Institutional perspectives on faculty technology integration competence: A qualitative study of heads of departments

Abstract

This qualitative descriptive study examined Heads of Departments' (HoDs) perceptions of faculty competence in technology integration within Social Sciences and Management Sciences departments in public and private sector universities. Framed within an interpretivist paradigm, the study constituted the qualitative strand of a broader convergent parallel mixed-methods thesis. Thirty HoDs (13 from public-sector and 17 from private-sector institutions) were purposively selected and interviewed using a semi-structured interview protocol, supplemented by a standardized checklist used to document institutional technology provisions. Thematic analysis generated seven interconnected themes: uneven faculty competence in technology integration, institutional support as a key enabler, technological infrastructure and access constraints, professional development and pedagogical competence, individual and organizational barriers, leadership and institutional strategy, and progression from enhancement to transformation. HoDs perceived faculty as broadly competent with technology used for routine, substitution-level tasks, but comparatively limited in pedagogical technology integration competence, the capacity to redesign learning activities around technology This deficit was not just due to a lack of faculty expertise, however, but to the combined effect of unreliable technology, technical-based faculty development, too much work, poor incentives, and inconsistent leadership and institutional support. It provides an institutional-level explanation, which is not found in the quantitative-only explanations, of why SS-MS faculty in sampled universities are stuck at Substitution and Augmentation levels and not moving towards Modification and Redefinition and recommends institutionally embedded strategies, based on the concept of leadership, to move them further.