The Importance Of Technology In Teaching And Learning

- Introduction:

The ultimate aim of the education is not only to acquire knowledge but also to apply the knowledge in practice and ideally throughout all aspects of life. However, the complexity is the nature of real-world problems that students will face in their future practices. In such situations, technology can be adopted in Teaching and Learning (T&L) process in order to address complex and real-world problems. Technology-enhanced learning utilises the Information Communication and Technology (ICT) to support and enhance the quality of T&L process. Review of the open literature, the effectiveness of the technology-enhanced learning has been addressed in several studies in different fields especially engineering and science (Deliktas, 2011; Fang, 2012; Davidovitch et al.,

Within the context of constructivism, Problem Based Learning (PBL) introduces a constructive shift in the teachers’ role from transferring knowledge to facilitating the students’ learning process. In addition, PBL approach encourages addressing life-like situations/problems (Kolmos, 2006). However, the life-like situations/problems are highly likely associated with some levels of complexity especially in engineering and sustainability related areas. The advantages of PBL in T&L in dealing with complex situations are identified by the Higher Education Academy (Tomkinson et al., 2008). Following the approach of PBL, simulation plays a significant role to enable learners to extend their knowledge by practicing the complex and life-like situations within the concept constructivism. Review of the open literature demonstrates that simulations are known as an effective way to teaching and learning of complex situation/problems (Hsieh and Yeehsieh, 2004; Deliktas, 2011; Ormsby et al.,