Abstract:

Technology enhanced learning environments bring flexibility and freedom to students as well as educators in their education context. Evolving in the 21st century, the students have new learning preferences. While these students are considered as digital natives, the same perception is not shared for educators. Prensky (2001) even termed the educators as digital immigrants, referring to a digital divide between the students and their teachers. There is a disparity in research showing on one hand educators’ favourable attitude towards the integration of technology in teaching, while on the other hand, a limited use of educational technologies. Explanations brought forward were that the pedagogical beliefs of the trainers were a contributing factor to such disparity. Educators decided to integrate technology in their teaching context only if they were convinced of its educational value. How far can this be generalized? This paper critically analyses the pedagogical beliefs of educators by examining a case study of technology use in education in Mauritius. For the purpose of this study, a survey of university faculty was conducted to investigate their use, attitudes and perceptions of adopting current and emerging technologies for teaching. The results show the benefits and limitations educators perceive towards the integration of technology in their curriculum and classroom instruction. The findings of this paper will contribute to educational designers as they integrate instructional technologies at university level.

Keywords:

Technology, digital natives, digital immigrants, pedagogical beliefs, instructional technologies.