Our discussion topic this week is on-line learning so I took the opportunity to find and share an article I like on the topic. The article, from The Chronicle of Higher Education, is YouTube U. Beats YouSnooze U. Feel free to click on the title/link to view the article. The author talks about the tradition of 300-person lecture halls in higher education in which the students sit passively listening to lectures as the professors pontificate (ok, so that was my word) on a topic and stare at a sea of blank faces. He says there was nothing that could be done with this "broken learning model" until recently..."We can now deliver on-demand content to any student for nearly zero incremental cost. The video content can be paused and repeated as needed. Content producers can get real-time data on use, including student attention and efficacy. Students can focus on exactly what they need to know." (Khan, p.3) His solution then, to the traditional "broken learning model" is that student watch lectures on their own, in their rooms or wherever they would like and at their own pace. The 300-person former lecture room becomes "an opportunity for active peer-to-peer instruction rather than a passive, one-size-fits-all lecture."(Khan, p. 3). Khan also makes a bold prediction that ten years from now "the current (broken) paradigm of lecture, homework, and snapshot assessments" will shift to "students learning at their own pace...and grades and transcripts replaced with real-time reports and analytics on what a student actually knows and doesn't know."(Khan, p. 3). Per Khan, the classroom will be interactive and the role of teacher will be that of mentor or coach.
Khan paints a great picture of the possibilities in higher education, using technology and on-line learning as a way to enhance learning and allow the face-to-face instructional time, which currently can be all lecture-style, to be a time of interactive problem-solving for the students. Per Khan, many current aspects of learning in higher education would change. I, for one, think it would be an incredible transformation. I really do think it's a better model to allow students to learn at their own pace (through taped lectures, videos, etc.) and then collaborate during class time. However, I really don't think that we'll see it in a large-scale way in just 10 short years from now. I think the changing expectations for the professors would take a bit longer to make a reality. What are you thoughts on the potential transformation of college classes (especially lecture classes)? If you think that those traditional lecture-style classes will change, when do you think it might happen?
Source:
Khan, S. (October 31, 2010). YouTube Beats YouSnoozeU, The Chronicle of Higher Education.
Retrieved from:
http://chronicle.com/article/YouTube-U-Beats-YouSnooze/125105/
Hi Sue:
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading about this topic. I think that educational transformation on the college/university level is a great idea. I am all for making education more relevant, engaging and meaningful to students. How long will this transformation take? Personally, I think the transformation is underway with the increasing use of Web 2.0 technologies in the college classroom. Also, an increasing number of faculty members across the United States seem to be embracing the use of technology in the classroom. For example, at SU many faculty members are attending the workshops offered by Online Learning Services, a unit within Information Technology Services at Syracuse University that state their primary mission is "to provide leadership and support in the appropriate use of technology for teaching, learning, and research."
Reference: http://ols.syr.edu/
Aja,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments. Information Technology Services is indeed, a critical component in having faculty access, understand, and use the various Web 2.0 technologies.
Hi Sue,
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of the "flipping" concept in Jennifer Rosas' blog. Talk about taking a difficult learning environment (i.e., a 300 person auditorium style class) and changing the paradigm of learning. It reminds me that the technology together with a little instructor creativity can go a long way in changing the world of education. I'd love to know what the student evals look like for this class.
Regarding when, I think it's going on now. I've read about the numerous classroom podcasts that regularly take place at Cornell.
Mickey