Changing Definition of Teaching and Learning

by Bizhan Nasseh

Introduction

While controlling the rising cost of education, higher education institutions must improve educational quality, find innovative ways to use technology in the curriculum, provide outcomes to satisfy clients and job market, and take effective leadership role in global educational and economy. Information technologies have provided excellent opportunities to challenge problems and satisfy the expectations of society. The traditional model of teaching and learning measured faculty's effectiveness and students' progress by number of hours of lectures and availability of teachers to the students. Today's student body is characterized by heterogeneity: in age (only 43 percent are under 25), gender (women account for 55 percent of all undergraduates), ethnicity (more than one student in six is nonwhite), and economic means (students from all socioeconomic groups), (EDUCOM, 1994). With more than 14 million students attending colleges, American higher education is a mass market with a major responsibility to direct and prepare programs which provide needed competencies for a new generation of learners.

     Computer technology is changed from data manipulation to being a service provider, teaching partner, and learning tool. Addition of telecommunication system became a reason for expanding computer technology's role to more independent teaching and learning tool. In this article, I divided the definition of teaching and learning in higher education in to two sections. In the first section, I try to explain our current status and the role of technology. In the second section, I will describe the ideal definition of teaching and learning in the outcome-oriented higher education institution. I think by the year 2000, we will witness that some of the higher education institutions will design and implement the ideal process of teaching and learning.

1. Current System

In the last two decades our higher education institutions and society have invested heavily in technology with the hope it improves our educational outcomes for survival in the tough global economy. The main miscalculation was our trust only to automation for better production in teaching and learning. In the current system, linear and cycle models have dominated methodology in the design of the process of teaching and learning.

a. Linear Model

In this model, process starts with subject, followed by teaching, learning and outcome in a linear fashion. Teacher's style and institution's policy are major factors in the design of the process. Some of the higher education institutions still use linear design model in the design process of teaching and learning. Figure one represents a linear model.

Fig 1. Linear Model: Subject > Teaching > Learning > Outcome (Grade)

     Subject matter is a topic which is selected by university in a semester long course. It has a pre-defined content and procedures for activities in the learning process. Teaching is didactic and in the most part students have a passive role. Teacher-centered curriculum is the main definition of the linear model. The teacher designs the course, defines the requirements, assigns projects and learning materials. In the most part, technology utilization has a direct relation to the teacher's belief, and knowledge about technology. Learning is mastery of a body of knowledge which is adequate for a life-long career. Computer utilization is limited to typing papers and sending or receiving mail messages. Course requirements are dominant forces in the students learning activities. Final outcomes of the process are evaluated by mastery of knowledge and grading system. The definition of teaching and learning is not changed by this model, but using electronic mail and word processing have provided a basic knowledge about computer and a new option for communication of teacher and student.

b. Cycle Model

In this model, subject, teaching, learning, and outcome are four points of a cycle which are linked together in one direction. The top point is the subject, second is teaching, third is learning, and final link is outcome. Figure two represents the cycle model.

Fig 2. Cycle Model: Subject > Teaching > Learning > Outcome > Subject >...

     Subject is pre-defined with some inputs from job market, students, and faculty. For example, offering FORTRAN programming language as requirement should be changed to `C' programming language which is more in demand than FORTRAN in today's work places. The values of the outcomes of learning to the clients (students) and job markets have influenced in the design of the process of teaching and learning. Teacher- centered curriculum is still the definition of teaching and learning, but technology has a bigger role and students have more freedom in the learning process. Teacher defines course requirements, and some of the learning materials. Computer technology is utilized for case study, simulation, intelligent problem solving, and access to resources. Lecture is dominated teaching model, but computer has a role as teaching partner in the course. Teacher's competency and vision in computer technology is very important for utilization of computer applications in learning and finding resources, needed information, and educational materials. Investment of university in support and development groups is very important for better utilization of computer technology in the curriculum. The support group should be knowledgeable in arranging workshops, introducing educational resources, and application development in the form of case study, simulation software, and intelligent systems. Teaching is still viewed as one teacher before classroom of students with a total control of agenda. Teachers focus should be in improvement of the process of teaching and learning with commitment to the researches in the field. The characteristics of learning in this model is completion of assignments with utilization of technology, or practice of materials by case study and simulation software. Students in this model have more active role in the finding resources and completion of assignments. In addition to grade, outcome of the course is mastery of body of knowledge, critical thinking, and utilization of computer technology in the field of study.

     In this model, technology changed the process of teaching and learning by providing more teaching and learning resources. The teacher-centered curriculum is dominant activities in this model. The cycle model did not change the definition of teaching and learning from linear model, but it provide opportunity for students to become more independent and self-directed learners in some part of the course.

2. Change in Definition of Teaching and Learning

There is no return from the 21st-century journey; survivors are going to be institutions with extraordinary attention to taking advantage of technology, with clear strategies in educational planning, with strong knowledge about design process of teaching and learning, and with a proactive attitude for achieving activities that we have so far only dreamed about. In the information society era, the art and science of redesigning the process of teaching and learning is as important as correct utilization of technology. Teachers are in need of more options to teach in order to have free time for evaluation of the quality of teaching and learning and enough time for research in the field. We need to empower our students in the learning activities and their dependence on a single source (teacher) for learning. Students are in need of learning-while-doing with multiple options of learning resources. Our students must be self-directed and life-long learners in order to survive tough expectations of job markets. The change from process-oriented to outcome-oriented and change from teacher-centered to student-teacher-centered curriculum are wish of every higher education institutions. These changes need commitment, leadership, and precise planning by whole institution. I try to explain the roles of technology and process in the ideal model of teaching and learning.

Technology

These days everybody is talking and writing about computer and communication technology and their magical contributions to better educational programs. The center stage of this attention is Internet and its tools such as FTP (File Transfer Protocol), Telnet (remote access), Gopher, and the most exciting of all World Wide Web (WWW). World Wide Web is a global interactive, dynamic, distributed, graphical hypertext information system which brought a new beginning and imagination for how to redesign the process of teaching and learning. The main purpose of technology is to provide students and teachers with more options to learn, to teach, to research, to communicate, and to share knowledge. Utilization of technology needs a major planning in training of faculty and students, a major planning in providing opportunity for communication, and a major commitment in the changing the culture of operations.

     In the traditional way of teaching and learning, higher education institutions designed a program based on the text book and lecture which is framed with time and place for students. In this model, the main purpose is to satisfy requirement for mastery of a body of knowledge for a life long career. Explosion of technologies in the education and work places have changed the requirements in education for a successful career. In addition to mastery of a body of knowledge a college graduate must develop specific competencies and abilities. With the help of technology, learning these abilities can be included in the process of teaching and learning.

Critical thinking ability - computer resources and applications in form of case study, simulation, problem solving, and intelligent system can help to extend this ability. This ability is very important quality for the success in the information society.

Process design ability - finding the correct way to communicate and access needed resources is very important in the accomplishment of assignment. Learning to design an effective process for accessing and analyzing information is very essential for students in today's multi-resource environment. Students need to design process with a clear strategies for accessing, manipulating, and utilization of information in order to accomplish the desired tasks.

Team work - in today's work places accomplishment of all the assignments are based on the team work. Students should learn how to be a team member, how to contribute to the process, how to use computer for communication with team members, and understand what is the role of the other members in the team.

Outcome oriented process - in today's multi-resources environment, it is important for students to design process based on the expected outcome (down-to-top design), a design from expected outcome to process.

Communication skills - knowledge of how to use computer and communication tools and how to utilize them for accomplishment of process are very important part of students competency. In addition to electronic communication, students should develop human communication skills as a team member.

     Computer and communication technologies can solve two of the strongest barriers to the teaching and learning, where(place) and when(time). Computer-based education is gaining more and more popularity and role in the higher education institutions. Already most of higher education institutions are active in the offering computer-based classes for distance education students. My prediction is in a few years the traditional students (undergraduates) also will have the opportunity to choose some courses independent of place (campus) and time (class schedule). Technology not only brought new way of teaching and learning, but also provided opportunity for everybody from anywhere to teach and learn (virtual classroom).

     The Chronicle of Higher Education in December, 1995 issue had an article `Campus in Cyberspace'. The main point of article was, governors of 11 western states have agreed to explore the creation of a `virtual university' in their region, one that would deliver courses through computer networks, television, or other technologies, and would award degrees on its own. With the existing demands for virtual classes and capability of technology, I would be surprised if this 11 states have not already established the idea of this virtual university. This is a simple example of independence of teaching and learning from time and place. The learners are not anymore a specific group or groups in society. In the information society everybody needs to be a learner. There is also good opportunity for everybody to be a learner. There is multiple options of resources for everybody in the information society. Synthesis of computers and telecommunications provide options for various design of teaching and process of learning which can help everybody to learn. In this new pedagogical model, teaching and learning is not limited to the classroom and lectures, it can take place in the home, work place, hotel room, and even airplane.

     In the future, the individual objective of students, their desired outcome, their styles of learning are going to have major roles in the design of curriculum. With internet and advent of information superhighway, a new definition of teaching and learning is easier to design and implement. Finally, technology provided the following changes for a more realistic and productive teaching and learning environment.

Process

Technology power can provide us with opportunity in designing process of teaching and learning which so far only dreamed about it. National Information Infrastructure presents a global access and communication to every home, school, and work place in utilization of computer technology for teaching and learning. National Learning Infrastructure supports and facilitates technology-oriented teaching and learning in the teacher-learner-centered environment. The stage is ready for designing of practical application of teaching and learning with a new idea in higher education institutions. Before I discuss my new model of teaching and learning, I briefly explain the characteristics of our learners. Most of today's new generation of learners are adult learners who have need for a specific competency and skills. Most of these adult learners are employed in an organization and the new competency is for advancement in the job, completion of new assignment, or improvement of performance. Only 43 percent of our traditional students are under 25 years of age. It means that we are dealing with learners who have experiences to contribute and objectives for participation.

     The following is an idea with a proactive thinking which can be an alternative way for producing the desired outcomes for students and organizations. This process of teaching and learning is designed based on the objective of learning and learner has an active role in the designing of the process of teaching and learning. Example one, in traditional way of teaching, university offers a general course in C++ programming language which has the same process of teaching and learning for World Wide Web (JAVA) programmer, window application developer, and UNIX simulation programmer. Example two, English Literary Theory class is designed for general audiences without attention to the needed skill of high school teacher in feminism or Marxism.

     In the new process, the start point is needed skill which is the main initiative for design of process of teaching and learning. Teaching and learning are the other two points of ideal model. In this model both teacher and student are in the control of teaching and learning. I try to explain each in more detail with an example in the following sections. Figure three represents the ideal model.

Fig 3. Ideal Model: Needed Skill > Process Design > Teaching > Learning > Needed Skill >...

Needed Skill

The student provides information about objective of learning and needed skills. In some cases employers might also provide additional information about the purpose of an employee's learning. The related department evaluates the objective of learning and arranges different groups of students with similar objectives in the class. I will present two examples in each section of process design in order to clarify this model. Example one: students in the C++ course are divided to three groups, first group's objective is to learn C++ in Window application, the second group's objective is to use new competency for the Web interaction (JAVA), and third group's objective is to develop applications on UNIX machine. Example two: students in English 409, Literary Theory are divided to three groups, first group's objective is to learn about a feminist approach, second group's objective is to learn about a Marxist approach, and the last group's objective is to learn a psychoanalytical approach.

Process Design

In the ideal model, the department which offers the course will design the process of teaching and learning based on the desired outcomes of students. The course can be offered on campus, computer-based off campus, or combination of both of them. As a adult learner with many barriers related to the time and place, I wish for computer-based classes. If computer technology and communication are available, I think most of the adult learners prefer computer-based classes. The major part of design is assignment of teacher and students to the course in order to provide learning opportunity for the desired skills. By year 2000 computer-based classes will be a dominant means in the educational delivery, specially in the adult and continuing education.

Teaching

Each course has a pre-determined number of weeks for general teaching and learning. For example, during the first nine weeks of the semester teacher will provide a general knowledge about C++ programming language. If the teacher has experiences in Windows application, WWW application, and UNIX application, the same teacher will continue to work with each group separately for needed skills. After first nine weeks of general learning sessions, it is better to have multiple teachers in order to teach specific needed skills. For example, the teacher who is expert in window application will continue to work with the group who want to use C++ for development of widow application. The same way the other two groups continue working with course teacher or new expert teachers who are specialist on those needed skills. In most cases two teachers can provide and satisfy all different expertise needed by students. In the first seven weeks of semester Literary Theory will be a general discussion about subject matter. From this point the expert teacher will work with smaller group which needs to learn about feminism. The main concepts in multi-teachers is to provide opportunity for learners to gain needed competency and expertise that can be used immediately in the work places or satisfy a specific need. I understand the design of teaching in the multi-teacher environment is complicated, but we should remember computer and communication technology can contribute to the second part of teaching and learning of the course. The second part of the course is mainly assignments and team work. The projects and team works are for gaining practical experiences. Students have opportunities to communicate, share, and accomplish tasks as a member of the team with each other and teacher. The qualities such as human and electronic communication, team work, accomplishment of task, and using computers are essential for every employee in the work place. With this model we can provide our students with the competency that they need and pay for it. This is a practical way of preparing our students for information society and to participate in a tough global economy.

Learning

In the first few weeks, students can participate in the classroom setting, listen to the lecture, and based on the assignments use computer technology for accessing information, preparing assignments, or using learning tools such as simulation, case study, and intelligent system. The last few weeks of skill-oriented activities can be designed to help students to gain needed skills.

     The learners can have a few classes on the campus and some of the general sessions and skill-oriented sessions can be arranged by the internet (WWW). It is very important for today's learners to be empowered about learning process and not to be limited by time and place. By year 2000, technology will provide many additional choices for dream process of teaching and learning in the higher education institutions.

     Evaluation of the outcomes of these types of classes is very important for students, organizations, teachers, and universities. With follow up questionnaire, universities can collect data about effectiveness of new skills in the work places. These findings can improve design of the future skill-oriented classes.

     Kaufman (1995) writes, "to focus only on the means-- delivery methods, means, and locations--and not the ends-- what learners must know and be able to accomplish in and beyond the conventional classroom--is to squander this great opportunity."

     Practical implementation of these types of classes will be sooner or later part of curriculum development. This model has good potential for adult continuing education. As a part of reengineering effort, I suggest that two prototype classes should be designed with this model. A graduate class in computer science with maximum 20 students with 10 weeks of general sessions and 6 weeks of two groups of skill- oriented sessions. Two teachers will contribute to the teaching and will facilitate learning, the main teacher who teaches general sessions will continue with one of the skill-oriented group. The second skill-oriented group will work under direction of a second teacher. The second prototype class which is very proper to be arranged, is for a computer-based distance education class.

     For the journey of 21st-century we need to be proactive and aggressive. If we do not start evaluating and planning for this types of classes, we might miss a major opportunity for being a model for other university to follow. I know this model needs a lot of detail work and need assessment, but we should remember technology and time is ready for dramatic changes and transformation of process of teaching and learning to the new level which we could only dream about just a few years ago.

Conclusion

     Henry Becker (1991), of John Hopkins University, conducted several national surveys of the American primary and secondary schools in the 1980s and estimated that the number of microcomputers and computer terminals had increased from 50,000 units to more than 2,400,000 between 1980 and 1990. We should not be surprised if this number has doubled in the last six years. This finding is an indication of the heavy investment in computer technology by society. Advancement in the telecommunication and computer technology has brought a new expectation and hope for learners, organizations, universities, and society. Expectation of new generation of learners for year 2000 and beyond is much higher from higher education than the current generation of students. Satisfying their expectations need knowledge of what really our students objectives are. Two major issues in higher education institutions are what we are going to accomplish with all this investments in technology and how we should accomplish it in order to be acceptable by information society.

     If we are not going to have a proactive attitude toward the changes in the curriculum and operation, we are not going to be agents of the changes, changes will overcome us. One of the major problem in the university is the decision of changes usually takes place without input from the people who are supposed to implement and accomplish it. For example, information technology support group makes decisions about what technology is needed for academic advancement without input from faculty. Faculty plans process of teaching and learning without input from students. We need a dependable information such as results of systematic investigation for designing and implementation of any strategical planning.

     We have major responsibilities in the shaping of the future of our society. For doing that we must make technology an opportunity for everyone in the university, we must provide the best tools in the classroom, dorms, and labs, we must arrange best support group for application development, we must provide high quality workshops and training for teachers and students, we must provide hassle free and comfortable environment for using technology in teaching and learning, we must change from administrative- centered to academic-centered university, we must provide desired outcomes for the good of our students and work places, we must change from stereotype leader and power holder to team leader and coach, we must accept in higher education everybody is leader and everybody is follower, we must appreciate and encourage innovative way of using technology, we must try to make reality our dream processes, we must evaluate critically our performances and contributions, we must change curriculum from process- oriented to outcome-oriented, we must get the best use from our technology, and we must accomplish our assignments and commitment to the parents, students, and society.

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Copyright © Bizhan Nasseh 1996

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