This document provides a literature review on the emerging use of communication technologies (CTs) in higher education. It summarizes that CTs, especially Web 2.0 tools, are increasingly being adopted in higher education to support teaching and learning. Popular tools include social networking sites, wikis, media sharing, virtual worlds, and personal learning environments. While CTs are disrupting traditional teaching methods, their integration into higher education is still a work in progress, with gaps in infrastructure and teacher training remaining barriers to adoption. The review aims to understand which CTs are used and how to inform the ongoing TRACER project analyzing CT adoption in Portuguese universities.

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TRACING THE EMMERGING USE OF COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION:
A LITERATURE REVIEW
MARTA PINTO, FRANCISLÊ SOUZA, FERNANDA NOGUEIRA, ANA BALULA,
LUÍS PEDRO, LÚCIA POMBO, FERNANDO RAMOS, ANTÓNIO MOREIRA
UNIVERSITY OF AVEIRO | DE-PROJECTO-TRACER@UA.PT

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1- INTRODUCTION
Adoption and promotion of Communication Technologies (CTs) is happening throughout
the world of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs)

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Research about CTs and their use in HEI embraces different perspectives, according
to:

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2- METHODOLOGY
Systematic literature review search from June to November 2011 - attempting to answer 2
questions:
a) Which CTs are being used in HE?
b) How are CTs being used in HE?
ANSWERS NEEDED in relation to the development of the project TRACER - “Portuguese Public
Higher Education Use of Communication Technologies”
Looking specifically for publications concerning web 2.0 tools, services and platforms use in HE.
International online bibliographic databases used: Scopus, Eric, Springer, B-On and Google Scholar.
Search was also performed directly in the UNESCO and OECD websites.
Keywords: higher education, communication technologies, information and communication
technologies, web 2.0, e-learning, blended learning, mobile learning, immersive worlds, personal
learning environments

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3- CTs USED IN HE TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING PRACTICES
…has evolved alongside the evolution of web technologies:
From Web1.0 - void of interactive components.
To Web2.0 - interaction and promotion of social network media tools and applications, driving new
web experiences that potentiate connection and collaboration between users
Massive transformation of educational organizations and institutions
CTs have become “an icon of early 21st century higher education provision” in developed and
developing countries, and as universities attempt to “‘blend’ ICTs into all aspects of face-to-face
teaching and learning, as well as into students’ independent study”, investments of the universities on
computer infrastructures have increased over the last decade (Selwyn, 2007)

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Research with an international range concerning the specific use of web 2.0 in HE identifies:
• disparities between and within developed countries, concerning:
• broadband infrastructure;
• teacher training.
• need of faculty training in HE to effectively integrate and use CTs in both established and emerging
teaching and learning methodologies.
The emergence of multimedia environments and technologies simultaneously driven change to occur
and contributed towards disruption of teaching and learning practices.
Disruption: No disruption:
• Teaching methods
• Teacher continuously negotiates authority • In the assessment methods and activities.
• Students able to create knowledge and • Web tools which demand either
manage information in different ways collaboration or reflection are less used
(Wesch, 2009) than face-to-face teaching (Blin & Munro,
• Teaching and learning into a more student 2008)
centred experience (Garrison & Anderson,
2003)
• Roles of teachers and students (Bielaczyc &
Blake, 2006)

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3.1- TEACHING AND LEARNING SUPPORTED BY CTs
Distance Learning
All the systems referred to teaching and learning as being supported by CTs in both the delivery of
face-to-face and distance modes (Panda, 2005; Bryant, Kahle & Schafer 2005).
Comprises 3 learning paradigms: e-learning, b-learning, m-learning, c-learning
e-learning b-learning
A significant part of learning content made Mix of face-to-face and online learning (Dias,
available via the Internet (Punie & Cabrera, 2010; Garrison & Hanuca, 2004), requiring a
2009), facilitating access to resources and restructuring of the class, contact hours and
services, exchanges and collaboration (CEC, approach although “it is not clear how much
2003); or how little, online learning is inherent to
blended learning”(Garrison & Hanuca, 2004);

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m-learning c-learning
Mobility of people and knowledge supported Allows teachers and students to dedicate
by mobile devices (Sharples, Taylor & Vavoula, more time to the development of higher
2007); levels of thinking and group intelligence. In
cloud learning, learners are at the centre of
New trend in the development of e-learning, learning, giving them more responsibility and
in which mobile devices help students get opportunities to actively engage in their own
access to course materials anytime anywhere learning and offering them a richer
(Giorgieva, Smrikarov, Georgiev, 2011); experience (Bai, Shen, Chen & Zhuo, 2011).;
Considered disruptive, particularly for This interconnects with other learning modes
supporting learning outside the classroom, such as blended and mobile learning, which
making education an integrated activity of emphasize that learners become active in
learning with life and work (Kukulska-Hulme, sharing and collaborating, creating content
2010; El-Hussein & Cronje, 2010); and personalizing their learning environment;

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3.2- CTs USED IN HEIs TO SUPPORT TEACHING AND LEARNING
Aiming to find patterns and obtain an
understanding of the wider adoption
and use of CTs in HE, it was made the
attempt to answer 2 questions:
a) which CTs are being used in HE?
b) how are CTs being used in HE?
To sustain the review analysis we have
adopted the major categories of web
2.0 activities and tools proposed in the
BECTA Report
(Crook, C., Cummings, J., Fisher, T., Graber, R.,
Harrison, C., Lewin, C., Oliver, M. (2008). Web 2.0
technologies for learning: the current landscape –
opportunities, challenges and tensions. In Becta
(Ed.): Becta. )

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3.2.1 Web2.0 activities and tools used in HE
Findings based on the BECTA categories
There is no evidence in the literature concerning the use of trading tools in educational contexts
Mash-up websites: a set of tools and environments of emerging interest in HE (Wesch, 2009).
Personal Learning Environments may be understood as an aggregation kind of tool, personally
built or institutionally created the space for the people of the education community to build their
own PLE
Social networking sites such as Facebook, Ning or Elgg, are frequently used to create
communities of practice in HE (Conole, 2010), to include group settings in formal learning, and
for library and administrative applications. They are used by students to communicate with
colleagues and teachers about coursework (Dahlstrom, Boor, Grunwald & Vockley, 2011):
Facebook is commonly used by students and faculty teachers, to include group settings in formal
learning, communicate easily with the school community, easily communicate and market school
events (Dahlstrom, Boor, Grunwald & Vockley, 2011; Roblyer, McDaniel, Webb, Herman, and
Witty, 2010)

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3.2.1 Web2.0 activities and tools used in HE
Wikis are used for collaborative writing in a peer group wiki (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008);
teaching support in the design for learning, a single space where teachers can share the
materials for a lecture (Armstrong & Franklin, 2008)
Media sharing tools, allow sharing content in open access and open participation contexts. Video
media sharing tools, in an open access and open participation context, are being used by HEIs to
have an official presence in video sharing services such as YouTube Education or iTunesU.
YouTube Education is a space to support academia, where education is a strong category and
where Universities set their official channels, make lectures available and use technology to
record and distribute video online, allowing students to keep up with the lectures, and also as a
form of advertising, widening their audiences.
Immersive worlds / virtual worlds, classifiedas an emerging trend likely to impact HE (Horizon
Report, 2007). In HE virtual world can enable authentic and scenario-based learning contexts;
over 250 HEIs worldwide are teaching using Second Life, given the opportunities to interact in
new ways, to add value to HE teaching and learning in supporting interactions in virtual lectures,
and supporting activities like seminar and lectures, social interactions with realistic contexts
(Conole and Alevizou, 2010; Freitas, 2008)

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4- DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH AIMS

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4- DISCUSSIONS AND RESEARCH AIMS

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5- FINAL CONSIDERATIONS
CTs have a confirmed use in HE
Use of social Web tools and environments is a trend in teaching and learning practices in HE,
placing challenges to teachers, students, and institutions, at the level of the interaction,
production and delivery of educational content
Ubiquity of web2.0 tools revealed a strong relation to the idea of disruptive changes of more
traditional forms of education in HE
Use of CTs may not always potentiate innovation: social web tools are also used as a support
for already existing educational processes and structures of teaching and learning previously
used. The expectation is for teaching and learning practices to change along with an effective
integration and innovative use of CTs.
But there is change, considered by some to be a disruptive change, showing that teaching and
learning practices have a progressive, effective and innovative integration of CTs in HE. This
reflects on the changing roles adopted by teachers and students.
Keeping up-to-date with the information related to the adoption of CTs in HE and to its' impact
in teaching and learning practices, has become more and more difficult due to the vast and
fragmented publications, leading to the need of serious and expedite systematising. That is the
ultimate goal of the online information visualization tool proposed by the ongoing project
TRACER.

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!
http://cms.ua.pt/TRACER