The role of faculty members in integrating technology into the teaching of English: the case at the department of English language and literature at Damascus University


Abstract in English

Worldwide, Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have gained a vital importance in satisfying the requirements of both the new Education System and the revised Curriculum for English Language Teaching (ELT). The experience of introducing different ICTs into the classroom and other educational settings worldwide suggests that teachers' effective integration of technology into their curricula largely depends on their perceptions and attitudes to the value of these tools to achieving their instructional purposes. This research seeks to evaluate the readiness to integrate ICTs into the current teaching practices of the faculty at the department of English Language and Literature at Damascus University. In a context of large classes where resources are minimal and staff members are in short supply, using technology assisted learning at Damascus University may help enhance education by giving learners more flexibility and helping them evolve into more autonomous learners. Investigating the current faculty’s reading of the value of technology as a means of overcoming some of the restrictions imposed by their context will uncover potential limitations on the use of ICTs in the existing context and suggest workable solutions.

References used

Akins, K. (1992). Revolution or Rhetoric: Factors affecting teachers' decisions about computers in classrooms. Masters' Abstracts International, 32, 795
Albirini, A. (2006). ‘Cultural perceptions: The missing element in the implementation of ICT in developing countries’. International Journal of Education and Development Using ICT. Vol. 2(1). http://ijedict.dec.uwi.edu. [Accessed September 2009
Al-Juhani, S. (1991). The effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction in teaching English as a foreign language in Saudi secondary schools. Dissertation Abstracts International, 52(07), 2383A

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