Online Teaching, Change, and Critical Theory

While many educators in higher education are using technologies in their teaching, their use of technology is generally restricted to meeting purposes of convenience and efficiency. Rarely are the affordances of technology being exploited by educators in higher education in order to develop teaching strategies that truly engage students, and help students develop self–regulation and the ability to work collaboratively – both of which are important capacities in the information age. It is therefore desirable to encourage educators to make some changes to their online teaching practices. Achieving change in teaching practice is a challenging process. The authors suggest that adopting a critical theory perspective has the potential to empower educators to re–examine their roles, beliefs and assumptions, and ultimately help to reform teaching practice in online environments to the benefit of both educators and their learners. Thus, the authors seek to encourage educators to re–consider their philosophy of online teaching from the perspective of critical theory.