Survey reveals key priorities for enhancing learning technology in SFU classrooms

What are the top priorities when it comes to improving learning technology in the classroom?

According to the results of a survey launched in Spring 2023, IT Services (ITS) in collaboration with the Centre for Educational Excellence, dependability and ease are key.

A total of 335 instructors responded to the survey. 

• View an infographic of the key results of the survey.

Brian Stewart, chief information officer, ITS, explains that the survey findings provide valuable insights to how SFU can update and upgrade learning technologies. 

“The results show that what instructors value most is consistency of classroom technology and making what we have work more reliably. We also heard loud and clear that having WiFi accessible in all classrooms across campus is a pressing need. The good news is that upgrading classroom technology for a more reliable and consistent experience is already underway. These results help inform that work by shedding light on what order we should attend to these concerns, and we are very appreciative of everyone who took the time to share their input.”

In addition, instructor facing monitors and lecture recordings were also identified as important parts of the teaching and learning experience.

When it comes to teaching tools, Stewart notes he was surprised by the survey's findings that no single non-enterprise digital learning tool, such as Padlet, H5P, or Caltura, is being predominantly used across SFU. Instead, the survey shows that a diverse range of tools are being employed, posing a challenge in identifying which tools should be built out to support how faculty teach.   

“The results suggest that before we make further decisions on licensing for new learning technology tools or software, we need to support instructors to experiment with them and learn from those experiences.”

According to Elizabeth Elle, Vice-Provost Learning and Teaching, the survey is an important step forward in SFU’s commitment to improving teaching and learning at SFU.

“We know that our instructors are excited about diversifying their teaching so that they can improve the experiences of their students, but that to do that they need to have some fundamentals in place. This work is about addressing those,” says Elle.

For more information on projects mentioned above, please visit the new ITSC website or contact its-pmo@sfu.ca.