Following up on a theme discussed in a recent PowerProfs post on the evolution of educators from a stand and deliver classroom teachers to a supercharged E-mentors using a variety of online tools, I read this article in the NY Times with interest:

“SINCE the 16th century, the ideal of education has been the tutorial system pioneered at Oxford and Cambridge, nurturing young minds one to one, inquiring, prodding and encouraging. The tutorial method, research shows, is a proven winner. But it is also highly elitist, hardly a system for educating the masses …

Today, though, 21st-century technology carries the potential to nudge mainstream education back toward the 16th-century vision of one-to-one tutoring. The Internet, high-speed networks, powerful and lighter computers, and clever software for video, collaboration and simulations on the Web all help. Equally important is a maturing understanding of how to use wisely the new digital tools in education. The goal, proponents say, is to open the door to more engaged, interactive and personalized learning.”

Skeptics will likely argue with this approach, questioning budgets for technology, or saying that nothing replaces personal contact with the student, being able to look into his or her eyes. However, evidence is mounting that may give them pause.

“There is also new evidence that education technology delivered outside of schools — online courses, for example — is steadily improving. A study conducted by SRI International for the Department of Education examined the research on online versus traditional classroom teaching from 1996 to 2008, winnowing the data down to measurable, fair comparisons. Its conclusion: “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.””

“….No one really expects classrooms to go away or K-12 and college students to learn in isolation. But online resources, experts say, will increasingly be used to supplement and transform classroom education, moving from stand-and-lecture formats to project-based learning.”

Despite the financial woes, lagging graduation rates, and other challenges facing higher education today, I find room for optimism. Sometimes a crisis can bring about a much needed change. And those that are ready are poised to be at the head of the pack.

Tags: graduate school, learning, mentor, online education, teaching, technology, web 2.0

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 13th, 2009 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Ann writes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.