The infusion of technology into all aspects of our lives necessitates the inclusion of new teaching strategies designed to prepare our students for their professional lives. Part of our role as educators must be to guide students in appropriate use of the various technologies that will be expected in their various fields. To accomplish this transition we don’t have to eliminate all our traditional teaching methods; the goal should be instead to analyze how to effectively incorporate the appropriate technologies that are meaningful to our course content and discipline.

Another important factor in teaching today is the need to make education accessible to progressively more diverse groups of students who attend our institutions. With increasing numbers of students working, balancing family responsibilities with work and school, and students’ inclination toward more virtual learning, the educational medium has begun to shift toward more online delivery of course content. In additional to fully online course, we find more hybrid courses where a large number of resources are provided online.

At Loyola University Chicago, resources are available to assist faculty in determining which technologies are appropriate for their teaching needs. The Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy works with faculty to rethink their courses and implement tools that are pedagogically appropriate. The Information Technology Services department provides technical support and hardware resources. Tools to create online content are also plentiful and constantly being developed. These useful tools and techniques may complement your teaching style, increase student participation, and offer other benefits to both you and your students.

For a good overview of an effective means for evaluating what technologies are appropriate for your course, review this checklist from BC Open Textbooks: click to access checklist:  https://opentextbc.ca/teachinginadigitalage/chapter/models-for-choosing-media-and-technologies/