Research Article
Filomachi Spathopoulou, Konstantinos M. Pitychoutis, Stavros Papakonstantinidis
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 17, Issue 4, Article No: ep600
ABSTRACT
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming higher education, impacting pedagogical practices, administrative processes, and faculty engagement with technology. While AI holds promise to enhance learning and streamlining operations, its adoption remains complex and debated. This study examines faculty perceptions of AI integration, focusing on factors such as teaching experience, institutional context, and disciplinary specialization. Using a quantitative survey, the research explores AI engagement across institutions and disciplines, analyzing how demographic factors influence adoption. Findings suggest that junior faculty and those in technology-driven environments demonstrate higher AI confidence and adoption, whereas senior faculty engage in AI leadership yet express skepticism about its pedagogical applications. Disciplinary differences reveal that faculty in content-based fields view AI as a teaching tool, while those in applied disciplines utilize it more strategically for administrative and leadership functions. The study also addresses ethical and institutional challenges, including concerns over data privacy, algorithmic bias, and institutional readiness. By identifying these barriers, the research highlights strategies for fostering AI literacy, professional development, and ethical implementation in higher education. This study contributes to the discourse on AI in academia by presenting an educator-centered perspective, bridging the gap between technological advancement and pedagogical practice. The findings provide academic leaders and policymakers with insights on creating AI-inclusive environments that align with faculty needs, uphold ethical standards, and enhance student learning outcomes.
Keywords: artificial intelligence, faculty perceptions, pedagogical practices, AI adoption, ethical challenges, institutional readiness
Research Article
Thuthukile Jita, Alice Dhliwayo
CONT ED TECHNOLOGY, Volume 16, Issue 3, Article No: ep520
ABSTRACT
The role of higher education in improving educational practices and access through research in technology innovations across the wider spectrum of schooling has especially increased in the information driven 21st century lifestyle. Pre-service teacher training plays a significant role in this transformation. For South Africa, research in technology integration has not provided requisite skills for teacher educators to bring about this envisaged transformation. The purpose of this study is to investigate the affordance of the design-based research (DBR) when combined with community of practice (CoP) framework in mitigating context-based technology integration related challenges and professional development in teacher education through the social learning theory. The qualitative paper explores the experiences teacher educators had of using tablets in a DBR as technology integration tools for contextual pedagogical practices. Teacher educators (n = 10), in one university in South Africa were given tablets to use over a year before they responded to semi-structured interviews about their experiences and were also observed as they engaged in both the CoP and in classroom practice. After a thematic analysis, the main results were that the CoP provided space for teacher educators to improve their confidence and technology integration skills. The combination of DBR and the CoP was found to be complementary in bridging the gap between theory and practice for teacher educators. The CoP provided the much needed safe space for professional growth and confidence building for teacher educators. However, learning engagements were limited by inadequacy of ICT tools for the students. In light of this, the implication of the study is that professional development plans for teacher educators in technology integration skills must be context based and subject specific through DBR programs for practical results and sustainability.
Keywords: community of practice, design-based research, pedagogical practices, modelling, professional development, tablet