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forHigherEducation
Volume32,Number2December2003-February2004
Articles
Foranonlineversionofthejournal,visitwww.scup.org/phe.
AnAssessmentofCapital5BudgetingPracticesinPublicHigherEducation
byDerrickManns
CreatingAdaptive12LearningEnvironments
byStephenJ.Kopp,LindaSeestedtStanford,KennethRohlfing,andJonathanP.Kendall
TheHighCostofBuildinga24BetterUniversity
byDonaldJ.GuckertandJeriRipleyKing
Indiana'sTwenty-FirstCentury30ScholarsProgram
byTamaraL.Wandel
TheImpactofTechnologies37onLearning
byKimberlyGustafson
Thisstudyfindsaneedfornewcapitalprojectstoincludecontinuing.dedicatedrevenuestreamsfortheprojectlifetimeinordertoavoidcontinuationofthecurrentstateofunderfundedmaintenance.especiallyinlightofgrowingneedsforupgradedresearchequipmentandspace.AhealthprofessionsbuildingprojectatCentralMichiganUniversityprovidesfocusforatheoreticalandpracticaldiscussionofeffectiveplanningtooptimizehuman.spatial.anddigitalconnectionsforlearner-centeredenvironments.Highereducationfacilitiesseemtocomeatpremiumcost,eventakingintoaccountthateducationalfacilitiestendtocostmore.Theauthorsarguethatthisisduetoappropriateandstrategichighaspirations.Indiana's1Wenty-FirstCenturyScholarsprogrameffectivelymeetstheneedsofhigh-riskandlow-incomestudentsbyunderstandingthestudent'smind-set.providingmentoringrelationships.beingflexiblewithcreditloadminimums,andutilizingalumniforstudentrecruitment.AstudyattheUniversityofWashingtoncalled"listeningtotheLeamer."askedstudentsabouttheirdesireforusingtechnologyincoursework,andfacultaboutcurrentapproaches/barriers.O1rriculaweredevelopedthatintergrateeducationtechnologyinaleamer-centeredway.
PlanningforHigherEducation
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CreatingAdaptiveLearningEnvironments
AhealthprofessionsbuildingprojectatCentralMichiganUniversityprovidesfocusforatheoreticalandpracticaldiscussionofeffectiveplanningtooptimizehuman,spatial,anddigitalconnectionsforlearner-centeredenvironments.
by
StephenJ.Kopp,lindaSeestedtStanford,KennethRohlfing,andJonathan
P.
Kendall
TheProblemofTraditionalPracticesinaLearner-CenteredEnvironment
StephenJ.Kopp
istheformerfoundingdeanofTheHerbertH.andGraceA.DowCollegeofHealthProfessionsatCentralMichiganUniversityandthecurrentprovostatOhioUniversity.HeearnedhisPh.D.fromtheUniversityofIllinoisatChicagoandhisbachelor'sdegreefromtheUniversityofNotreDame.Hehasauthoredandcoauthoredmorethan80scientific,peer-reviewedpublicationsandpresentednumerousscholarlyarticlesatregional,national,andinternationalsymposia.Hehasservedonnumerousstateandnationalscientificpanels,advisorycommittees,andgoverningboardsandcurrentlyservesontheboardsoftheOhioLearningNetworkandOhioLiNK.Coauthorbiographiesseepage23.
Acasualwalkthroughclassroomsonmanycollegecampuseswouldquicklyrevealfewsubstantivedifferencesbetweencurrentclassroomspacedesignsandthosefoundincolonialtimes.Historically,assumptionsmadebyuniversityplannersregardingthedesignofinstructionalandlearningspaceshavebeenpredicatedonfaculty-centeredinstructionintheoraltradition;thatis,contentdeliveryvialecture(Bransford,Brown,andCocking2000;Weigel2002).Therehasbeenrelativelylittleattentiongiventoquestioningandvalidatingtheseassumptionsandthestandardsthathavehistoricallyguidedthedesignofinstructionalspaces.Notsurprisingly,thereciprocalinfluencethatthetraditionalrow-by-columnseatingdesignhashadasadeterrenttoinnovativeandalternativepedagogicstrategieshasbeenlargelyunrecognizedaswell.Justasformprofoundlyinfluencesfunction,thesedefactoguideplatesforinstructionalspaceshaveandcontinuetoreinforceconformityinpedagogicpractices.Thisdisconnectcontinuestoproduceenvironmentsmisalignedforfunctionwhileperpetuatingdesignssupportingtraditional,faculty-centeredmodelsofeducationthatemphasizeinstructionaldiscoursefeaturingapreponderanceof"listeningislearning"methodologies(OblingerandRush1997).Granted,thetraditionalteachingstyleoflecturingmaybethebestmethodforsomestudentsandcertainsubjectsbuttopresumethatonemethodorplaceforlearningis
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December2003-February2004
 
theonlyway(orthebestway)toteachignorescompellingevidencetothecontrary(Wilson1997).Moreover,thesedesignshaveimpededadvancesinlearner-centeredenvironmentsandinstructionalstrategiesthatsupportandfostertheactiveengagementofstudentsinthegeneration,construction,analysis,application,internalization,andaugmentationofknowledge-basedthoughtprocessesandmatrices.Duringthelast50years,traditionaleducationpractices,whichhavepresumedtellingisteachingandlisteningislearning,havebeenprofoundlyimpactedbytheexplosionofnewknowledge.Theresponseofmanyfacultymemberstotherapidlyexpandingbodyofnewknowledgeandthecollateralcompressioninthehalf-lifeofpriorknowledgehasbeentocramanddispensemorecontentintolecturepresentations(PaulandElder2001;Spence2001).Inanattempttocopewiththeever-increasingonslaughtofinformationwithseeminglylittlemeaningorcontextualsense,studentshaverespondedbyengaginginbulimiclearningpractices:crammingandpurging.Thislargelypassiveeducationalapproachmotivatesandrewardsstudentswhoareproficientatmemorizingandrecallinginformationwithlittleregardfortheirabilitytothinkwithit.applyit,ortransferittoothercontexts.Thus,thesestudentsmayreceivehighergrades,but,unfortunately,fewdevelopthecapacitytothinkcriticallywiththeknowledgeandtransferorrelateittootherrelevantcontexts.Feweryethavegainedanappreciationforthecontextsinwhichtheknowledgecanbeappliedormisapplied.Itshouldnotbemuchofasurprisethatthesepracticesdolittletoadvancehigher-orderthinking,knowledgetransfer,andsynthesis(Lemke2003;Weimer2002).
StrategicConsiderations
Anintegralpartofcontemporaryreformeffortsinvolvesrestoringtheactiveandinteractiverolesoffacultyandstudentsinthelearningprocess.Studentsmustassumeandtheeducationalenterprisemustpermitamoredynamicandengagedroleforstudentsinthelearningprocessasresearchersandquestionersofknowledge,engagedcollaboratorsandcriticalthinkersinthelearningprocess,formulatorsofideas,synthesizersofinformation,andsolversofproblems.Theseactiveprocessesareintendedtodiminishtheunintendedroleofstudentsassimplypassivereceiversofinformation.Thismodificationintheroleofstudentsneedstobeaccompaniedbyamodificationinthecurrentroleoffaculty
CreatingAdaptiveLearningEnvironments
andaredesigningoflearningspaces.Insteadofperpetuatingaroleasknowledgeandcontentdispensers,facultywillneedtoreorienttheirknowledgeexpertiseandtransitiontofunctionasdesignersandarchitectsoflearningexperiences;experiencesthatadvancesuchattributesasorderedanddisciplinedthinking,inquiry,andknowledgeconstructionandtransfer.Theseexperienceswillneedto
Studentsrespondtotheonslaughtofinfor-mationbyengaginginbulimiclearningpractices:crammingandpurging.
beresponsivetoandengagemultipleformsofintelligenceandlearningstyles.Authenticatingtheseexperiencesintermsoftheextenttowhichtheyadvancelearningandleadtotheintendeddevelopmentaloutcomesisanimplicitpartofthisendeavor.Conceptssuchastheeffectivenessofoperantlearningstrategies,theefficiencyoflearningexperiences,learningassessment,andevidence-basedpracticesarerelativelynewtoeducation,especiallyhighereducation,buttheyarebecomingincreasinglymoreprevalentexpectations.Ineffect,learningenvironments(e.g.,classrooms)havebecomeexperimentallaboratories,and,assuch,theyneedtofunctionlikelaboratoriesequippedwiththeresourcesneededtoperformandadapttowell-designedlearningexperiments.Keyelementsinvolvedinthistransformationalprocessandthereclassificationofrolesarehighlightedinfigure1.Thisfiguredepictstherelationshipsandintegrationviewedasessentialtoachievingtheenvisioned,learning-centricmodelofeducation.Keyelementsinthismodelincludeelevatingtheroleoffacultyandstudentsinthelearningprocess;rethinkingthedesignoflearningspacesandthereconceptualizationofinstructionalenvironmentsasexperimentallaboratories,incubators,andtestbedsforideas;andusingimmersivestrategiesthatempowerandengagethelearnerandachievetheoutcomesoutlinedinthebuildingprogrammingobjectives.Conceptsliketheonesdescribedhereinhavebeendiscussedelsewherebutrarelyimplementedbecausetheyrequiremajortransformationalchange(DolenceandNorris1995;JointTaskForceonStudentLearning1998;NationalPanelReport2002).Thetransitionofpedagogyfromonemethodtoablendofstrategiesfocusedonthelearnerisnoteasilyachieved.Faculty,staffmembers,andstudents,allofwhomhavelearnedhowtocopeintraditionalfacultycenteredclassrooms,oftenarehesitanttochange.Afterall,mostofuswereeducatedinthetraditionalwayand,asPlanningforHigherEducation
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