Selecting the right educational technologies for teaching and learning is a complex task. With an ever-expanding catalog of tools—including the rapid emergence of AI-powered solutions—educators face a daunting array of choices. This session presents a multifaceted approach to technology selection, drawing from the perspectives of faculty, instructional designers, and administrators.

Identifying and selecting appropriate educational technology tools can be both an exciting opportunity and a significant challenge for instructors and academic institutions. The digital learning landscape is continuously evolving, with new tools frequently emerging that promise improved engagement, efficiency, and learning outcomes. However, the sheer volume of options, combined with critical considerations around pricing, accessibility, usability, support, integration, and ethical implications, can make the decision-making process overwhelming.

Faculty and instructors often must navigate these decisions while maintaining a focus on student learning. In online, blended, or tech-enhanced courses, the introduction of a new tool carries pedagogical weight. Students must not only engage with course content and activities but also learn how to use the technology itself. Research consistently shows that students benefit from consistency in the digital tools used across their courses and programs. A familiar user experience can reduce cognitive load and improve student satisfaction. Yet, such consistency can come at the expense of pedagogical experimentation and innovation. Relying solely on features built into a learning management system may limit the creative possibilities for engaging learners or streamlining instructional tasks.

Furthermore, introducing a new tool—even one with strong pedagogical potential—is rarely a simple matter. Considerations around institutional policies, data privacy, accessibility, intellectual property, and long-term support must be addressed. These concerns are magnified when faculty consider tools that are not officially supported or endorsed by their institution. In such cases, instructors may find themselves without the technical support or institutional backing needed for effective implementation.

The growing presence of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools adds a new layer of complexity to the decision-making process. With powerful AI features being embedded in existing platforms and entirely new tools emerging at a rapid pace, educators must now consider not only how a tool functions but also how its use aligns with ethical, legal, and pedagogical principles. Questions about algorithmic bias, student data security, and academic integrity are no longer theoretical—they are immediate and pressing.

To help navigate this dynamic and nuanced terrain, this session adopts a perspectives-based approach to technology selection. Rather than presenting a one-size-fits-all checklist, we will explore how drawing on diverse roles and viewpoints—faculty, instructional designers, IT support staff, students, parents, and administrators—can lead to more informed, equitable, and effective technology decisions.

Each presenter will bring a distinct lens to the conversation, offering practical strategies and guiding questions for selecting tools at both the course level and the program or institutional level. We will explore how pedagogical goals can (and should) drive technology selection, how institutional infrastructure shapes what’s possible, and how to balance innovation with sustainability and support.

We will also introduce frameworks and models for decision-making that help educators and institutions evaluate new technologies in a holistic way, considering both short- and long-term implications. These include methods for conducting small-scale pilots, evaluating student feedback, aligning with accessibility and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) principles, and ensuring compliance with institutional policies.

This topic is timely and highly relevant to the OLC community. As online and blended learning continue to grow, so does the need for thoughtful and principled decision-making about the tools we use to facilitate these learning environments. With the rapid advancement of AI and related technologies, the pressure to adopt new tools quickly can lead to decisions that are not fully vetted or that unintentionally disadvantage students.

An ineffective or poorly implemented tool can create unnecessary barriers to learning, reduce student engagement, and increase the workload for instructors. Conversely, the right tool—thoughtfully chosen and skillfully integrated—can deepen learning, streamline communication, and foster meaningful connections between students and instructors.

Our session is designed to empower educators, instructional designers, and administrators with the strategies and frameworks needed to navigate these choices confidently and collaboratively.

This session will be highly interactive, inviting attendees to reflect on their own experiences and contribute to a shared dialogue about effective technology selection. Throughout the session, we will pose key discussion questions to foster engagement and peer learning, such as:

1. What is an example of a technology implementation that didn’t go as planned? What were the lessons learned?
2. What are the most critical considerations when selecting a new educational technology?
3. How do the decision-making processes and priorities differ between course-level and institution-wide implementations?
4. What are the potential risks and rewards of using tools that are not institutionally supported?

Attendees will be encouraged to share their insights, challenges, and best practices. We will also provide opportunities for small-group discussion and scenario-based activities that allow participants to apply decision-making frameworks to real-world examples.

By the end of this session, attendees will be able to:

• Identify and apply key strategies for selecting educational technologies that align with pedagogical goals and student needs.
• Evaluate new tools using a multi-perspective approach that accounts for pedagogical, ethical, technical, and institutional factors.
• Recognize the risks and challenges associated with unsupported or unvetted technologies, including those that use generative AI.
• Collaborate with stakeholders across roles to ensure thoughtful and effective implementation of educational technologies.
• Develop an action plan for evaluating a new tool or reviewing an existing one for potential adoption in their own context.

In an era of rapid technological change, the decisions we make about educational tools have never been more consequential. By embracing a perspectives-driven approach to technology selection, educators and institutions can create learning environments that are not only innovative and engaging but also ethical, sustainable, and inclusive. This session will equip participants with the tools, frameworks, and confidence to make thoughtful choices that center student success.

The short and extended abstracts were written with assistance from ChatGPT.

Dylan Barth

Vice President of Innovation and Programs at Online Learning Consortium, Inc.

Dylan Barth is the Vice President for Innovation and Programs. Dylan provides strategic vision and oversight for professional development, consulting, research and publications, and the Quality Scorecard Suite at OLC. He has 20+ years of experience teaching in higher education and 12+ years working in faculty and instructional development. Dylan holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with an emphasis on masculinities in contemporary post-apocalyptic fiction.

Tim Walker

Director of Learning Technologies & Innovation at Loyola University Chicago

Tim Walker is the Director of Learning Technologies & Innovation at Loyola University Chicago. He has over 25 years of experience in higher education supporting faculty with integrating technology into teaching and learning. He currently manages a team that supports the learning technologies and research tools for online and technology-enhanced courses. In addition, his group provides instructional design, course building, analytics, and multimedia services for health sciences. Tim is also a part-time instructor for the School of Continuing & Professional Studies. Prior to joining Loyola, he served as a Director of Technology at National Louis University and part-time instructor. He holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from Marquette University, a master's degree in human services administration from National Louis University, a graduate certificate in distance education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a graduate certificate in online learning leadership from Penn State University.

Gina Pazzaglia

Director of Online Master of Professional Studies at The Pennsylvania State University

Dr. Pazzaglia holds dual doctorates in Nutrition and Education, bringing an interdisciplinary approach to her role as a Teaching Professor and the Director of the Master of Professional Studies (MPS) program in Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University. She led the development of the department’s first online master’s program, developed many of the courses in the curriculum and spearheaded the development of the Experiential Track (Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist pathway) of the program. Her work focuses on effective pedagogy and curriculum design, universal design for learning (UDL), and assessment.

Sheryl Hathaway

Ed Tech Specialist/Instructional Designer at Coast Community College District Office