Abstract

LOPEZ DE LA MADRID, María Cristina; ESPINOZA DE LOS MONTEROS CARDENAS, Adolfo  and  FLORES GUERRERO, Katiuzka. Perceptions of Information and Communication Technology among the faculty of a Mexican University: the Southern University Center of the University of Guadalajara. REDIE [online]. 2006, vol.8, n.1, pp.1-14. ISSN 1607-4041.

Faculty members can generate the greatest changes in the universities of the world, based on the establishment of defined policies. Upon them rests the responsibility for preparing and orienting students, the primary users of these institutions. The objective of the present study is to define what have been the perceptions and the changes among teaching faculty in the process of implementing information technologies at the Southern University Center of the University of Guadalajara (Mexico). Questionnaires were given to 42 of the 320 members of the teaching faculty at the institution, covering the following topics: technological infrastructure; teaching staff support and development; motives for the implementation of information and communication technology; and modifications in the process of teacher education. Based on the faculty responses, categories of analysis were developed; these were used to define the needs of the group. Next a process of research-action was carried out with a group of faculty interested in changing their educational practices; the group members received several different training courses. Most of the professors accepted the implementation of the technologies in their academic programs, although many of them had not put them into practice. Furthermore, they pointed out the importance of having the necessary infrastructure and the staff development support, as well as constant technical, methodological and didactic assistance.

Keywords : Teacher training; information and communication technologies.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )