I think, first of all, educational theories should be considered. Try to find common theoretical foundations for online learning (BTW, this problem has not been solved even in traditional education).

And "big data analysis" or adaptive learning are directly related with both, software and pedagogical issues. What and how to adapt, are questions for educational theories. How can be implemented, it is a software related task.

Educational technology is part of the greater process of instructional design. Instructional design needs to be based on outcome goals for the students...and technology choices should be made to support the overall instructional design and outcome goals.

I addressed these points in a presentation earlier this year, in the context of language learning, but I think that the core ideas would translate into instructional technology for health science:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266616576_The_integration_of_technology_and_language_instruction_to_enhance_EFL_learning

Article The integration of technology and language instruction to en...

Michael, what potential "technology choices" do you have in mind that are not hardware or software in the classroom?

What ever technology, one chooses, 'big data'- analysis  presents the practical aspect of the issue and presents a  more concrete perceiveable picture of the underlying principle.It supports effective learning.

Bonnie Sue,

Also look into the TPACK folks with regard to using technology in the classroom.This is a research-based approach to instructional design that includes technology choices most appropriate for pedagogical goals.

On the topic of "big data" and adaptive learning in action, check out  Knewton. 

You may be able to find some of the research their work is based on as well.

http://www.tpack.org/

http://www.knewton.com/platform/

Inclusive education and inclusive design are important emerging themes. I am involved in an EC funded project called inclusive Learning which is finishing up as we speak. We created an Inclusive Learning Handbook (based on the work from previous projects: E-Access; Alternativa, AHEAD and on the WCAG2.0 guidelines and the guidelines from the FLOE project carried out by the Inclusive Design Research Centres (IDRC) at the OCAD University in Toronto.

A second deliverable was the piloting of a course (with the use of the Handbook) for educators that would help them create Learning Objects (using A-tutor) that would cater for the needs and preferences of each student. You can find some useful publications and other material in my profile.

Learning theories: constructivism, connectivism. Go there

Educational Technologist can be also called human performance specialist ..or an Educational engineer...in other words we take care of different important issues related to human performance, using tech in education ..distance education. ..e-learning ..etc . so the start should be with learning theories, human performance, instruction design. ..and so forth 

I would say that we neglect on the teacher's readiness on creating their own teaching courseware. Many emphasis have been made on 'using' rather than 'making' or 'improvising'. Hence, teachers are only left out to be end-user rather than creator of their eLearning processes.

Bonnie Sue Taylor's question refers to the universal application of educational technology in its broadest sense, not to technology use in a specific classroom situation.  Most answers address the latter and not the former.  To give adequate information regarding technology in instruction (a subset of educational technology) it would be necessary to know which discipline is involved. 

I believe Bonnie Sue Taylor is seeking information about educational technology that can be applied university-wide regardless of discipline.  Roukana Sanjakdar touches on this with reference to distance education, e-learning; and I like the titles of Educational Technologist or Educational Engineer.  I expect that programs teachers and students use for communication, assignments, grading, etc. fall into this category.  Is the "cloud" being used or can it be used in the educational environment?  Like the questioner, I'd be interested in knowing of other general applications of technology in education, not specific to a discipline.

Thanks, all!

John, your perspective is spot on; I also am attracted to the Educational Engineer designation.  My current program of study emphasizes educational technology.  I expected to that to have a broader interpretation than what I am involved in currently. In practice, I would say that my closest circle of colleagues are really focused on research about using multimedia for content delivery, with little attention even to communication and grading, as you mentioned. Whenever I try to wander further afield into discussions of  the implications of cloud computing, for example, I get lost fairly quickly.  I am wondering how to find out about collaborative research efforts going on between computer science and education, similar to the longstanding partnership of cognitive science and education?  Who are the "leading lights" of that work? 

Frequently (and wrongly, too), the term "educational technology" is employed to point on TICs like software, video, educational platforms, e-books... Those are useful tools when based on an educational design, but inutile or even harmful when not. In our University, we have the courses of our careers designed and placed on a Moodle platform, which help students to study, learn more, solve problems... but all of this would be nothing without the "think-tank", the teachers which have arranged all the available documents in order to their understanding and use in the adequate moment.

Eduardo, even though you give the examples of software, video, e-books I still can't figure out what TIC stands for.

If on this thread we're going to answer the question about educational technology and probably revolutionize and organize the entire fields of educ. tech. and instructional design because we are the "leading lights" that Bonnie referred to we should begin with a definition of terms.

In my thesis, decades ago, and in a number of articles I used "educational reform."  No one corrected or questioned that use, no editor and not my thesis director.  But the more I think about it the more I believe it's wrong.  Since educational/instructional are adjectives, educational design means design that is educational, design that educates.  This is impossible, of course; design can't educate (the product of the design can).  What we should say, I think, is education design--the design of education; the technical/scientific model, plan, platform, etc. of foreign language instruction, social studies instruction, etc.

By the same token I believe we should use education technology--the technology used in education.  We wouldn't say "this technology is for educational" but rather "this technology is for education."  Consider the difference between technological education and technology education.  The first means that the education model used to teach anything (literature, music, even) is technological in nature.  The second means the teaching of technology. 

I think many of us, including me, have been using these -al words incorrectly perhaps due to their widespread use.  I've edited a lot of textbooks for major publishers but I'm by no means an expert on language.  If there's a Ph.D. in English on the thread feel free to correct me and I'll shut my mouth!! :)

The reason I bring all this up is that on another thread the phrase "instruction(al) design" was used and that made me wonder if a new major could be devised; and with this thread yet another new major.  Yes, I'm aware that there are a lot of degrees of this sort available at universities and on line.  But the problem is that there is a gap between design and course content.  Designers/technologists know the technology but not the discipline; discipline teachers know the content but not the best way to incorporate technology.  Consider Bonnie's comments about the difficulty in engaging with colleagues in either direction. 

What about a master and/or doctoral program that would combine both?  The student would  not have to learn everything about social studies, for example, just enough to know how the disciplines in social studies could be enhanced with technology.  The instruction design or education technologist would graduate as foreign languages education technologist, social studies education technologist (or instruction designer).

The same concept could be applied to the degree in education technology with technology as the "core" and the specific areas as the "minor".

Sorry to take up so much space with this but I think it is very exciting and there will be a lot new changes to education in the next few years.   

Coming to Stefan's further elaboration: can we have a real case study where teachers are the key players where they actually dictate what their learners could experience?

10 up votes for Stefan's recent comment! 

Stefan, you're so correct.  There's not enough interdisciplinary collaboration which has been a problem in education for ages.  Technology departments should call on the expertise of faculty in the various departments who have expertise in technology to teach a course or courses that instruct students in how to integrate technology with social studies, sciences, humanities, etc.

Technology departments would add new majors.  In addition to technology engineering, information technology, etc. they would add Technology in Social Studies Education, Technology in Foreign Languages Education, etc.  The graduates would be known as Science Education Technologist, Humanities Education Technologist, etc. 

They could be employed either by a department to assist faculty in using technology in a particular discipline and keep faculty apprised of emerging technologies.  The emerging technologies are so abundant and so frequent that a full-time faculty member as Social Studies Education Technologist, for example, is warranted and sorely needed.  Otherwise, faculty will be left in the dark each time a new technology arises.

The Technology in (Academic Discipline) Education graduate could also be employed in departments of technology to teach technology as applied to the academic discipline they concentrated on in their studies.

I wonder if any university will be forward-thinking enough to put such a plan in operation. 

John, I am totally on board with your recommendation. An Education Technologist specializing in the needs for Academic Medicine, for example, would be poised to integrate innovations related to what has been referred to as the "medical data ecosystem" (MIT Technology Review, 117(5), p. 69) -- involving insurance claims data, environmental and public health data, electronic medical records, genomic data, etc. into the education of healthcare professionals in medical, dental, and nursing schools. 

There is an important area called Human Informatics, dealing with the different aspect og human and technology relations. I would recommend to you the Human Informatics Research Network and CENTRE at Aalborg University.