University teachers' ambivalence about the digital transformation of higher education

Abstract

In contemporary higher education institutions, the digital transformation is obvious and necessary; new times call for new teaching approaches with the help from digital technology. This is a requirement not only from students but also from society at large, and it implies a partly changed teacher role, including digital competence alongside content, didactic and pedagogical competence. For many teachers this means an increased workload and stress, at the same time as they recognize the opportunities and possible benefits that digital tools offer. To provide a contribution to the understanding of the complexity that digital transformation in higher education means, we investigate how theoretical assumptions about technology integration in education relate to the teaching practice of university teachers. The article draws from two separate studies with university teachers, carried out in a small Swedish university; a survey with 254 respondents and a focus group interview with six participants. Results indicate that the teachers are hesitant yet positive towards using digital technology in their pedagogical practice and that there is ambivalence surrounding the issue at hand, as the integration of technology in teaching is connected to organizational and societal processes beyond their direct control. We argue that one-sided theoretical assumptions about technology integration may be an explanation of the situation where the practice and rhetoric of technology use in higher education diverge.