An Aalto University thesis candidate has argued that educational institutions do not take full advantage of the range of teaching opportunities the internet provides. According to the research paper, the primary use of internet technology has been for the distribution of teaching material.

Aalto University researcher Lauri Saarinen studied the use of information and communications technology (ICT) at the institution between 1996 and 2010. According to his findings, the inherent qualities of internet services such as open information sharing, networking and collaboration were not fully exploited in teaching.

According to the research paper, ICT is currently used as part of the culture of lectures and examinations. However the researcher argues that the technology could support new forms of interaction.

“Universities have to stay abreast of change in order to use ICT effectively as part of teaching and achieving strategic education goals,” Saarinen declared.

The researcher proposed a number of tools that could be used to support teaching goals.