Professional development through participatory design

244 Pages·2015·6.11 MB·English

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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
THROUGH PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
AN ATTEMPT TO ENHANCE ICT USE IN TEACHING AT
THE ROYAL UNIVERSITY OF BHUTAN
by
KINLEY

Dissertation submitted on 16th September 2015
Thesis submitted: September 16, 2015
PhD supervisor: Associate Prof. Pär-Ola Zander
Aalborg University
Assistant PhD supervisor: Associate Prof. Marianne Georgsen
VIA University College
PhD committee: Professor Lone Dirckinck-Holmfeld
Aalborg University (chair)
Professor David McConnell
Duke University
Associate Professor Mahbub Asan Khan
University of Dhaka
PhD Series: Faculty of Humanities, Aalborg University
ISSN (online): 2246-123X
ISBN (online): 978-87-7112-365-4
Cover Photo: Jan Brødslev Olsen
Published by:
Aalborg University Press
Skjernvej 4A, 2nd floor
DK – 9220 Aalborg Ø
Phone: [phone]
[email protected]
forlag.aau.dk
© Copyright: Kinley
Printed in Denmark by Rosendahls, 2015
CV
Kinley received his Post Graduate Certificate in Education from Samtse College of
Education (SCE), Royal University of Bhutan in 1999 and Master of Scientific
Studies from University of New England, Australia in 2006. Since 2006 until the
present he has been working as a Lecturer at SCE. He started as a PhD student at
the Department of Communication and Psychology at Aalborg University in
Denmark in 2012. In his PhD thesis, Kinley studied “Finding ways to enhance ICT
integration in teaching.”
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ENGLISH SUMMARY
The present study was designed to determine an effective approach to enhance the
use of information and communication technology (ICT) by the faculty at SCE in
teaching. The significance of technology for the teaching and learning process in
the 21st century is discussed at length in the introduction chapter. Additionally, the
status and importance given to technology by the government of Bhutan is
described in the introduction chapter. Furthermore, the various initiatives and
investment programs launched at RUB in general and SCE in particular to respond
to the changing pedagogic practices in the educational arena due to the penetration
of technology is discussed in depth. The discussion on this issue is extended to the
literature study related to the concept of integrating ICT in teaching in higher
education as contextualized to the current study. Analyzing the ICT integration in
teaching attempts at RUB and SCE and then reflecting on the state of art with
regards to ICT in teaching at SCE enabled the identification and formulation of the
problem statement. The themes from reviewing the literature and insights from the
hypothesis eventually led to the derivation of the research question for the current
study. Therefore, the study attempted to find ways to enhance ICT integration in
teaching by the faculty at SCE.
Activity theory is used as the overarching theoretical framework for the overall
design of the study. The activity system is employed as one of the tools to analyze
the data. According to Nyvang and Johnson (2004), the activity system is a strong
tool when it comes to researching into the many influences on the relationship
between the individual, the community, and the change processes in a web of
mediating artifacts including tools, culture, and division of labor (2004, p. 66).
Pragmatism had been identified as the paradigm for this research study for the
following reasons: The focus of the study is on the consequences of research,
finding answer to the research question, and on the use of multiple methods of data
collection to inform the problem under study.
It has been argued that the dominant training and coaching model, which focuses on
expanding an individual repertoire of well-defined classroom practice, is not
adequate for the conceptions or requirements of teaching embedded in present
reform initiatives (Little, 1993, p. 129). In this regard, Shear et al. (2011) confer
that professional development is most effective when it is ongoing and that
systematic change is an evolutionary process that is also ongoing. Therefore, a
professional development process referred to as an intervention workshop (a one
time workshop followed by a pilot study) in the current study has been
implemented using the future workshop approach and participatory design
methodology. The aim of the intervention workshop and pilot study was not to
empower the faculty at SCE as technological experts. Rather, it was designed to
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH PARTICIPATORY DESIGN
assist the lecturers in the following: To reflect on their pedagogic practices;
consider the need to rethink pedagogy with ICT; enable them to realize the
significance of technology in teaching in the 21st century; motivate and assist them
in redesigning the lessons integrating ICT; and motivate and support the enhanced
use of ICT in teaching.
During the intervention process, I played a dual role of simultaneously holding an
organizational position as a faculty member as well as a more temporary inside
researcher role for the duration of the PhD study. The overall findings show that the
use of an intervention workshop within the future workshop framework and the use
of a participatory design approach with scaffolding during pilot projects enhance
the use of ICT in teaching.

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DANSK RESUME
Dette phd-projekt undersøger hvordan der kan udvikles en effektiv tilgang til at
styrke underviseres brug af informations- og kommunikationsteknologi (IKT) i
undervisningen på Samtse College of Education (SCE) i Bhutan. Betydningen af
teknologi i undervisning og læring i det 21. århundrede diskuteres indgående i
introduktionskapitlet. I samme kapitel beskrives også status for
informationsteknologi i Bhutan og den betydning, denne tillægges af Bhutans
regering. Endvidere diskuteres indgående de forskellige initiativer og investeringer,
der på Royal University of Bhutan (RUB) og mere specifikt på SCE er iværksat
som svar på udfordringerne med at udvikle den pædagogiske praksis. Diskussionen
af dette tema fortsættes i litteraturgennemgangen, som forholder sig til integration
af IKT i undervisningen på videregående uddannelser, og perspektiveres i forhold
til denne undersøgelses kontekst. En analyse af IKT-inddragelsen i undervisningen
på RUB og SCE og efterfølgende refleksion over state-of-the-art med hensyn til
IKT i undervisningen på SCE leder til identifikation og formulering af projektets
problemformulering. Dette studie har således til formål at finde måder at styrke
integrationen af IKT i undervisningen blandt underviserne på SCE.
Virksomhedsteori er brugt som den overordnede teoretiske ramme i
undersøgelsesdesignet, og virksomhedssystemer er brugt som et af flere værktøjer
til at analysere datamaterialet. Jævnfør Nyvang og Johnson (2004) er
virksomhedssystemer et stærkt analytisk værktøj til at undersøge de mange
påvirkninger af forholdet mellem individ, fællesskab og forandringsprocesser i et
netværk af medierende artefakter inklusiv værktøjer, kultur og arbejdsdeling (2004,
p. 66, min oversættelse). Af følgende grunde er pragmatisme valgt som det
dominerende paradigme i denne undersøgelse: Fokus er på forskningens
konsekvenser, på at finde svar på forskningsspørgsmålet, og på brugen af
forskellige metoder til dataindsamling for at belyse projektets problemstilling.
Little (1993) hævder at den dominerende model for træning og vejledning, som
fokuserer på udvidelse af individets repertoire af veldefineret klasserumspraksis er
utilstrækkelig for de opfattelser eller de krav om undervisning, der er indeholdt i
nuværende reforminitiativer (Little, 1993, p. 129). Shear et al. (2011) medgiver at
kompetenceudvikling sker mest effektivt, når den foregår kontinuerligt, og at
systemisk forandring ligeledes er en kontinuerlig udvikling. I dette projekt er der
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derfor iværksat kompetenceudvikling i form af en intervenerende workshop (én
indledende workshop efterfulgt af en pilotundersøgelse), hvor metoden
fremtidsværksted er brugt sammen med participatory design. Målet med
workshoppen og pilotundersøgelsen var ikke at styrke underviserne som
teknologiske eksperter. Det var derimod at støtte underviserne i det følgende: At
reflektere over deres pædagogiske praksis; at overveje behovet for at gentænke
pædagogikken med IKT; at hjælpe med at forstå teknologiens rolle i det 21.
århundredes undervisning; at motivere og hjælpe dem med redesign af undervisning
med integration af IKT; og at motivere og støtte øget brug af IKT i undervisningen.
Under interventionen havde jeg en dobbeltrolle som medlem af organisationen som
underviser såvel som en midlertidig intern forsker under mit phd-studie. De
samlede resultater viser at brugen af intervenerende workshop inspireret af
fremtidsværkstedsmetoden og med brug af participatory design, efterfulgt af
støttede pilotprojekter fremmer brugen af IKT i undervisningen.
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