Supporting 21st-Century Teaching and Learning: The Role of Google Apps for Education

Abstract

The success of higher education is driven by the ability to adapt, change, and grow with technology XVH &ROOHJHV DQG XQLYHUVLWLHV XQGHUJR VLJQL¿FDQW changes to acclimate to and utilize current innova-tions. This non-experimental study was conducted to determine if using GAFE for pedagogically-re-ODWHGREMHFWLYHVFRXOGLPSDFWVWXGHQWSHUIRUPDQFH DQGDGRSWLRQEHKDYLRUV6SHFL¿FDOO\WKHUHVHDUFK-er investigated whether using the course website, along with Google suites of apps, enhanced teach-ing, research, and learning on campus. A group of students from the University of Ghana (UG) were selected as research participants after GAFE use during one semester. In addition, the impact on student performance as a result of using this innovation was investigated. In other words, the study explored the role that Google Apps plays in 21st-century education. The critical factors leading to users' adoption of innovations have inspired several streams of research over the decades. According to Allen and Seaman (2014), most academic institutions are currently securing HI¿FLHQWZD\VRIHPSOR\LQJZHEEDVHGLQVWUXFWLRQ systems for designing and delivering their courses online as a result of the rapid growth of educational apps and e-learning platforms. According to Sloan Consortium (2013), online courses constitute a model of instruction where at least 80 percent of course content is delivered online. Recognizing the potential of educational apps,