[Air-l] Technology Transforming Education

[Heidelberg, Chris]

Good point M-H! I did years of instructional television and always found
it more challenging and fun than spin pieces, documentaries and pure
entertainment because of the collaborative aspect with academic
professionals. I knew that I had to have my research current and I had
to be thinking at all times because the academic folks bring brain power
that always made my creativity expand by quantum leaps. 

-----Original Message-----
From: air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org
[mailto:air-l-bounces at listserv.aoir.org] On Behalf Of Mary-Helen Ward
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 5:07 PM
To: air-l at listserv.aoir.org
Subject: Re: [Air-l] Technology Transforming Education

I work as an educational designer and I'd like to point out that
educational designers don't *create* content. We take content created by
academics and make suggestions about its presentation (online, in my
case). In the past year I've worked on automated assessment with
feedback in undergraduate engineering, structuring of graduate bioethics
and a strategic project in graduate medicine. I'd have to have a fairly
big brain if I could create content for all these disciplines!

Our job is to support faculty in their teaching practices. For our unit
this might mean helping people think their way through taking parts of
their teaching online, creating specialised online summative
assessments, creating tools for formative assessment, presenting support
material such as 'remedial' learning support online, or maybe
researching and writing a report for an upcoming strategic faculty
decision. I understand that there is anxiety among academic staff that
they are being 'phased out' of teaching, but in truth their minds, their
insights an their presences, whether it is in person or online, are
still crucial to the learning experience of students.

Most of us in educational design also spent/are spending years getting
our degrees - we have two PhDs in our unit, two PhD candidates
(including myself) and everyone else has at least one Masters. We have
the highest respect for our teaching colleagues,

M-H

On 23/05/2007, at 5:27 AM, Charles Balch Ph.D. wrote:

> Oddly enough, from an altruistic point of view, I like the idea of 
> inexpensive mass produced education for the masses. I particularly 
> like the idea of getting the basics covered mechanically if I might be

> able to move into more of a role of moderator or facilitator for 
> higher level courses.
>
>> From a not so altruistic point of view, I spent many years getting my
>>
> various degrees and would hate to become obsolete. How many rocks 
> stars does education need?
>
> I think we are getting very close to instructional design that removes

> the need for faculty. For many learners and some content, good 
> instructional designers are already creating content that outweighs 
> the value added of the instructor. Yes, such content costs a lot more 
> than each delivery of "chalk and talk" but, once created, the physical

> cost of delivery is marginal. Such marginal cost would be an 
> administrators dream unless they thought things all the way through.

_______________________________________________
The air-l at listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association
of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or
unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org

Join the Association of Internet Researchers: 
http://www.aoir.org/