ICT Applications in U.S. Higher Education - Teaching through Multi-User Virtual Environments - page 52

tunity that can be appropriately facilitated by an
ICT application.
Problems with virtual teaming for example
are most frequently discussed in the management
literature. Virtual teaming is highly analogous
to online collaboration though is made distinct
by its task-based character. Truly international
companies such as IBM have been forced to find
cost-effective and productive uses of information
and communications technologies, and they have
found these solutions through the use of virtual
teaming using applications such as Second Life.
Xerox Corporation has taken a “services and pro-
cesses approach” to the use of multi-user virtual
environments in order to study which products
customers prefer to interact with (Karlsson,
2008). Other uses include content management
and work flows in a 3D immersive environment.
As a result, industry has analyzed problems and
thought deeply about ways to troubleshoot virtual
teaming, all of which are applicable to the use
of ICT applications for team-based learning ap-
proaches in the classroom.
Common problems with virtual teaming in the
business world include lack of effective leadership,
“low individual commitment, role overload, role
ambiguity, absenteeism, lack of synergy amongst
team members, conflicts due to dual or multiple
reporting lines, different holidays and working
hours, communications breakdowns due to unreli-
able technology and cultural variances” (Symons
& Stenzel, 2007). The benefits of virtual team-
ing include the opportunity to share knowledge
and analyze problems for cooperative decision
and problem solving. When used in situations of
international collaboration, (international) virtual
teaming provides students with multinational
knowledge sharing and problem solving, and
though it poses great challenges, in return it pro-
vides great rewards. Despite these benefits, few
studies argue that virtual teaming is a desirable
permanent replacement to face-to-face interac-
tion. In fact, it is recommended that there is a

significant investment in relationship building
through in-person meetings.

Drivers of ICT Applications

Now that we have mentioned the different types
and applications of ICTs in U.S. we move to some
possible drivers of their presence and use in the
university classroom. We believe that there are at
least two very powerful drivers: the new customers
of higher education, Millennials (born between
1980-1995) and globalization. Millenials bring
a comfort level and reliance upon internet-based
communication and ICT to the university as never
before. ( Chronicle of Higher Education, 2007)
As a result, those universities that can effectively
cater to the expectations and learning-styles of
Millennials throughout the next two decades may
gain a comparative advantage. To this end, uni-
versities have demonstrated their commitment to
the changing technological demands of students.
To appeal to the Millennial's desire for ICT
applications integration in the classroom, some
universities have established offices dedicated to
information technology management or academic
technologies. Titles of individuals dealing with
university technology include: Vice President
for Information Technology, Chief Technology
Officer, Chief Information Officer, etc. Another
example is a new service often known as “Uni-
versity iTunes.” Some classrooms are enabled to
capture and record lectures, which can then be
downloaded as podcasts and stored on a secure
site. While students have always historically found
recording lectures to be a useful way to retain in-
formation and understand concepts, in the case of
University iTunes, high-level student absorption
of new technology has been a significant driver
for the integration of cutting-edge technology in
the university classroom.
In addition to multi-tasking, Millennials can
also be described as eager for new experiences
with an interest in looking outwards (Clare, 2009).