Introduction
In the field of educational technology, educational technologists play a crucial role, not only as disseminators of technology but also as a bridge between educators and educational technologies. They are responsible for introducing the latest educational technologies to the campus and establishing effective communication with teachers to promote the acceptance and application of these technologies. The paper aims to discuss some of the author's experiences and insights in the process of promoting educational technology from the perspective of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) as an educational technologist and a liaison with The Chinese Cultural Teaching Centre (CCTC), with the goal of providing valuable references for colleagues in the field of educational technology.
This article will use TAM to analyze case studies of liaison work. TAM is a widely used framework in the field of information systems to explain users' acceptance behavior toward information technology. The TAM model contains two core components: Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use. Perceived usefulness is defined as "the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would enhance his or her job performance." While Perceived ease of use, in contrast, refers to “the degree to which a person believes that using a particular system would be free of effort.” [1] These two factors are considered decisive in determining user acceptance and use of information technology.
Background
The Chinese Cultural Teaching Centre (CCTC) was established early in XJTLU’s development and is a teaching and research centre responsible for delivering general social science modules in compulsory modules, optional modules, micro-lectures, online modules and activity classes.
As an Educational Technologist in the Learning Mall Educational Technology Team at XJTLU, the author is responsible for the support, maintenance and management of Learning Mall Core, the university’s primary learning management platform, as well as promoting the integration of educational technology. Dedicated to combining innovative technologies with educational practices, the aim is to enhance teachers' teaching effectiveness and students' learning experience. Given the responsibilities of an educational technologist, it is crucial to understand how teachers accept educational technology. Therefore, it is extremely helpful to apply TAM to analyze the acceptance of educational technology among CCTC teachers in the contact case from the perspective of the usefulness and ease of use of the promoted educational technology for users.
Conduct of Work
In 2024, the author organized two conferences and two training sessions for the CCTC. These activities aimed to strengthen the connection with faculty, address the practical challenges they encountered in using educational technology, and promote the adoption of such technology. In particular, the author's effort in the promotion and application of AI technology has not only enhanced teachers' AI literacy, but also provided them with an avenue for learning and exchange. This has proven to be important for improving the technological competence and innovation of academic departments.
The purpose of the meeting was to establish a connection with CCTC faculty, understand their needs, and address their concerns. Prior to the meeting, questions and suggestions from faculty in each course were collected in advance.
Questionnaire for the collection of questions and suggestions
On the day of the meeting, more than 20 teachers were in attendance. The author began by outlining the purpose of the meeting, introducing the responsibilities of the Educational Technology Liaison, and emphasizing the importance of enhancing communication between the CCTC and the Learning Mall Educational Technology Team.
In the second part of the session, the author answered each of the collected questions. For example, when exporting grades, the author suggested that teachers use Gradebook to export grades for multiple classes at once, rather than separately in the Assignment activity, as a way to improve efficiency. Teachers expressed that they had benefited from the meeting and that it had efficiently solved their long-standing problems. This session exemplifies the role of perceived usefulness.
After the meeting, the author set up a WeChat contact group so that teachers could receive timely help when they encountered problems. In addition, this also helped the Learning Mall EdTech team stay updated on CCTC's college news so that they could provide more effective support.
- Xipu AI Platform Sharing Session
As AI technology continues to heat up, AI-enabled education has become a topic that the education sector must consider. In this context, XJTLU Learning Mall has developed the Xipu AI platform, which empowers the teaching and learning of XJTLU teachers and students through functions such as AI Chat, AI image generation, and AI agents. The theme of this sharing session was Xipu AI, and the remaining time was dedicated to a Q&A.
During the meeting, the author first learned about the teachers' usage of AI tools and introduced Xipu AI to them, starting with the basic concepts of AI. The author demonstrated the various functions of the platform, including chat, text-to-image generation, knowledge base, etc. The author also demonstrated how the platform can be used by teachers to help them with their courses. For example, teachers can equip their courses with AI teaching assistants with a specialized knowledge base. Some of the teachers were amazed at the capabilities of the AI tool and expressed how rewarding it was.
After the demonstration of the AI feature, the author answered the questions that were collected in advance one by one and shared tips on quickly setting up the quiz on the Learning Mall Core.
- Interactive tools training
Due to teachers' interest in classroom interactive tools, the author organized a special training session on interactive tools for CCTC teachers. Interactive tools are technologies that help students engage with learning in a dynamic way. Benefits include offering multiple learning styles; enhancing student engagement; and providing timely feedback. The training covered classroom interactive tools available on Learning Mall Core and some of the mainstream interactive tools in the market, including Jazzquiz, Wordcloud, H5P, Wooclap, and others. Taking Jazzquiz as an example, teachers can conduct classroom quizzes in an interactive way, announce students' answers and question answers instantly, adjust the teaching rhythm according to students' feedback, and enliven the classroom atmosphere. The training combined experience with hands-on practice, allowing teachers to experience the effects of interactive tools from a student's perspective, through hands-on practice, teachers were able to learn to set up and operate them on the spot to deepen their impression.
Experience Sharing
Given the positive feedback from teachers regarding the educational technology liaison activities, the author would like to summarize and analyze the experience to provide useful references for others.
In terms of communication efficiency, with the coordination and mobilization of CCTC's internal contact person, Zhou Ting, more teachers can be invited to participate in the meetings and training by better matching the time of teachers of each subject. Additionally, a link to a form for collecting Q&A questions was attached to the meeting invitation email. By collecting questions in advance, the content of the meetings can be better grasped. The formation of a communication group also allowed teachers to report questions and reflect on them in time, which significantly improves communication efficiency compared to traditional email communication.
In terms of delivering technical knowledge, cutting-edge educational technology knowledge is selected for delivery. The Xipu AI platform developed by the Educational Technology Team of XJTLU Learning Mall provides a powerful tool to promote teachers' information literacy. Teachers are helped to understand and apply AI technology through further training and practical guidance. These initiatives enable teachers to keep abreast of edtech trends, promote pedagogical innovation, and enhance students' learning experience.
In terms of personalized services, topics of interest fitted to teachers are selected. For example, when some teachers expressed the need for training in classroom interactive tools, a specialized session was organized. Pain points encountered by teachers in their work are also identified. For instance, after learning that CCTC has a large number of students and requires the repeated setup of multiple online exams, the author studied the corresponding setup methods to share with them. Through customized training and technology sharing, teachers’ specific learning needs are addressed, work-related issues are resolved, and overall efficiency is enhanced.
Conclusion
The liaison work resolved a number of teacher’s queries regarding the Core system setup, enhanced teachers’ work efficiency, and reduced the volume of inquiries to the Learning Mall’s Educational Technology Team. The promotion of new educational technologies helped teachers keep abreast of trends in educational technology, enhanced information literacy and promoted teaching innovation. Teachers were able to give faster feedback on their questions through WeChat groups and personal WeChat communication.
The application of the TAM model helped the author to better understand and explain teachers’ receptive behaviors toward educational technology, providing strong theoretical support for the author’s communication strategies and educational technology promotion. From the perspective of perceived usefulness, the questions answered by the author in the two meetings were collected or observed by teachers in advance; the training of interactive tools was also based on teachers’ expressed needs. The answers to these questions, based on the actual needs of teachers, actually improved their work efficiency and enhanced teaching effectiveness. The use of AI tools not only responded to the trend of education in the new era but also effectively empowered education, liberated their productivity, and promoted teaching innovation. From the perspective of perceived ease of use, the author tried to use simple and accessible language to explain the problem and introduce educational technology. If the problem was more complicated, the author demonstrated the operation steps to ensure clear understanding. In the interactive tools training, a combination of demonstration and hands-on practice was used to help teachers understand and learn to use the interactive tools. Rapid support through WeChat group chat and other methods ensured that teachers could get timely help when they encountered problems using educational technology, reducing teachers’ anxiety of difficulty. The use of these methods made it easier for teachers to understand educational technology and improved acceptance.
In terms of model applicability, this liaison case can fully reflect the applicability of the TAM model. Teachers’acceptance of technology, based on its perceived usefulness and ease of use, was high, suggesting a positive correlation between these factors and users' behavioral feedback. However, the TAM model cannot fully explain teachers’ technology acceptance behavior, especially when more complex social or organizational factors are involved, as it has certain limitations.Overall, the author is fortunate to work as a liaison between the Educational Technology Team of Learning Mall and the Chinese Culture Teaching Center (CCTC). In the liaison work, the author not only practiced herself, but also promoted the cooperation between the Educational Technology Team and academic departments. By promoting the advanced educational technology to the academic departments, and answering the teachers' doubts about the use of the learning management platform, the author has made a meaningful contribution to enhancing teaching and learning at the institution.
- Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319-340.
- Chinese Cultural Teaching Centre. Retrieved December 31, 2024, from: https://www.xjtlu.edu.cn/zh/study/departments/centres/chinese-cultural-teaching-centre
