Disciplines in Higher Education have their own interpretations of what is essential knowledge that infuences what is taught, how teaching occurs, and the role of digital tools. Disciplinary culture is dynamic and evolving, informed by disciplinary research and technology improvement. During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital solutions enabled ongoing
teaching when undergraduate courses could not be taught on campus, in lecture theatres,
seminar rooms, laboratories, or in the feld. Using digital tools and changes in teaching
practices has created a context where Higher Education teachers must consider how future
learning and teaching should occur. To explore this, a cross-discipline team used appreciative inquiry framed in complexity theory to examine how teaching in undergraduate programmes is changing in the digital age and implications for Higher Education teachers.
The research identifes how digital technologies infuence undergraduate programmes in
Applied Statistics, Computer Science, Critical Indigenous Studies, Geography, and Information Systems. Analysis of the case studies identifed how disciplinary culture, context,
and technology combine to infuence pedagogical practice and digital capabilities needed
to teach in undergraduate programmes. We conclude that Higher Education teachers
require capability in appropriate pedagogical practice that aligns with disciplinary culture
and the technologies available.
History
Preferred citation
Sylvester, A., Starkey, L., Yates, A., Randal, J., de Róiste, M., Lundqvist, K. & Ormond, A. (2023). Each discipline is different: teacher capabilities for future-focussed digitally infused undergraduate programmes. Educational Technology Research and Development. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10196-2