Navigating 21st Century Education: Attitudes and perceptions from the other side of the digital divide

Abstract

While much research is available on the benefits of incorporating interactive and collaborative environments using online tools and spaces into the teaching of younger students, distance students in older demographics are often left out of the equation. This paper describes a project undertaken in a university with a majority distance education cohort, conducted to determine whether older students (25+) studying via distance education can benefit from the inclusion of the technologies generally designated as the domain of 'digital natives'. The project involves the integration of blog technologies in different configurations across four units for one teaching semester, and surveys students initially and finally to gauge perceptions and attitudes.