Technology is the viable new vision of the future Teaching and Learning methods. It is also a preferable method given the destination towards which we are currently headed, where the main focus is innovation.
Over a cup of coffee with Prof Anand Rao (name changed), a lecturer from one of the B Schools, we discussed the common problems faced by institutes. Two prominent issues that overshadowed the rest were the shortage of trained teachers and the need for teachers to constantly improve on their teaching methods.
So, how does one go about tackling these issues?
A primary concern for teachers today is ensuring that their students are well equipped with extensive knowledge and that they are industry ready. Teachers constantly endeavor to impart the following to students before they exit college/ university;
a) Keeping students up-to-date on information
b) Helping students develop the ability to incorporate ideas and information gained from theory into practical situations of where, when and how it is most appropriately used
c) Teaching students to use their critical thinking and be less likely to be taken in by assumptions, assertions & unsupported statements
d) Developing the student's ability to test ideas and facts & develop the spirit of reasoning
e) Facilitate the personal development of students by giving them use case scenarios
f) And ultimately encourage students to be responsible for and in control of their own learning. Also to make the change from learning a science (i.e. a subject or discipline) to becoming a problem-solver, independent of their teacher's attitudes, beliefs and methodologies
According to Dada JP Vaswani, (a philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator and non - sectarian spiritual leader) the current education system has failed very badly. A new approach to education is needed, an education which should be related to real life, which would help students become a worthy participant in the adventure of life.
As the number of colleges and universities multiply and the number of graduates and doctorate holders’ increase there is a corresponding rise in expectations within the corporate offices and industries. To meet these expectations, it is imperative that every institution has the best teachers and that they keep up with technology. In other words, institutes today need to be both Hi Tech and Hi Touch (a combination of Technology & Teacher).
With the advances in information technology, content is freely accessible on the internet; information dissemination has become much less expensive. Today, it is both easy and cost friendly to integrate technology with teaching. Technology also aids in the integration of open learning.
Imagine if you could have lesson plans, lecture notes and assignments posted on the Net. Or even if you were absent you could have access to lectures anytime, anywhere at a later date. What if you could improve your retention by reviewing content at your own pace or you could have access to recorded lectures for reference?
I would have definitely loved it as a student. We all would have loved it.
Students could definitely benefit from a combination of technology and teaching, because apart from text book learning, they will be also be able to have a lot more access to education related content material. There can be more variety in the learning lives of students than there is at present. Students can also spend more time in independent learning using materials on the Internet and could also enjoy the well-known benefits of open learning. "Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune" -Jim Rohn
Assessments can be done online, students can join community chat rooms post their assignment on the bulletin boards to get collective feedback and gain from a common knowledge repository.
Open learning can serve different purposes at different stages of a course. It can be used to support and challenge documents. Students can integrate the learning from the modules that they have chosen and reflect on the relevance of what they have learned to further their own professional aspirations. This goes towards contributing to their continuous professional development.
Technology in education is not just limited to benefitting the student but extends to improving teacher performance as well.
So how would teaching with Technology be of advantage to Academic Staff/ lecturers?
The availability of content from the internet gives teachers access to a much greater knowledge repository, they could incorporate content that would be useful to the student’s growth apart from text book learning and the research teachers do will benefit their own existing knowledge. Through technology, prior or during class, the teacher can upload education related content material adding to the existing knowledge and also further simulate student interest.
Teachers can never be replaced. The use of technology will only facilitate them to do what they do with better results.
The current reality for many lecturers is one of rising levels of students. More student numbers gives rise to the paradox of more class contact time. This leads to reduced time available for themselves or for those teachers who are on scholarships and research. It also translates into fewer opportunities for meaningful interaction with students.
Education institutes are also facing a decline in resources. Academic staff to student ratios is severely tilted towards the latter.
As academic staff become relatively scarce it seems important that they should be doing the things in which they have a greater advantage, like focus more in those areas where it is the least easy (e.g. to achieve those qualities mentioned above where direct human interaction is essential) thereby moulding & shaping the future of the individual where its most needed.
The other concern for Universities is how to reach out to students who are in remote locations, especially with a lack in experienced staff. With technology, institutes can have their best teachers teaching students who are located in remote areas from a central location using video and the internet. Thus ensuring the best education possible to remote area students while saving time and costs of travel.
In essence, technology could optimize a teachers time and that time could be better spent on research and in the creation of a knowledge repository which could be passed on to students. Further valuable teacher time could be saved by the ability to conduct and correct internal tests and do assessments online, negating the need to waste valuable hours on correcting paper based assignments.
Technology offers a solution for raising the quality of education that students experience, a Hi Tech & Hi Touch combination of teacher & technology. It is a solution that offers both improved quality of work life for the academic staff and improved quality of academic life for the students.
Signing Off… Cheers
