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Deep Learning and Digital Stewardship: Discovery and Discernment in Christian

Higher Education

Van Weigel

vweigel@eastern.edu

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Three Questions Relating to Three Questions Relating to Digital StewardshipDigital Stewardship

Are we using technology in a way that enhances the experience of learning for our students?

Are we using technology in a manner that makes good use of faculty time and energy?

What sorts of e-learning technologies can be sustained in a long-run environment of fiscal austerity?

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These Questions Are a Subset of Other Questions Facing

Christian Higher Education

What is the proper mix between Internet-based and classroom-based instruction?

Will e-learning enhance or detract from the integration of faith and learning on Christian campuses?

Is distance education an effective alternative to face-to-face classroom interaction?

Can Christian perspectives on e-learning offer important new contributions to the field?

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The First StewardshipThe First Stewardship Question: Question:

Does Technology Really Enhance the Experience of Learning?

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Current Realms of TransformationCurrent Realms of Transformation Student Services (e.g., online course registration) E-mail and PowerPoint as ubiquitous e-learning

technologies Enhanced Communication? Enhanced Learning or Better Lectures?

The transformation of the Internet into a “research library” Google (1998) Is the Internet a Border’s SuperStore (10%) or one-half

of a Mall Bookstore (1%)? (Shapiro and Varian, Information Rules, 1999)

Upside: Digital journals and full-text databases Downside: Information Overload

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The Loading Dock ApproachThe Loading Dock Approach

The Loading Dock Model Information is divided up into parcels and arranged neatly

on pallets The focus is on loading the cargo in the most efficient way

possible (i.e., lectures) Preoccupation with the logistics of weight distribution and

pallet sequencing—not on how the cargo will be ultimately used

The loaded cargo is certified through quizzes and exams and students are presented with an official bill of lading (i.e., grade transcript)

To what extent are current CMS models and approaches to “web-enhancement” captive to this approach (e.g., posting the syllabus)?

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Consequences of the Loading Consequences of the Loading Dock ApproachDock Approach

Little opportunity to develop problem-solving skills beyond trivial “textbook” problems

Focus on getting the answer right instead of how one arrived at the answer

Skills and knowledge acquired in one domain are rarely applied to other knowledge domains—inhibiting the development of metacognitive skills

Students become passive (and often bored) observers of “education” instead of active participants in the learning experience

Learning is construed as a process of acquiring and certifying knowledge, instead of a process involving discovery and discernment

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The Biology of The Biology of MemoryMemory

Working and long-term memory involve separate pathways in the brain

Working memory is very limited in capacity (e.g. remembering names)

New ideas come about by manipulating information stored in working memory to create new relationships that are stored in long-term memory (i.e., thinking)

Learning involves the selection of synaptic pathways that are useful to us.

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Four Building BlocksFour Building Blocks

Knowledge Management

Cognitive Apprenticeship

Work Group Paradigm

The Knowledge Room

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Cognitive ApprenticeshipCognitive Apprenticeship

Thinking is an Art Focus on Helping Students to be Knowledge

Creators and Integrators Practice in the Presence of More Skilled

Persons The Importance of Learning from Peers (or

Communities of Practice)

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Communities of Communities of Practice as a Key Practice as a Key

Stewardship Stewardship ConceptConcept

Preparing students for Preparing students for the 21the 21stst century century

workplace through workplace through building knowledge building knowledge objects and gaining objects and gaining experience in “peer experience in “peer

assists” assists”

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Methods of Cognitive ApprenticeshipMethods of Cognitive Apprenticeship

Modeling The teacher (or student) puts his or her mind on display, walking through the internal steps and strategies in problem solving, critical analysis, or creative development of alternatives.

Coaching The teacher observes students in the performance of a task or skill (usually in the context of problem solving) and asks questions or offers feedback on their performance.

Scaffolding Students are assisted by the teacher, their peers, or both in completing a task that they are unable to perform alone.

Articulating Students practice the skill of converting tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge by describing the internal reasoning involved in problem solving or critical thinking exercises.

Reflecting Students debrief and critique their own performance by comparing their approaches to problem solving and critical analysis with those of other students or the teacher.

Exploring Students are encouraged to tackle new knowledge domains and problems on their own; the teacher stimulates intellectual curiosity and facilitates the discovery process (e.g., guiding students in forming and testing hypotheses).

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Five Knowledge RoomsFive Knowledge Rooms (www.knowledgeroom.com) (www.knowledgeroom.com)

The Research Center

The Skill Workplace

The Conference Center

The Debate Hall

The PortfolioGallery

Two SubsidiaryTwo SubsidiaryStewardship Concerns:Stewardship Concerns:

The Problem of Commoditization

The CMS as a Pedagogical Straitjacket

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Commodization as a Stewardship Commodization as a Stewardship IssueIssue

The broadband virtual classroom and the likely fate of narrow-band distance learning

“Like it or not, in the online environment, certain types of courses and programs become relative commodities. . . . Institutions in a particular geographic area that previously attracted local students on the strength of a given program or curriculum now face direct competition for that student from an institution that may be 3,000 or more miles away.”

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Is the CMS a Pedagogical Is the CMS a Pedagogical Straitjacket?Straitjacket?

The problem of lock-in The predisposition to understanding learning

as following a road map v. discovery-based learning (i.e., behaviorism v. constructivism)

The bias in favor of superficial assessment techniques (e.g., multiple choice v. solution narratives)

The inability of current CMS models to facilitate robust student-to-student collaboration on “ill-defined” questions.

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E-Learning Technologies Should E-Learning Technologies Should Provide Students With An “Out of Provide Students With An “Out of the Course” Experiencethe Course” Experience

Learning as an interdisciplinary endeavor that spans several courses (v. segmented knowledge)

E-Portfolios as a necessary pedagogical tool

The assessment services of “community educators”

The Second Stewardship The Second Stewardship Question:Question:

Are we using technology in a manner that makes good use

of faculty time and energy?

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The Time FactorThe Time Factor

Why should educators adopt a method of teaching that requires considerably higher time expenditures (estimates range from 20% to 250% more time expenditures)?

Two Key VariablesClass SizeSupport Structures

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The Downside of Class The Downside of Class ParticipationParticipation

A Class of 30 Students A 50 minute lecture 2 ½ minute commentary/response by each student 1/3 of the students ask a question The professor has 2 ½ minutes to respond

The Result? 50 minutes to 2 ½ hours

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Information technology as a tool for interactivity and connection (v. trading documents)

Information technology as a vehicle for profound decentralization (p2p v. client-server)

A Solution?

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““Go 2EDSA, Go 2EDSA, Wear blck”Wear blck”

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The Use of IM The Use of IM Among College Among College StudentsStudents

The Pew Internet and American Life Project report, “The Internet Goes to College” (October 15,

2002), notes that that “College Internet users are twice as likely to use instant messaging on any

given day compared to the average Internet user. On a typical day, 26% of college students use

IM.” By contrast, only “12% of other Internet users are using IM on an average day.” The experience of connection has to be a central

ingredient here—an experience more immediate and satisfying than trading e-mails or expressing

opinions on a discussion board.

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Empowering Students Empowering Students to be Educatorsto be Educators

Organization Articulation Reflection Re-organization

Teach to LearnTeach to Learn

It has been said that we retain 10% of what we read, 50% of

what we see and hear, and 95% of what we teach.

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Four Key Propositions of the Four Key Propositions of the Teach-To-Learn ModelTeach-To-Learn Model

Discovery and discernment are critical learning activities.

Collaborative learning flourishes on problem-based pedagogies that focus on studied ambiguity and degrees of difficulty—not divisions of labor.

Every presentation/lecture should have at least one informed respondent.

The ability to distinguish among levels of competency (through rubric-based assessment) is a principal learning outcome.

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What the Groove Workspace has delivered . . . defines what Microsoft and Apple will be lucky to achieve by 2006.

InfoWorld, February 14, 2003

www.groove.net Ray Ozzie

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Core CharacteristicsCore Characteristics

Profound decentralization with lightweight setup (modified p2p application)

A robust security structure (192-bit security with always on encryption)

Ability to co-edit documents, do web tours, and share PowerPoint presentations with no instructor bias

Online awareness Microsoft Visual Studio as the IDE (Groove 2.5) Integration with Microsoft’s SharePoint Server

(Groove 2.5) Cost ($25 per student; relay server is free)

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A Groove Liability: A Groove Liability: the computer center . . . the computer center . . .

or a strength?or a strength?

The WirelessTablet PC with

Next Generation Voice Recognition?

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The Third StewardshipThe Third Stewardship Question: Question:

What sorts of e-learning technologies can be sustained in a

long run environment of fiscal austerity?