Models of Professional Development for Technology-Enhanced Learning in the Virtual University

Due to the rapid progress of technologies used in academic practices, higher education today is dynamic and constantly changing, which makes it necessary for academics to apply and continuously reflect on new and refreshed teaching and learning strategies (e.g., virtual mode). This chapter draws on data from two case studies that evaluates academic digital capabilities. The case studies were based at a New Zealand institution which implemented “new” strategies related to educational technologies. The (un)seamless technology integration in teaching and learning practices that emerged from the cases demonstrates diverse perspectives on the role of educational technologies in teaching and learning, leading to questionable use of technologies in terms of both “efficiency” and “effectiveness.” Based on these case studies, we propose that explicit academic TEL (technology-enhanced learning) development support should be offered to academics to enable them to leverage the affordances of educational technology tools in a pedagogically sound manner in teaching and learning practices. In this chapter, we propose a model for engaging, training, and supporting academic use of TEL. This model considers the needs of academics, and suggests how academic TEL development could be designed for the virtual university.