Ms Pauline Aquilina, a retired educator at the University of Malta, has published a book on Implications of ICT-enhanced learning and teaching in a University.
This book on electronic Information Communication Technology (eICT) enhanced teaching and learning is based on my research at the University of Malta (UoM). Educators and higher administrators were interviewed to obtain data about the implmentation of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE), one of many Learning Management Systems, at the UoM. Implementation of eICT for eteaching and e-administration was a gradual process. At the time of the interviews, VLE implementation was on a voluntary basis by the educators. Later it became incorporated in all study units, though its level of use varied since teaching was conducted traditionally face-to-face for the major part. However once COVID19 erupted, e-learning became a compulsory method of teaching at the UoM.
Tertiary educators and managers were lucky in that they had time to become accustomed to this method of teaching. At primary and secondary levels of education the change was perhaps more abrupt although the technological aspect e.g. computers usage, was already being implemented. eICT enhanced, indeed 100% application, raises various issues, especially for the age groups of these two levels, where children, not adults, are learning using eICT. This group of educators have a challenging task melding school based with home based e-learning. However she is a firm believer in that schooling does not start and end at school, since the parents’ contribution is fundamental for learning in these age groups, indeed even tertiary Higher Education (HE) seeing as Maltese children live with their parents during HE. She encountered various cases where the home environment was a hindrance rather than a help for some ex-students, as came out when the students came for feedback after faring poorly and everything poured out during the feedback session. Her hope is that this book will be of help to all educators at all levels and provide successful outcomes for both staff and students.
Copies of the book were distributed to all School Colleges.
