Investigating engineering educators' views on the use of educational technology: A Q Methodology study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the views of engineering/engineering technology (E-ET) educators on the use of educational technology in E-ET courses. In this study, views of the use of educational technology were investigated using Q Methodology. William Stephenson developed Q Methodology as a means of measuring subjectivity (Brown 1980, 1993; McKeown & Thomas, 1988). Students' views on the use of educational technology in science and engineering technology courses have been investigated using Q Methodology (Kraft 2008; Nicholas, 2009, 2010a, 2010b) but very little research has been done on the views of E-ET educators' views on the subject. The participants of this study were from a mid-sized Midwestern university that houses both engineering and/or engineering technology programs. This study aimed to elicit the views of E-ET educators on the use of educational technology in E-ET courses. A pilot study was conducted during the spring 2010 semester on the use of classroom technology in E-ET coursed by the researcher. This study replicated and improved upon the pilot study based on the results of and the post-sort interviews conducted at the conclusion of the pilot study to determine if these three factors or views will replicate and/or new factors or views emerge. The study resulted in three factors or views on the use of classroom technology in E-ET courses that were based in the pedagogy of the participants. These findings should assist those interested in discovering and implementing the best use of educational technology in E-ET education.