Significance of Issue and Effect on Distance Education

             The issue of faculty technology illiteracy in distance education is very important.  It is important because the delivery of education and the role of faculty in distance education becomes altered when faculty are unaware of how to properly use technology.  Being illiterate in technology can cause problems with preparing and delivering materials; communication problems; misuse of technology, problems with equipment, and the inability to properly fulfill faculty roles.  Since technology is what is used to communicate and deliver information to students, faculty members who do not know how to use the technology to complete these tasks can damage the learning of students by not providing quality of instruction.   Since many institutions do not require faculty members to take a training course on technology use in distance education, this issue occurs constantly in distance learning programs all around the world (Vaill & Testori, 2012). 

            Ineffective preparing and delivering of materials is one of the many issues that result from faculty technology illiteracy (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014).  Faculty must be knowledgeable about the subject they are teaching, but in distance education, faculty must also have technological skills to develop educational materials (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014).  Since all education is done through technology, faculty members must know how to navigate through the institution’s learning management system (LMS); create, upload, and navigate through PowerPoint presentations; as well as create and upload video files, to name a few.  All of these are different technological means of delivering educational materials to students.  Without knowledge on how to properly use each of these technology delivery systems, educational materials may not be delivered to students.  This can cause students to become confused, frustrated, and may even possibly cause students to drop out of school.  One of the faculty roles in distance education is to create a comfortable learning environment, however when instructor’s do not know how to deliver materials or navigate through technological devices/software properly, education does not occur, and the learning environment becomes confusing and chaotic (Yi, 2012).  
            
            Technology illiteracy also causes communication problems between instructor and student, as well as student to student in the distance learning environment (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014).  In distance education, faculty members should utilize effective web-based teaching sections such as discussion board and group management to persuade the online learner to interact with the instructor, fellow students, and subject matter (Yi, 2012).  If faculty members do not know how to utilize effective web-based teaching sections that promote communication, interaction will not occur.  Faculty members will have no way to communicate with students, and students will have no way to communicate with faculty members.  Online students rely on faculty members to provide them with quick feedback to assignments to help them understand if they are comprehending the material or if they need additional education on the material (Yi, 2012).  When faculty members do not know how to work the technology to communicate with students, feedback may be delayed or non-existent.  Another problem is the inability to teach new online students how to properly use the web-based teaching technology (Yi, 2012).  Since the instructor is not aware of how to properly use the web-based teaching technology, they cannot effectively teach students how to use the technology.  This can cause problems in student interaction and problems with submission of discussion board assignments. 

Another problem that can occur due to faculty technology illiteracy is misuse of technology (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014).  When faculty members are not literate in technology, they may not be utilizing the technology to its full potential (Valentine, 2002).  For example, authentication of student work can be an issue, especially in distance education (Bulajic & Sambasivam, 2014).  It is very easy for a student to search for an assignment online and use the identical assignment for their own personal assignment.  Faculty members need to be knowledgeable on all the functions of the technology and  how to properly use the technology to check for plagiarism.  If faculty members are not aware that a certain technology can check for plagiarism, students have the opportunity to plagiarize all of their assignments. 

            
            The inability to solve problems with software and equipment is another problem that can occur when faculty members are illiterate in technology (Valentine, 2002).  Equipment and software malfunctions can be a great detriment to the effectiveness of distance learning (Valentine, 2002).  Faculty members may be completely prepared to guide students and be a facilitator, but if the LMS is not working, or if a student is having trouble utilizing the different functions of the LMS, the quality of education may be effected.  In order to help deter this problem from occurring, online faculty members should be able to solve some minor technical problems (Yi, 2012).  Since all education is done over a network, it is very possible that problems with the software or equipment may occur.  Faculty members should be able to offer online learners technical tips and answer questions regarding some information technology and use issues (Yi, 2012). 

            Last but not least, the inability to properly fulfill faculty roles can result from technology illiteracy (Yi, 2012).  Online educators have many important roles, but three of the most important roles is to design the course, guide students, and be a facilitator (Yi, 2012).  Without proper education on how to use technology, these roles can be very difficult.  When designing an online class, the instructor must create an active, personal, and comfortable online learning environment by virtue of available web-based course system functions, design a syllabus with detailed and comprehensive instructions, and design online course sections, such as discussion topics and group divisions (Yi, 2012).  In order to create an active and comfortable online learning environment, faculty members must create an interactive environment.  They can do this by using LMS tools such as announcements, e-mails, discussion board postings, virtual chatrooms, and a discussion board in which students can ask questions to the instructor (Yi, 2012).  Faculty members must know how to use the technology to promote interaction among students.  If faculty members do not know how to use the technology, designing an interactive and comprehensive course will not occur, students will not get their questions answered since educators may not know how to use the discussion board communication technology, and students may feel like the online learning environment is not effective. 

Online instructors help guide students by using information technology tools, electronic devices, and resources by creating an environment that is friendly and interactive (Yi, 2012).  Without being literate in technology, instructors may not be able to create an interactive and friendly environment.  The environment may be confusing, chaotic, and students may feel like they have no support or guidance in learning.  Instead of the instructors setting up the students to succeed, the instructors set up the students to fail.  Many students may drop out of distance education and go back to traditional education, which may be difficult with their busy work and/or home schedules.

             Online instructors are seen as facilitators (Yi, 2012).  Online instructors facilitate a virtual classroom, all the interactions, and make learners comfortable with course sites, systems, and tools (Yi, 2012).  If the instructor is not even comfortable with the course sites, systems, and tools, it would not be feasible to say they will help make learners comfortable.  With technology illiteracy, instructors cannot fulfill the facilitator role.  Since instructors are unable to fill the facilitator role, students may begin to feel that the learning environment is uncomfortable and they may feel that the quality of learning is not good. 

All-in-all, faculty illiteracy in technology is a significant issue in distance education.  All of the benefits of distance education disappear when faculty members are not competent in the use of technology.  With technology illiteracy, faculty members are not able to provide effective education and students are not gaining quality education.  The next section will provide different strategies to resolve this issue in nursing education.