THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN PSYCHOLOGY LEARNING AND TEACHING IN THE UK

In the UK as elsewhere there is an increased uptake of e-learning. Often the perception is that e-learning is ubiquitous amongst students of psychology. This poster reports on the first large scale UK survey investigating the experiences of, attitudes toward and the use of technology in the teaching and learning of psychology.

The last comprehensive survey of the role of technology in psychology learning and teaching in UK higher education (HE) was undertaken by CTI Psychology in the early 1990s. Much has changed since then, not only in terms of the technologies and online resources available to support the process of learning, but also in the prior experience and expectations of students entering HE. This study aimed to measure the experiences and expectations of prospective students, current students, and staff, in order to identify differences between these three groups.

Three comprehensive questionnaires were devised, piloted, and made available online and in hard copy: a non-university student questionnaire (released November 2006); a university student questionnaire, aimed at undergraduate and postgraduate psychology students in UK HE (released February 2007); and a staff questionnaire, aimed at academic and support staff involved in at least one psychology module (released March 2007). Each questionnaire addressed not only respondents’ current use and experience of technology, but also their attitudes and confidence in using this technology, and their expectations of it in relation to psychology learning and teaching. Question content in each questionnaire was distinct but closely related, so that statistical analyses comparing the experiences and attitudes of each subject group could be made.

The non-university student questionnaire was completed by 245 prospective students, and the university student questionnaire by approximately over 1300 students. The staff questionnaire was completed by 150 staff.

The results of the study will be displayed graphically and in text to highlight results within each subject group and comparisons between the subject groups.

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