The Comparison of Technology Integration Experiences of Teachers and Faculties: Distance Teaching Context

Abstract

The study aims to compare the technology integration practices of teachers and faculties from their perspectives within the context of distance education. The study's research design is a cross-sectional survey. Technology Integration in Distance Education Questionnaire was prepared by the researchers. The instrument was administered to 189 faculties and 91 teachers with distance teaching experience. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used to analyze data. The findings suggest that participants perceived themselves as proficient in designing instruction for distance education, but no significant differences were found between teachers and faculties. EFA was conducted to determine questionnaire structure, and results showed three factors; planning the instruction, process, and post instructional process. Comparison of these factors scores showed no significant differences in planning the instruction and post-instructional process but significant differences in process between teachers and faculties. Content analysis results show that material types are divided into six main themes, namely: (i)audio, (ii)visual, (iii)audio-visual, (iv)interactive, (v)textual, and (vi)real objects/models/sources. Instructional methods are divided into three main themes, namely: (i)student-centered, (ii)teacher-centered, and (iii)mixed. In addition, content analysis results also showed that participants perceived themselves as proficient but needed clarification about methods and materials used in distance education. These findings were discussed in detail.