Exploring the Impact of Customized Academic Technology Resources on First-Year University Students’ Digital Competency: Preliminary Results

Authors

  • Mavis Leung MacEwan University Author
  • Dr. Fernanda dos Santos MacEwan University Author
  • Dr. Susan Hesemeier MacEwan University Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31542/188pcx51

Keywords:

customized learning resources, academic technology, digital competency, educational technology, technology proficiency, first-year university students

Abstract

In response to the growing demand for digital competency among university students, this study examines the effectiveness of customized academic technology resources in enhancing first-year students’ technology skills within a Canadian post-secondary context. Many incoming students struggle with essential academic technology due to limited digital literacy or unfamiliarity with specific tools. To bridge these gaps, we developed tailored resources to support their learning. This research employs a pre- and post-test comparison study to assess the impact of these resources. An intervention group with access to the materials is compared to a control group without access. By measuring changes in students’ technology skills and confidence, the study highlights the potential benefits of targeted support and discusses implications for improving students’ transitions to university.

Author Biographies

  • Dr. Fernanda dos Santos, MacEwan University

    Dr. Fernanda dos Santos Nogueira de Goes has research experience in literature reviews and qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods studies. She is a member of a research group that maps the evidence on social media influences and alcohol consumption among mothers, which has already been approved by the MacEwan Research Ethics Board. Her general research focus is knowledge mobilization in Education to improve practices and processes of teaching and learning and continuing professional development; she has previous experience on needs for assessment studies, and research focused on students, faculty development and the teaching and learning process. Her experience in working with faculty looking for teaching support and first-year students' needs to adjust to the university journeys in the classroom has led to her interest in exploring better ways to prepare students for learning success and supporting teaching workload. 

  • Dr. Susan Hesemeier, MacEwan University

    Dr. Susan Hesemeier has been teaching first- and second-year English, business communication, and writing courses at MacEwan University since 2009. She has also developed several online and hybrid courses through the Department of English, and in September 2023 started testing technical resources for students who were struggling with the technical skills necessary to complete writing assignments at the university, which were developed with MacEwan’s Centre for Teaching and Learning. She also has more than 20 years of experience writing, editing, researching, and mentoring colleagues integrating technology in their work. She combines her writing and technological experience with her research experience, which includes her PhD research (completed in 2012) studying how writers were using social media and the short story to market their literary works. She has also studied users’ experiences with digital libraries, learning platforms, and various textbook modalities. She has experience in qualitative and quantitative research and an ongoing research interest in developing resources to help students and instructors achieve their learning outcomes. She is adept at using various learning platforms and also has an ongoing research interest in finding the best course delivery and textbook modalities for students, along with finding ways to collaborate across various divisions at universities (such as home departments, libraries, and centres such as the Centre for Teaching and Learning). Her education brings together public relations, business, leadership, research, and project management with a solid grounding in English language and literary studies.

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Published

2025-05-26

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 1 (2025): Inaugural Issue

Section

SoTL Research Briefs

Categories

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Pedagogical Inquiry and Practice

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Leung, M., dos Santos Nogueira de Goes, F., & Hesemeier, S. (2025). Exploring the Impact of Customized Academic Technology Resources on First-Year University Students’ Digital Competency: Preliminary Results. Pedagogical Inquiry and Practice , 1(1). https://doi.org/10.31542/188pcx51