New media technologies have immense opportunities as well as challenges in
enriching teaching-learning processes which involve the teachers and the taught.
Undoubtedly, the effective use of new media technologies would depend on the
teaching faculty as they are the ones who have to become adept in innovative use
of new media technologies so as to make students use and enrich their learning
process for a better understanding of their subjects of study. A few Indian scholars
have examined the use of a few new media technologies and their role in the
higher education sector. Such studies need to be conducted in different parts of
India so as to gain a appropriate understanding of the perceptions and use patterns
of new media technologies among higher education teaching fraternity. In this
context, the present study explored the use of new media technologies by rural
and urban college teachers of diverse disciplines, professional seniority, and
socio-economic backgrounds. The analysis of the data collected from a purposive
sample of 223 faculty members drawn from urban and rural colleges of Karnataka
contributes to our understanding of the extent of and barriers to adaption of new
media technologies in higher education sector.