Creative Education 2014. Vol.5, No.2, 104-113 Published Online February 2014 in SciRes (http://www.scirp.org/journal/ce ) http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ce.2014.52017 The Pedagogical Implications of Implementing New Technologies to Enhance Student Engagement and Learning Outcomes Alison Sammel, Katie Weir, Christopher Klopper School of Education and Professional Studies, Griffith University, Queensland, Australia Email: a.sammel@griffith.edu.au Received September 20 th , 2013; revised October 20 th , 2013; accepted October 27 th , 2013 Copyright © 2014 Alison Sammel et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In accordance of the Creative Commons Attribution License all Copyrights © 2014 are reserved for SCIRP and the owner of the intellectual property Alison Sammel et al. All Copyright © 2014 are guarded by law and by SCIRP as a guardian. This paper reports the findings of research conducted by three teacher educators about the effects on teaching and learning from implementing a variety of digital technologies in their undergraduate courses. The aim of this study was to assess the degree to which certain university supported digital technologies assisted in promoting student engagement and participation in collaborative learning. The data are based on the semester long experiences of the three lecturers and their students. From this data emerged an ho- listic picture that highlights which of the implemented digital technologies constrains or enables particular pedagogical aspects such as communication of course requirements; student engagement, meaningful formative feedback; and deep connections between course elements. This picture assisted the authors in generating a matrix for implementing certain digital technologies that cater for diverse learning styles, and diversely experience an interest in using technology. The theoretical framework for building the matrix is based on Collins, Brown and Newman’s (1990) Cognitive Apprenticeship Model. It is also underpinned by the suggestions that as “teachers” we too often overlook whether or not our students have the requisite skills to engage with technologies because of tacit assumptions about how this generation of students wants to learn. Likewise, the same can be said of those who provide professional development sessions for staff who are learning how to use new technologies and who often appear to make similar assump- tions. Keywords: Digital Technologies; Online Education; Pre-Service Teacher Education Introduction Walking into any university course in Australia, or indeed around the world, you will find students who have different reasons for attending, different levels of motivation, different attitudes and expectations towards their learning, and different responses to technology. Understanding these differences not only allows teaching staff to better cater to the diverse learning needs of their students, but can also increase student engage- ment, satisfaction and retention (Felder & Brent, 2005). Sey- mour and Hewitt (1997) showed that many of the students who drop out of university courses or programs do so not because they are the weaker students, but because they are not engaged with their learning and feel dissatisfaction with their education- al instruction. To advance the reputation of the university, and to increase student retention, efforts to increase student en- gagement with learning materials and improving student satis- faction with courses have been an important goal within uni- versities for some time (Moosmayer & Siems, 2012). By re- flecting on university courses that students find successful, patterns endorsed by universities emerge. Patterns such as creating supportive places where students can easily and effec- tively interact with one another, the university teaching staff and the course materials. In these successful courses, high le- vels of student engagement are achieved. Students who are engaged perceive that they learn more, and become more satis- fied with the learning experience (Arbaugh, 2008; Boston et al., 2009; Garrison & Arbaugh, 2007; Garrison & Cleveland-Innes, 2005; Richardson & Swan, 2003; Rubin et al., 2013; Swan, 2002). Research has found strong links between successful courses, effective use of technology and student achievement and contentment (Liaw, 2008; Levy, 2008). Specifically, tech- nology used to support university courses can directly affect student satisfaction and success through promoting ease of interaction and understanding of course materials, increase facilitation between students and faculty, improve feedback, and encourage interactive and independent learning (Selim, 2007). For this reason, this study will examine how three aca- demic staff members and their students assess certain digital technologies in the promotion of student engagement, and staff and student satisfaction. Theoretical Background: Task-Technology Fit To gain a greater understanding of the factors that influence technology use, student engagement, and staff and student sa- tisfaction with technology, it is helpful to explore task-tech- nology fit theory. Goodhue and Thompson (1995) suggest that OPEN ACCESS 104