There are great needs for computers to be used ever more widely in the college curriculum. As Robert Allen of AT&T notes, "This is a terrific trend, but if we settle for computers that are simply super-typewriters, we will have missed what could be the renaissance for learning, a dynamic process which students use their computers to connect them into new worlds of learning." The message is loud and clear, using computers as typewriter or only accessing information is not enough to bring about a true revolution in teaching and learning. Students retain approximately 10% of what they hear, approximately 30% of what they see, and approximately 80% of what they do. The key question is how we can provide an environment for learning-while-doing. A computer program can coach a student through a problem in a way that could previously be done only by a highly trained human teacher. A computer can simulate the problem and allow student to work at his or her own pace through it.
Computer can be used in many different situation, for example, in various care or laboratory sciences, that are ordinarily too complex, too expensive, or too hazardous for most students to be able to tackle in "real life" without computer. For example, Natural Resource students at Ball State University are using a CHEMSPILL expert system, an artificial intelligence system to serve as a tool for selecting the most appropriate remediation practice for a site which has experienced an accidental chemical spill. This intelligent system will provide a feasible remediation plan for numerous situations. The next question is what should we deliver by computer to our students and why we think it is beneficial and satisfy their needs. When I put all pieces together, the puzzle is, if computer-based education is the solution, what is the problem? In the following sections, I will describe our current model with its problems. In the later sections, I will display alternative model which can solve many of our current problems.
In the last 15 years higher education institutions transferred as many as possible computers to campuses for improvement of business operations, and teaching and learning. Teachers and administrations received computers on their desks without any outcome-oriented planning for utilization of these computers. In this stage of having computers in the offices and labs, and connection to the networks were reasons for being recognized as technology oriented organization. This stage still repeats itself over and over in many different parts of university. In the next stage, most higher education institutions have invested in the implementation of networks in the hope of reaching to the next level of utilization which is accessing resources and communication. The progress in the network started with local area network to campus wide and finally to long distance network. At first the use of network became a matter of communication and record keeping between teachers and students. Later, it became a tool for locating resources and participation in the group discussions.
The order of process in this figure represents a major concern in the application of computers in the curriculum. When university starts with 'how', computer technology will become only a symbol of change, improvement, and success. In this model, objectives of learning and the contents of delivery must change in order to match with the purchased computers and delivery systems. When delivery systems instead of learning objectives shapes the design of the process of teaching and learning, the useful learning opportunities will dramatically shrink.
In higher education institutions, both computers and teachers are directly involved with students' learning activities. Effective utilization of computers depend on faculty's freedom, support, training, and availability of educational applications (software). Until 1990 it was period of investments in computer hardware, basic operations software, and telecommunication technology. After 1990 the expectations have been widespread on the application of computers in the classroom and its contributions to the learning activities. The development of educational applications is related to teachers' innovative approaches, teachers' computer knowledge, and contributions of educational application developers. For example, University Computing Services has Educational Application Development group. This group has been working with many different faculty in design and development of more than 30 intelligent, simulation, and case study system. These applications have been a major part of learning activities and curriculum development. In addition to students learning, application development process is a valuable learning opportunity for the faculty who are going to use these applications in their curriculum. The commitment of university, knowledge and eagerness of faculty, and application developers contributions are main factors involved in successful application of computers in the teaching and learning activities. In this model, delivery systems are independent from application development planning. This independence will limit development process to the computers technology which already invested and established on the campus.
This model provides a simple solution for most of the problems related to the utilization of technology in the curriculum. These three points are inter-related to each other. The initiation of one will be a positive force for the generation of the next one. The order of this three are extremely important for more successful contributions of technology in the teaching and learning. The 'why' and 'what' always should start from faculty and students. The following are some of the basic objectives of computers in education. These objectives are strong reasons for why we should begin with 'why' and 'what' instead of 'how'.
The needs assessment and systematic investigation are to understand the objectives of learning and what university is supposed to do in order to satisfy learning objectives. Each department should have assignment to develop a practical needs assessment and provide the results in the form of dependable information for the technology development. It is hard to trust and justify a plan which is designed based on the 'how' and try to satisfy 'what' and 'why' in the teaching and learning. The three main purposes of using computers in education are computer conferencing (e-mail, group discussion), computer informatics (library, database access), and Computer Aided Instruction (specific learning opportunity, development of critical thinking, simulation, case study, and intelligent system). The conferencing and informatics can somehow be satisfied by problem-oriented model, but effective educational applications can be developed in the solution-oriented model. The commitment of university to the Computer Aided Instruction is the hallmark of whether or not university properly utilizes computer technology in the teaching and learning.
Rather than falling victim to being responsive to the conventional wisdom and traditional way of using technology, university should shift to a 'why' and 'what' oriented approach with input from learners and faculty. At the present time, universities have made enough investment in computer technology on campus. Now is the time that universities focus on understanding what computers can contribute to the teaching and learning, and how educational applications can be used in curriculum. Society, students, teachers, and organizations believe that computer in education must be a primary vehicle for providing our learners with the needed skills, knowledge, ability, and attitudes. This vehicle should help learners to succeed in the process of learning and prepare them for a challenging career.
An ideal vision for utilization of computer in education is a strong commitment to understand of why and what before establishment of computers and delivery system (how). In this way university can be confident why it is using computers in delivering curriculum. An ideal vision is a practical not theoretical planning for improvement of our teaching and learning with computer technology. An ideal vision is to establish a program that can prepare our students to be a more effective member of information society. An ideal vision is to provide opportunity for each faculty to design the course with innovative way of using computer technology in the classroom. An ideal vision is to plan for educational software which can justify our computers' and delivery system's investments and also prepare our learners for challenging career.
The following are some basic guidelines for successful utilization of solution-oriented model.
Finally, every university has to be able to develop educational applications with rationality, intention, innovation, vision, and imagination with direct involvement of faculty in the development process. In order to succeed, a university must define learning experiences and delivery method on the basis of the students' learning objectives, not on the basis of how the university has already invested in technology.
Learning-while-doing is a significant element of contribution of computers in education. The potential of computers in the curriculum will not be measured by number of computers on campus or number of labs. Its potential will be measured by accessibility of learning resources and educational applications in the curriculum. Intelligent instructional tools will be central to the accomplishment of goals of computers in education. We must remember, it is teacher who lives with the computers in education and it is ultimately the teacher will accept or reject, implement successfully or fail to implement technology in the classroom. We must remember, it is students who are supposed to benefit from this technology in the learning activities and technology is supposed to prepare them for a happy and successful career. However, higher education institutions must always remember that their primary mission is to help students increase their wisdom, knowledge, and ability with the help of faculty and educational technology. Yes, computer is a wonderful solution if we plan a logical, practical, and politically neutral strategy to develop and use them in the higher education institutions.