Blog Entry
A recent course build by a faculty member built the course foundation on resources found on the Web. Here, the instructor used links to downloadable files, simulations, and videos. She eschewed any textbooks. To create an overlay, she did add a syllabus and supplementary videos to explain the contents. She also invited professional colleagues to take part in videotaped interviews that illuminated the issues further.
It struck me that she was truly relying on the Web for her curriculum—by harnessing relevant information, providing a context, and building learning around these resources. She used her expertise to know what to tap…and how to best draw out the learning.
Another way of looking at this, however, was that she was relying on the Web and what other people created to define her own field: its ethics, its practices, and its issues.
She was truly coming alongside the learners as a “coach” based on her own experiences and ties in the field. She could bring reality and relevance. She could bring charisma.
That seems to be trading away a lot of instructor prerogative. I wonder if learners may look at such a course build and feel like they’re not getting original value from the course. Or would it just be something that passes notice?
Maybe the next step would be for this instructor and other subject matter experts to post their resources online and contribute to the collective body of knowledge in a field. It could be that there is no going back to the status quo ante.
Comments
Shareef Defrawi 4 months, 1 week ago
The web can be a very difficult place to harvest real information sometimes. The closest thing to an online collaboration is the wiki, and all information provided there is subject to moderation, but not necessarily to verification.
re-roof west yorkshire 4 months ago
i agree , wikipedia is where the facts are really held
WebSiteDesigner 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Wiki is not completely reliebale, it's a fact. However it can be used fir true educational purposes, it all depends on the strategy you want to use, if we are certain that there's a mistake or a doubt in the information of the wiki we culd ecnourage our students to find the mistake or complete the information, this gives them real results of their education process and is completely meaningful whic I think could be difficult to create sometimes.
Eruditio Loginquitas 3 months, 2 weeks ago
Hello, WebSiteDesigner: I agree with you that students should be encourage to discern truth and to correct wiki sites if there are mistakes. They should do it with clear citations though and with an objective approach.
kelloyd 1 month, 4 weeks ago
The closest thing to an online collaboration is the wiki, and all information provided there is subject to moderation, but not necessarily to verification.
Post a comment