Information and communications technology and the management of change in two post-compulsory educational institutions

Abstract

This article summarises research carried out in two educational institutions relying on the potential power of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to deliver elements of the curriculum. The research adopts a case study approach and uses interview, questionnaire and quantitative analysis of technologically produced data to present the views of staff and students. Use is also made of a newly emerging research tool known as ‘cyber ethnography’, which enables the researcher to observe and participate in virtual conversations held in cyberspace. The research records change over a two-year period. Evidence of reactive responses from staff and feelings of inequality of access among some members of the student group result in recommendations for more collaborative approaches to change, an increased focus on issues to do with pedagogy and a clarification of terminology associated with the use of ICT in teaching and learning.