The Impact Of Changes In Microelectronic Technology On Tertiary Education

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I, (Name) wish to announce that all contents of this work / memory stand in my own work without any support, and this thesis / dissertation has been no research on the academic and professional in the past. It also represents my own views and not closely related to the university.

Signature: _______________________________

Date: __________________________

DECLARATION

I, [name of the author], hereby declare the best of my knowledge, the entire contents of this thesis represent my real job, and that such a thesis was submitted prior to any academic research or other qualifications. In addition, he represents his own personal opinions and do not have anything to do with them at university.

Signed: __________________. Date: _________________.

Abstract

Teaching and unit evaluations have been used in most Australian universities for more than two decades. The main aim of such evaluations is to monitor student perception of teaching and unit quality and identification of areas of good practice and areas needing improvement. In some institutions the results of such evaluations are used to review academic staff performance and for the identification of professional development needs. Recent government policies in Australian higher education related to quality assurance and performance based funding using teaching quality measures such as student satisfaction or experience has resulted the shift of voluntary teacher and unit evaluations to mandatory tools in some universities to assess and reward academic staff performance. This paper attempts to analyse the trend and direction of teaching and unit evaluations in some Australian universities, in particular the shift from using voluntary teacher evaluations to mandatory evaluation to assess and reward academic staff performance. The paper provides a case of an Australian university that has made teacher and unit evaluations mandatory and the outcome is used in academic staff performance development and review process (PDR). The paper finally argues that government policy to improve teaching quality via performance based funding may achieve political needs rather than using such tools to enhance educational experience of students. Further, the paper sheds some light on how the renewal of quality in Australian higher education and the new performance based funding may have impacted on academic autonomy with increased scrutiny of teaching quality.

Table Of Content

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

DECLARATION3

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION8

Introduction8

Background of the Study9

The Increasing Use of Technology in Higher Education12

Research Aims and Objectives13

Five Focus Areas14

Problem statement15

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW16

Review of the Diffusion Literature at the National Level16

Internet and Information Technology Diffusion Studies17

Summary of the Diffusion Literature at the National Level22

Review of the Diffusion Literature at the Institutional Level22

Technology as a Means to Increase Access25

Factors in Successful Diffusion of Technology into Higher Education Institutions27

The Administrator's Role28

Institutional Administration in an International Context30

Diffusion of Technology into Institutions in Other Cultures32

Summary of the Literature at the Institutional Level32

Review of the Diffusion Literature at the Classroom Level33

Summary of the Literature at the Classroom Level37

Advancing knowledge and the (knowledge) economy: the promises of e-learning38

Living up to the promises: a quiet rather than radical revolution41

E-learning adoption42

What do we know about the major trends in the adoption of e-learning ...