Re: [MTC Global] Educators swimming in techno sea without a lifebelt

Gaja simha evakarshan Bhajanyati vinasyati.

A sloka from Asthangaya Hridayam - will to locate and share this reference (Chapter & Verse).

Gaja simha evakarshan Bhajanyati vinasyati.. do not fight both will perish (... and in the process so will the students) !!!

Let us respect each system, let us adapt each system, …both have advantages and disadvantages ….

On Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 10:07 AM, Prabhakar Waghodekar <waghodekar@rediffmail.com> wrote:

This a good review article about the role of ITC in education,
especially MOOC.

There cannot be two opinions that ITC is merely a tool having good
as well as bad repercussions. Blended approach obviously still
appears to be of importance. Quantity Vs quality and other issues
still persist in developing countries.
_______________________________________________________________

On Fri, 25 Apr 2014 10:00:05 +0530 wrote

> Educators swimming in techno sea without a lifebeltAlecia D

McKenzieIf universities aren't careful, the future of higher

education could be a nightmarish 'MOOC world' where there are fewer
jobs for researchers and a scholar becomes a 'rare bird'. This was
the scenario painted by Gideon Rosen, an American professor of
philosophy, at the second annual Princeton-Fung Global Forum.

Titled “The Future of Higher Education†, the Forum was held from

9-11 April in Paris, France, and brought together experts and
officials mostly from the United States and Europe to explore some
of the challenges faced by higher education in a world of rapid
technological advances.

What emerged after the two days of debates is that change is
inevitable but no one knows where it will lead.

Technology-driven change

MOOCs, or massive open online courses, came in for intense
discussion during the event.

Some proponents touted their ability to reach constituents who would
otherwise not have access to higher education, while critics
wondered about the long-term impact of a loss in traditional face-
to-face interaction between students and teachers.

“When those things go missing, something of real value is lost,â€

Rosen said during a panel debate on the risks and rewards of online

education. “If you doubt that, just ask yourself the question, is
that the sort of education you would want for your children?â€

Rosen said he also worried “that what is lost will be forgotten†,

especially because the benefits of such interaction are hard to
measure or quantify.

But most forum participants seemed to agree that there was no
turning back from this uncertain new world.

“Technology has advanced and effected enormous changes in the way
education is provided,†said Paulina Gonzalez-Pose, chief of the

higher education section at UNESCO.

She participated in a forum discussion titled “How to Think About
Universities in the Global Age†and said in an interview later that
“universities are not immune†to the rapid technological changes

and that in fact they need to adapt very quickly.

“There is the expectation that these new technologies are useful
to expand access,†Gonzalez-Pose toldUniversity World News. â
€œDemographic changes have produced a massive demand for higher

education, and countries need to be able to meet that demand, and

technology seems to be one way in which the demand can be met.â€

Quantity versus quality?

According to the organisers of the Forum â€" United States-based
Princeton University with French partner theFondation Maison des
Sciences de l'Hommeâ€" the number of students enrolled in

universities globally has risen twenty-fold over the past century,
from roughly 500,000 students in 1900 to more than 110 million
currently.

They add that “developing countries now have higher enrolment
rates than European institutions had a few decades ago†and that â
€œsurging numbers have eclipsed precepts that universities should be
bounded, autonomous communities†.

“New social missions, the changing funding landscape, greater

geographic mobility, and emerging internet capabilities have

challenged the bricks and mortar of higher education,†the

organisers say in the introduction to the Forum.

“The stress is evident in the struggle to balance providing public

goods and the commitment to private achievement, or the tension

between useful knowledge and free inquiry.â€

From the UNESCO point of view, policy-makers “need to make sure

that whatever is done is done with quality, and that people are not
being deceived about what they can get out of those new modalities

of education,†Gonzalez-Pose toldUniversity World News.

UNESCO is currently working on a global survey of higher education

institutions to find out “exactly what it is they are doing and
how they're using these technologies†, she said. “There is a lot
of talk but we really don't fully know what is being done.â€

MOOCs the rage

Meanwhile, MOOCs seem to be all the rage among some institutions.

Daphne Koller, a professor of computer science at Stanford
University and co-founder of the online learning system Coursera,
said that students in many regions had benefited from MOOCs given by
a range of colleges and universities, including Princeton and
Stanford.

She said that the technology was especially changing lives in
developing countries and told forum participants about a woman in
Bangladesh who had managed to build a business after learning the
necessary skills through MOOCs. This 'student' and her partner were
able to employ other women as they became more successful, Koller
said.

The technology can also be used to train educators themselves,
according to Judy Curry, chief executive of the Commonwealth
Education Trust, which is one of the partners of Koller's Coursera.

“We are using MOOCs to train teachers right across the world,â€
Curry said in an interview. “We have 20,000 students that we are
managing to reach, whom we wouldn't be able to reach otherwise.â€

She toldUniversity World Newsthat her organisation was “bringing
in top professors from around the world†to do the teaching. “One

of the great advantages of doing this is that we're having
conversations about education going on globally, and people are very

supportive of one another,†she added.

Curry said she did not think MOOCs would completely replace actual

classroom interaction. “I don't think you will ever not need the
personal touch as well,†she commented. “It's a mixture.†Or

what is being called 'blended learning'.Educate, Empower,

ElevateProf. Bholanath DuttaFounder, Convener & President

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Regards,

Dr P H Waghodekar
Advisor (HR), IBS & PME (PG)
Marathwada Institute of Technology,
Aurangabad: 431028 (Maharashtra) INDIA.
(O) 02402375113 (M) 7276661925
E-Mail: waghodekar@rediffmail.com
Website: www.mit.asia

Engineering & Management Education: An Engine of Prosperity.

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