The term ivory tower is a euphemism for being out of touch with practical or “real-world” matters. With respect to leadership, the more leaders distance themselves from the experiences of their front-line workers, the more out of touch they can become with the granular-level implications of their decisions. For as much as technology is changing the world of higher education, institutions need to invest not only in new technologies, but also in the “flow of know-how” Read more →
Education
Online Student Retention Strategies
Retention is the most prominent area of concern in academic advising departments. Retention strategies are always learned and never mastered; student services professionals are constantly searching for effective techniques to enhance student retention. From an academic advising standpoint, supporting online learners is best achieved by establishing solid, meaningful student-advisor relationships. Thus, retention strategies can be conceptualized as relationship-building strategies. Read more →
Higher Education in a Digital World
“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.” The words of Charles Darwin are strikingly relevant to the world of higher education. Colleges and universities are in the midst of a pervasive and radical change driven by innovations in technology. Institutions must respond to change in a way that helps shape the future of higher education or find themselves in the precarious position of obsolescence. Read more →
Adaptive Online Learning
More than any other time in human history, knowledge is both ubiquitous and accessible. The digital realm of cyberspace contains a vast universe of information comprised of incalculable bits of data. As Siemens (2004) stated, however, “knowledge that resides in a database needs to be connected with the right people in the right context in order to be classified as learning.” Read more →
Academic Social Networks
A social network used to mean nothing more than a group of people linked together via common interests or a pattern of social relationships. Similarly, a professional network referred to a group of people tied together by professional relationships or career-related interests. These days, nearly any type of network that exists in the “real world” can also exist in the “virtual world,” which expands the connection possibilities exponentially. Although Facebook is typically associated with social relationships, Twitter with information-sharing, and Linkedin with the virtual Rolodex, these platforms embody the same principles: building online communities and sharing information. In the academic world, traditional campuses are slowly learning how to engage online learners by following the same principles. Read more →
Minimally Invasive Education
Education and learning are not always the same thing. Sometimes the formality of the educational system makes us forget that learning is a natural human behavior. The best educators cultivate an attitude of wonderment in their students; they do not force their students’ attention, but rather awaken a dormant curiosity within them and stimulate their innate problem-solving abilities. I believe it was Piaget who stated that all learning stems from a state of puzzlement; a natural curiosity about one’s environment that fosters an attitude of “active experimentation.” In this TED talk (thanks Mary for bringing this to my attention), Sugata Mitra presents research from his Hole-in-the-wall experiments, which demonstrates how curiosity and collaboration can facilitate learning. Professor Mitra calls this Minimally Invasive Education.
Online Instruction & The LMS
The LMS (learning management system) market has been dominated by Blackboard for years but low-cost, free, and open source alternatives are on the rise (see OpenClass). The LMS seems to play a pivotal role in online learning and I wonder to what extent are instructional methods adapted to fit the design and features of the LMS versus adapting the LMS to fit online instructional methods. For example, some institutions do not use whiteboards or lecture-capture software because they rely strictly on discussion forums, tests, and papers whereas other institutions incorporate more live and recorded lectures into the classroom and use whiteboards. Are these decisions strictly based on what features the LMS offers or is the pedagogy/andragogy agreed upon first, before the LMS is implemented? Who decides what features should be built into the LMS? Read more →
Gamification in Education
Gamification is a term that describes using “game thinking and game mechanics to engage users and solve problems.” (Zicherman & Cunningham, 2011, p. xiv). Games are very good at manipulating behavior because they keep us engaged in an experience not by happenstance, but by design. They do this by intentionally appealing to what we value, want, and need, which is why many companies have “gamified” their marketing campaigns to captivate consumers and drive profitability (e.g Nike +). Game mechanics refers to the tools used to meet this goal, such as points, levels, leaderboards, badges, etc. So what does this all have to do with education? Read more →
When does learning begin?
A couple of years ago, for my psychology of learning course, I had to take part in discussions and write several research papers on the topic of learning. What seemed like a simple questions, “What is learning?, When does it begin?” sparked several debates that continued throughout the entire class. It turns out that learning can be defined in multiple ways and that it begins earlier than many people think. All of this was summed up nicely in a TED talk I found while surfing the web and I thought I would share it.
