(Excerpt from an email I recently sent Jay Cross during a conversation on concerns with education...)
There are obviously many challenges facing education, but the most central relates to how learning is perceived. Education institutions have been slow to respond to the changing needs of learners...and it relates to the holy grail of education: the course.
Until courses are eliminated...or let me rephrase that, until courses move from "do it once for all students"...to "do it continually for each student"...education will at best be the equivalent of putting new siding on an old house.
Think of the learner experience today:
Day 1: Go to college. Sit down. Be lectured to.
Day 2 - graduation: Repeat day 1.
It should be:
Day 1 - 14: evaluation of previous learning, creation of portfolio, interviews, etc.
Day 15 - graduation: personalized learning based on initial evaluation (which is updated regularly to reflect additional skills acquired outside of school).
This model is not possible as long as institutions think courses. In fact, students will always be an add-on, an after thought, in any system where the primary focus is teaching canned, structured content...with no regard for the learner on the other side.
The solution to moving to a new model for learning is in learning objects. Most often, LOs greatest benefit is listed as its reusability. This is a bit off. The greatest value in LOs is the ability to build education on a model other than courses...and to provide personalized instruction.
Obviously, moving to learning objects is an incredible system shock -psychologically...and on two additional levels: the cost, the time. Through collaborative development and sharing, learning objects can be created quickly (by many various groups) and inexpensively (no proprietary content).
Currently, in education, elearning has not been adopted quickly...mainly because instructors are expected to do it all on their own...they have to become technologists in order to teach online - so they have to learn java script, HTML, how to design interactive activities, graphic design, instructional design, etc. This is the wrong approach. Any efficient economy moves to specialization...and integration. Skill sets become more specialized...and there is increased reliance on the skills of others. Education is not getting this message.
However, via DOSC (or any similar concept), a community of specialists gathers...content experts rely on others who have technical skills, ID understanding, etc. Together they create the culture of a vibrant economy - specialized skills working in collaboration...so, to put it simply: learning objects are the means whereby education can transform itself to meet the needs of learners today.
Posted by gsiemens at March 17, 2003 10:00 PM