TECHNOLOGY AS A CATALYST FOR CHANGE: BUSINESS COMMUNICATION FACULTY TECHNOLOGY READINESS IN URBAN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine how technologically prepared business communication teachers were at higher education institutions in urban setting of Pakistan. A qualitative design guided the study. The study discusses the level of business communication teachers' technology preparedness and identifies opportunities for development in terms of helping them successfully use it into their teaching methods. Data was collected via semi-structured interview protocol. The interviews were administered online using Google Meet. Meet Transcript was employed to provide automatic transcription. Nineteen business communication teachers were interviewed, and Nvivo 10 was used to analyze the data. The results indicated that almost every business communication teacher is using traditional classroom technology tools to some extent; however, the majority of them disapproved of social media as a teaching tool. Academic integrity, a lack of funding, technical staff, and paper-based assessment systems were all significant issues. The study's findings contributed to the existing literature on technology readiness and highlighted the need to address the concerns of business communication teachers regarding technology integration, especially in terms of social media use and assessment systems. The findings suggest that further training and support for teachers are essential to enable them to become technologically advanced in their profession.