Beyond Beliefs: Understanding Instructor Framing and the Uptake of Educational Technology in Engineering Education

Often expressed teacher beliefs are misaligned with observed instructional practices. We propose that instructor beliefs do not solely exist as isolated entities within instructors’ minds, but that instructors’ classroom decisions and actions are thoroughly linked with the environment in which they teach. As part of a larger study, we conducted interviews from three experienced instructors, each in different undergraduate engineering contexts. Utilizing the theory of resources and frames, we explored how they organized instructional resources into frames and how that framing interacted with their use of educational technology. We found significant differences in the framings and associated differences with how they integrated a new technological tool in their classes. We identify implications for teacher professional development, in particular the importance of attending to context and giving teachers agency in professional development and learning community settings.