DRIVERS AND BARRIERS FOR PROMOTING TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED LEARNING IN HIGHER EDUCATION

The paper presents a study were drivers and barriers for increased use of Technology Enhanced Learning in higher education were identified. The method included focus groups with Faculty Pedagogical Developers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, followed by a Force Field Analysis. Ten drivers and ten barriers were identified, and are presented in this paper. The most significant drivers found were: collegial discussions, increased automatization, Technology enhanced learning support for the teachers (to assist exploration), tech savvy students and engagement among faculty. The most significant barriers identified were: unclear return on time investment, insufficient funding for purchases and lack of central decisions. The analysis also revealed that some drivers and barriers could act both ways. One example is locally developed systems which are understood to be drivers when it comes to solving (local) problems and encouraging experimentation with IT systems, but when these local systems are cancelled due to lack of funding, or for example replaced by centralized systems, they discourage use and development. The findings constitute a foundation for future discussions about change processes to increase utilization of technology enhanced learning in higher education.