香港六合彩中特网

Universities must be careful to ensure their approach to blended learning is not dictated by the substantial investments made in digital infrastructure during the pandemic, 香港六合彩中特网鈥檚 president has warned.

Michael Spence told the听Reinventing Higher Education conference听in Rome that many universities were currently assessing how far they should reduce online teaching 鈥� which, following considerable investments in digital learning in lockdown, was now easier to manage.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a mad scramble in the sector [to meet] the demand [for teaching] in terms of having digitally equipped classrooms,鈥澨鼶r Spence听told the event at the听Luiss Guido Carli听university, which was held in association with Madrid鈥檚听IE University听and the IE Foundation.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 been the case for everyone apart from those who have had gazillions to spend on this over the years.鈥�

University administrators faced a different challenge of ensuring that their lecturers did not tilt too far towards digital learning, which was not always preferred by students or able to produce the same educational or social benefits, said Dr Spence, who was vice-chancellor of the听University of Sydney听for more than a decade prior to moving to London.

On the question of how universities might achieve 鈥渄igital maturity鈥� in terms of improving online teaching, Dr Spence said 鈥渢he challenge is not to be so quick with investments that it sets the parameters of your pedagogic approach鈥�.

鈥淎s we pull out of the pandemic this is [an issue] for a lot of university management,鈥� he explained.

While universities had done well to move quickly towards online learning during the pandemic, the 鈥渃hallenge for larger metropolitan comprehensive universities鈥� was to articulate and build upon 鈥渨hat that comprehensive experience is鈥� for students and what cannot be obtained in an online-only education.

鈥淗ow do we make sure there is something important about being a campus-based, place-based community but also live that, as an institution?鈥� asked Dr Spence.

While some benefits of the in-person university experience were easy to describe, such as extracurricular and co-curricular activities accessible on campus, or the social networks created by students, others were more intangible, he added.

鈥淭he pandemic has taught us 鈥� and students tell us 鈥� that listening to a lecture with others is different to listening to it on your own,鈥� said Dr Spence.

Lectures may also help students structure a weekly timetable that 鈥渓inked to other things they did on campus鈥�, serving an important social function within the university.

鈥淪tudents need an excuse to go to campus, which then helps them to go that club or meet up with someone else,鈥� said Dr Spence.

Dilly Fung, pro-director for teaching at the London School of Economics, agreed that this part of university life was, in many ways, one of the most crucial advantages that established universities had over cheaper online learning platforms.

鈥淲hen universities can provide that slightly more traditional experience 鈥� that is very difficult for any new platforms or new companies to do,鈥� said Professor Fung,

Umran 陌nan, former president of听Ko莽 University听in Istanbul, said higher education institutions needed to reassert the importance of face-to-face meetings because university teaching should be 鈥渁n appointment between generations鈥�.

鈥淭eaching needs to take place on campus with people rubbing shoulders, rubbing elbows 鈥� that is also true for research,鈥� he said.

鈥淢any of us have viewed Covid as a demonstration of online learning but it has also been a demonstration of the shortcoming of online learning,鈥� continued Professor 陌nan, now an advisor to Ko莽鈥檚 board.

While he was not against videoing of lectures 鈥� which could allow students who faced onerous commutes to campus to avoid peak-hour traffic, for instance, or to recap听content they did not understand fully at the time 鈥� the emphasis should be on face-to-face lectures and seminars.

鈥淎s academics, we need to learn from students too,鈥� said Professor 陌nan, adding that scholars did 鈥渢oo much teaching and not enough learning鈥�.

鈥淎s we come out of the pandemic, all classes should be watchable everywhere, but this must not happen at the expense of the physical in-person engagement with students.鈥�

This article first appeared in on 17^th November 2021.

Links

• Original article in
• 香港六合彩中特网 President and Provost
• Dr Michael Spence鈥檚 biography

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• Dr Michael Spence