Model for the enhancement of learning in higher education through the deployment of emerging technologies

Abstract

Purpose

Change is the operative word in higher education; as roles shift, classrooms are reinvented, and content becomes increasingly more accessible. At the core of these changes is the pervasiveness of learning technology. This papers aims to propose a model for the selection and adoption of emerging learning technologies to enhance learning within the context of higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

Higher education institutions are resorting to the deployment of learning technologies to address the demands of the twenty-first century learners and to ascertain their competitiveness. This paper draws from the literature to provide a model, composed of five key characteristics of learning, to support the selection and adoption of emerging learning technologies.

Findings

The model posits that the attainment of each of these five characteristics, personalised, ubiquitous, collaborative, lifelong and authentic needs to be supported by corresponding technologies: adaptive learning technologies, artificial intelligence, mobile technology, social technology, massive open online courses, virtual and augmented reality, gamification and the Internet of Things.

Originality/value

Higher education is progressively being displaced from the traditional classroom, and as it progresses towards online settings, it requires the support of technology to facilitate that transference. In examining the potential of future learning technologies, this paper contributes to a growing body of research that focuses on the benefits of technology within higher education and assists educators in the selection and adoption of the most relevant technologies.

Citation

Isaías, P. (2018), "Model for the enhancement of learning in higher education through the deployment of emerging technologies", Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 401-412. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-04-2018-0036