[LINK] Open University Discussion Radio National Life Matters

[Tom Worthington]

On 29/08/12 11:23, Liddy Nevile wrote:

> ... if this is the beginning of the really substantial, radical
> redevelopment of educational institutions and the way we teach/learn
> ...

I expect that on-line education delivery will replace almost all 
classroom teaching in high schools and universities in Australia within 
ten years. But this will be an evolutionary change and not seem radical 
while it is happening.

"Open University" is not a new concept. But there are some challenges to 
the business model of a traditional university, just as online 
publishing is challenging newspapers.

I can't see there will be a radical change in the way we learn, as "we" 
have not changed. There will be some changes in the way we teach, with 
more emphasis on self directed learning.

School and university campuses are already being remodelled to fit the 
new approach to education. Lecture theatres are being replaced with 
small tutorial rooms and large "learning commons" (libraries with 
computers instead of books). Most students will still go to a campus 
regularly, for the primary purpose they have always gone: to meet with 
other students. Some courses will need special facilities on campus, 
such as sporting fields and science labs.

Parents will probably not notice the difference as their children will 
still go to school and come home and complain about homework.

The state subsidised child minding service which parents get from 
"school" may be extended, with schools open extended hours, on weekends 
and holidays. Learning commons are cheaper to staff than regular 
classrooms, as a couple of teacher-librarians can keep hundreds of 
students under control using panopticon techniques. ;-)

> To match Tom's point, of course some localisation is important, but
> doesn't that sort of thing become a challenge rather than a reason
> for rejecting the developments?

No, it was no localisation I was arguing that Australian universities
could do on-line (I have students all over the world). What I had in
mind was the value of a small group of students in a class who get to
know each other. This works well on-line, with the students, after a
little encouragement, teaching each other. Working out how to design a
course and deliver it in this way is a skill which needs to be learned.
It has taken me three years of formal courses, being individually
mentored by some of the best in the business, plus much trial and error:
http://tomw.net.au/technology/it/green_computing_professional/


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Tom Worthington FACS CP, TomW Communications Pty Ltd. t: 0419496150
PO Box 13, Belconnen ACT 2617, Australia  http://www.tomw.net.au
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Adjunct Lecturer, Research School of Computer Science,
Australian National University http://cs.anu.edu.au/courses/COMP7310/