interactive elements such as games and simulations. Emotions, similar to motivation, have a strong impact on the learning process. Findings on students performance depending on anxiety, in particular test anxiety, and propose special methods for dealing with such problems. On the other hand, an emotion whether negative and positive one may influence learning due to its special nature. With respect to, emotion is an unconscious arousal system that alerts us to potential danger and opportunities. Thus, addressing a learners emotional channel can be seen as a key cognitive process for transferring data into the short- or even long-time memory. Within e-learning, the improvement of the learning process can be realised through emotions by storytelling, empathy, provocations, emotional figures and animations, and group works, enabling confidence in the learning content. Knowledge transfer: can be improved if learners relate prior knowledge either in the same domain or in a similar context. Interference happens, when information gets mixed up with, or pushed aside by, other information. At the beginning, the degree of mastery of the original subject influences the learning process. In particular, an adequate level of initial learning is required. Then, learners can construct new understandings by tying up to previous experiences. In this way, learners become capable of understanding conceptual changes, adopt knowledge regarding their culture or everyday life, and even improve meta-cognitive abilities.

Conclusion:
On a personal level the overall experience of using theTablet PC, wireless access and digital inking forteaching and related duties has being extremely fruitful and beneficial. The initial experiences describedpreviously show the clear potential for the use of these technologies in an educational environment. TheFlexibility of the platform is obvious and the number ofpossible areas of use extensive. In particular theCombination of the Tablet PC platform with inking capabilities and wireless access is a very powerfulCombination. The use of this technology to record students feedback in a lecture environment which is then powerful and effective for reinforced learning. It is a very visual and visible motivation to the student to actively engage and participate in the classroom and directly influence the direction or focus of the learning process. There is an initial learning curve associated with this technology which could prove daunting to some users, however, it is strongly felt that the time invested was wisely spent and that the technology complimented the first authors teaching style and quickly became an essential tool and accessory.The general consensus is that the use of this technologyhas had a positive impact on teaching and on the overall University experience. From a teaching staff perspective it offers flexibility, mobility and opportunities for new modes of teaching and work related activities. The student perspective is even more positive and the stud ents have clearly indicated that this project has had a profound, permanent and deep impact on their students experience at the University where the technology and related facilities was very quickly integrated into the overall student experience becoming indispensable in a very short time period.

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Journals:
Lazenby, Karen Using Web CT at the university of Pretoria - South Africa in

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EI-Shinnaway, M.M. and Markus, M.L. - "Media Richness Theory and New Electronic Communication Media: A Study of Voice Mail and Electronic Mail," - in Proceedings of the Thirteenth International Conference on Information Systems, J. DeGross, J. Becker, and J. Elam - December 1992