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Are we ready for undergraduate educational technology programs? Lessons and experience from student satisfaction in China

  • Cultural and Regional Perspectives
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Abstract

Whether or not offering undergraduate educational technology (EdTech) programs has been discussed in the field of educational technology. Some researchers suggested offering EdTech programs at the undergraduate level. This study answered this question by examining how Chinese undergraduate EdTech students perceived their satisfaction with their programs and what factors affect their satisfaction. We conducted a survey investigation with more than 3000 undergraduate EdTech students from more than 100 Chinese universities that offered bachelor’s degrees in EdTech. We performed descriptive and inferential analyses (Multiple Regression Modeling and Multilevel Linear Modeling). The results indicated that (1) the overall undergraduate EdTech students’ satisfaction with their programs has much room for improvement; (2) students were generally less satisfied with the resources or facilities that their programs provided and with their employability; (3) students’ career goals after the undergraduate study were highly centralized to teaching in K-12 schools or obtaining a higher degree; (4) their satisfaction was affected by multiple factors such as region, universality level (ranking), university funding status, students’ academic grades, their willingness to enroll in EdTech programs, and their educational internship experience. Implications are discussed, and suggestions for the program satisfaction improvement are provided.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the authors upon reasonable request, but a specific university name will be coded to keep anonymized.

Notes

  1. We mixed the normal and other types of universities because, unlike universities in the United States which may have a higher degree of freedom to offer differentiated curricula, universities in China, either normal or other types, design and offer their curricula under the guidance of a national undergraduate teaching standard published by the National Teaching Advisory Board for Higher Education (2018a; 2018b) under the Ministry of Education of China. That means EdTech programs in Chinese universities must follow the curriculum design instruction in the standard and have much smaller space to design or determine their own curricula. Therefore, for EdTech programs in either normal or other types of universities in China, their curricula (including missions, goals, core or required courses, etc.) are almost identical.

  2. The wide difference between the numbers of male and female respondents was because EdTech programs in China were female students-dominated.

  3. Here, “dispensed” refers to a student was assigned to the EdTech program by their university. In a Chinese university, when the number of applicants for a program outnumbers the maximum enrollment the program could admit, the university will inquire about the waitlist students’ willingness to be assigned to another program still available for admission. If students agree, they will then be admitted to that program and start their college life.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Library and Information Management, Emporia State University, Campus Box 4025, 1 Kellogg Circle, Emporia, KS, 66801, USA

    Hao He

  2. Faculty of Education, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China

    Jiawen Zhu

  3. School of Education, Yunnan Minzu University, Kunming, China

    Chao Qin

  4. School of Computer Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China

    Yangyang Li

Authors
  1. Hao He
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  2. Jiawen Zhu
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  3. Chao Qin
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  4. Yangyang Li
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Correspondence to Jiawen Zhu.

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Appendix 1

Appendix 1

Survey items measuring undergraduate EdTech students’ program satisfaction.

Climate

  • The instructors treat me with dignity and respect.

  • The instructors show concern for my questions or problems.

  • The staff treats me with dignity and respect.

  • The staff shows concern for my question or problems.

  • Other students treat me with dignity and respect.

  • Other students are easy to get along with.

  • Overall, the climate in the program is satisfying.

Curriculum

  • The curriculum emphasizes educational theories.

  • The curriculum emphasizes technology application.

  • The courses in the curriculum are interesting and engaging.

  • The courses in the curriculum provide practical knowledge and skills.

  • The courses in the curriculum are up-to-date and demanded by society.

Instruction

  • The instructors are knowledgeable and responsible, and their teaching is effective.

  • The instructors adopt various methods or media (e.g., lecture, discussion, group work, video, audio, game, etc.) to engage me.

  • The instructors respond to me quickly.

  • The instructors provide me with effective advice or feedback.

  • The instructors grade my performance with fairness.

  • I have opportunities to attend a research project.

  • My classmates are active in learning.

  • My classmates are supportive of my learning.

  • When one course is finished, I would like to take more courses.

Resources

  • The program offers fundamental facilities and devices (e.g., library, lab, study room, computer, etc.) for learning, practice, or research.

  • The program offers advanced facilities and devices (e.g., a maker space, VR devices, 3D printers, programmable robots, etc.) for learning, practice, or research.

  • The program offers many opportunities for financial aid (e.g., scholarships, compensation for conferences or contests, etc.) to students.

  • The program offers students various learning opportunities (e.g., field trips, enterprise visits, study abroad, internships, etc.).

  • I have full access to these facilities or resources.

Support

  • Notification from the program or news in our field is timely and well-presented to us.

  • The administrative department can effectively solve our problems.

  • When I have difficulties, I know who or where to ask for help.

  • The program’s administrative flows (e.g., registration, course enrollment, applying for a scholarship, applying to use a device, etc.) are easy to understand and use.

  • The program provides information and support for me through multi-channels (e.g., website, email list, mobile app, etc.).

Employability

  • I am clear about what I can do after graduation.

  • Per my understanding, I can get a job with a decent income after graduating from this program.

  • I am clear about what I should learn or prepare now for my future job.

  • I am confident in the job that I will do after graduation.

  • I would like to have a job that aligns with my program.

  • I will strive to be an expert in our field.

Program confidence

  • Our discipline is well-known by enterprises and society.

  • The learning in this program benefits my personal development.

  • I feel proud to be a student in this program.

  • If I apply for a master’s or doctoral program in our field, it is because I love this field and want to contribute more to it.

  • If I apply for a master’s or doctoral program in our field, it is because I am not confident in my competitiveness throughout my undergraduate study.*

(* Reverse-score item).

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He, H., Zhu, J., Qin, C. et al. Are we ready for undergraduate educational technology programs? Lessons and experience from student satisfaction in China. Education Tech Research Dev 71, 2155–2194 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11423-023-10264-7

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