Disruptive Technology in Higher Education, with a Focus on Library and Information Science

Abstract

The role of "disruptive" modern technology in higher education is examined in this research, with a focus on Library and Information Science. Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have invested substantial sums in learning technologies in this country and abroad, with Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) being more or less universal, but these technologies have not been uniformly adopted and utilized by students and faculty. Instead, other technologies are frequently employed to enhance learning and teaching that are not owned or controlled by HEIs.

This study examines data on the impact of disruptive technology using Activity Theory and Expansive Learning. The information was on technology awareness and use.

Learners employ a limited set of technologies to support their learning, but they have a proclivity to use resources other than those provided by their HEIs, according to observation.

This research uncovers a discrepancy between learning technology made available by higher education institutions and those used in practice. Students and lecturers rely on their higher education institutions to help them learn and teach. Outside of HEIs, the use of technology has ramifications for learning and teaching monitoring, as well as the role of HEIs, which are no longer the gatekeepers to knowledge. Confronting reality; issue solving; VLEs; online learning; informal learning; disruptive innovation; disruptive technology; activity theory; expanded learning; disruptive innovation; disruptive technology.