Integrating technology into a curriculum can increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the curriculum; however, technology integration represents a formidable instructional problem. A deliberate analysis must precede integration efforts to understand this problem and determine how to optimize the potential learning gains of technology integration. This analysis should examine how the learning system will affect the integrated technology and how the technology will affect the system. This paper describes an approach called Technology Integration Analysis (TIA). The TIA is an approach for analyzing a learning system to identify the most effective and efficient way to integrate technology.

The TIA represents a different way of thinking about integrating technology into a curriculum. The TIA treats technology integration as more than overlaying hardware and courseware onto existing course structures. Successful technology integration requires a complex analysis of the interrelated components of the learning system leading to purposeful recommendations for effective and efficient technology integration to maximize the learning system. Basing the TIA approach on a research model allows flexibility to customize the analysis for every environment rather than prescribe a lockstep procedure that may not work well in all situations.

The TIA is an inductive, empirically based research approach for conducting an analysis. This approach ensures the critical variables that impact the effectiveness of technology integration are explored. This paper will describe the TIA approach including the principles guiding the analysis, the research goal, and some of the research questions used to meet that goal. The learning system examined during the analysis will also be defined and applications of the TIA in military environments will be described. This paper concludes with a summary of the advantages of using a research-based approach for conducting an analysis in preparation for technology infusion.