Issues and Trends in Instructional Technology: Leveraging Budgets to Provide Increased Access to Digital Content and Learning Opportunities

Abstract

Comprised of four sections, Overall Developments, Corporate Training and Development, Higher Education, and K–12 Education, this chapter synthesizes the findings of major annual reports, including the Sloan Consortium’s Grade Change: Tracking Online Education in the United States (Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2014). Babson Park, MA: Babson Survey Research Group and Quahog Research Group) and the ECAR Study of Undergraduate Students and Information Technology (Dahlstrom, E., Walker, J. D., & Dzubian, C. (2013). Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research), the New Media Consortium’s Horizon Report (Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Estrada, V., & Freeman, A. (2014). Austin, TX: The New Media Consortium), EDUCUASE’s Core Data Service Executive Summary Report (Lang, L. (2014). Louisville, CO: EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research), Gartner Incorporated’s Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies (LeHong, H., Fenn, J., & Leeb-du Toit, R. (2014). Stamford, CT: Gartner), The 2013 Inside Higher Ed Survey of Faculty Attitudes on Technology (Jaschik, S., & Lederman, D. (2013). Washington, DC: Inside Higher Ed), the Education News’ Technology Counts 2014 Report, and Project Tomorrow’s Speak Up Report, The New Digital Learning Playbook: Understanding the Spectrum of Students’ Activities and Aspirations (Project Tomorrow. (2014). Speak Up 2013 Survey. Retrieved from http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup/SU13DigitalLearningPlaybook_StudentReport.html). The authors note continued expansion and use of online learning, increased use of digital content and curriculum, and sustained interest in the effective use of the mobile devices students bring with them to learning environments.