Jay Sawyer of Glenview, IL Wonders If Students Really Need a Four-Year Residential Experience
Do Students Really Need A Four-Year Residential Experience? Jay Sawyer of Glenview, IL notes that answering this question requires an understanding of – • Which parts of the current four-year model can be substituted? • Which parts can be supplemented? • Which parts are complemented by digital technologies?
What about Lectures That Require Little or No Human Interaction? • Jay Sawyer of Glenview, IL notes that in theory, lectures which require little personalization or human interaction can be recorded as multi-media presentations, to be watched by students at their own pace and place later on. • Such commoditized parts of the curriculum, he feels, can be easily delivered by a non-university instructor on Coursera, for example; teaching Pythagoras’ theorem is the same everywhere in the world.
Benefits of Basic-Level Courses Available On Various Technology Platforms • Jay Sawyer of Glenview, IL says that technology platforms can deliver content for such courses to a large audience at quite a low cost. • Plus, they do so without sacrificing one of the most important benefits of the Face-to-Face (F2F) classroom, the social experience, as there is hardly any in these basic-level courses.
How Can Colleges Benefit By Freeing Resources From Courses That Can Be Commoditized? • According to Jay Sawyer, by freeing resources from courses that can be commoditized, colleges would have more resources for research-based teaching, personalized problem solving, and mentorship. • The students would also have more resources at their disposal because they would not have to reside and devote four full years at campuses. • Instead, they would opt for commoditized courses online at their convenience at a lower fee.
Thank You Jay Sawyer, Glenview IL