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ROB MCCLENDON: WELL MY FIRST GUEST TODAY HAS EARNED A REPUTATION AS ONE
OF THE BRIGHTEST THINKERS IN THE ART OF PEDAGOGY, WHICH IS A FANCY WAY OF
SAYING THE SCIENCE OF TEACHING.
EARLIER I WAS ABLE TO SIT DOWN WITH MARK TAYLOR, A LONG-TIME EDUCATOR THAT
BELIEVES IT'S TIME TO CHANGE THE CLASSROOM FOR TODAY'S DIGITAL LEARNER.
MARK TAYLOR: ONE OF THE DIRTY SECRETS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS IN COLLEGES
WE HAVE NOT REQUIRED PEOPLE TO BE PREPARED TO TEACH TO TEACH IN COLLEGE.
ANYBODY WITH A PHD IN BIOLOGY WILL SAY, GO BE A TEACHER.
WE WOULDN'T LET THAT PHD IN BIOLOGY GO OUT AND BE A PHYSICIAN, BUT WE'LL LET
THEM GO BE A TEACHER.
AND NOW WITH MUCH MORE EMPHASIS ON COLLEGE OUTCOMES, ACCOUNTABILITY
IN COLLEGES FOR SHOWING LEARNING OUTCOMES, WE'RE SEEING REAL DIFFERENT
REQUIREMENTS ON THE FACULTY IN COLLEGES TO BE BETTER PREPARED TO REALLY
BRING ABOUT LEARNING.
AND I MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING AND LEARNING.
THERE ARE A LOT OF COLLEGE PROFESSORS DOING A LOT OF TEACHING WITH VERY LITTLE
DEMONSTRABLE OUTCOME, VERY LITTLE POSITIVE BENEFITS, EVEN THOUGH BLESS THEIR
HEARTS, THEY'RE TEACHING UP A STORM.
ROB MCCLENDON: WITH THE SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT THAT MANY YOUNG PEOPLE TEND TO
HAVE IN THE GENERATION NEXT, HAS THAT MEANT THAT IN HIGHER ED, WE MAYBE ARE
SEEING SOME GRADE INFLATION JUST TO MEET THEIR EXPECTATIONS.
TAYLOR: WELL, UH, IF YOU LOOK AT THE NEXUS BETWEEN STUDENT ENTITLEMENT AND A
CUSTOMER SERVICE MODEL IN HIGHER EDUCATION, AND THE BUSINESS MODELS IN HIGHER
EDUCATION, THEN WE DO SEE SOME NATURALLY OCCURRING GRADE INFLATION TO KEEP
THE CUSTOMER SATISFIED.
DON'T WANT TO UPSET THEM.
THE REAL ISSUE WITH THE SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT IS THAT IT REDUCES STUDENTS'
SENSES OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING.
SO I SPEND A WHOLE LOT OF MY TIME WITH FACULTY PEOPLE, HELPING THEM LEARN
METHODS AND TECHNIQUES TO HELP STUDENTS TO BECOME MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR
OWN LEARNING.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT THE TRADITIONAL COLLEGE CLASSROOM, THERE IS THIS
ACTIVE RESPONSIBLE TEACHER WITH A BUNCH OF PASSIVE, DISENGAGED STUDENTS WHO
ARE THE RECIPIENTS OF THIS SERVICE.
THAT'S WHAT COLLEGE HAS ALWAYS LOOKED LIKE, BUT IT'S BAD INSTRUCTION.
WHAT I ADVOCATE IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS, KILLING THE LECTURE.
THE LECTURE MODEL IN HIGHER EDUCATION IS THE ENEMY.
ROB: SO NO MORE SAGE ON THE STAGE?
TAYLOR: NO, WELL, YOU CAN BE A SAGE ON THE STAGE; JUST DON'T BURN UP
CLASSROOM TIME BEING THAT SAGE ON THE STAGE.
CAPTURE IT ON A VIDEO, AND LET STUDENTS SEE YOUR BEST EXPLANATION BEFORE THEY
COME TO CLASS.
IF YOU'VE GOT A TRADITIONAL COLLEGE CLASS, YOU HAVE THEM FOR 3
ONE-HOUR EPISODES EVERY WEEK.
WELL DON'T BURN UP THOSE THREE HOURS DELIVERING THAT CONTENT.
CAPTURE YOUR BEST EXPLANATION EITHER ON VIDEO, CAMTASIA,
VOICE-OVER A POWERPOINT, AND MOVE THAT CONTENT, YOUR BEST EXPLANATION, AND
STUDENTS CAN SEE IT OUT OF CLASS.
THE DIGITAL LEARNER PREFERS THAT, BECAUSE IT'S NOT IN A LIVE ENVIRONMENT;
THEY CAN SEE IT ON THE SCREEN; IT MEETS THEIR ANYWHERE, ANYTIME DIGITAL
EXPECTATION FOR AVAILABILITY; IF THEY DON'T GET IT, THEY CAN
BACK UP AND REWIND.
THE LECTURE BY DEFINITION TARGETS, EVERY CLASS HAS A RANGE OF STUDENTS.
THE LECTURE TARGETS SOME BAND OF STUDENTS, SOME FACULTY TARGET THE
STUDENTS THAT ARE LIKE THEM, THE BRILLIANT STUDENTS.
THEY LOSE EVERYBODY ELSE.
SOME TARGET THE SLOWEST STUDENTS; THEY LOSE ALL THE OTHER STUDENTS.
BUT IF IT'S A VIDEO CAST, THEY, EACH STUDENT CAN WATCH IT ENOUGH TIMES TO
GET THE CONTENT.
THEN WHEN THEY COME TO CLASS, THEY ARE ACTIVE IN WHAT DR WEEMER DESCRIBES
AS THE MESSY BUSINESS OF THEIR OWN EDUCATION.
EDUCATION IS NOT A TIDY PROCESS.
THEY COME TO CLASS AND THEY WORK WITH THAT CONENT.
AND THAT'S THE FLIP OF THE COLLEGE CLASSROOM; MOVE THE CONTENT OUT OF CLASS,
AND MOVE THE ACTIVITY INTO CLASS.
AS STUDENTS GET MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN LEARNING, THEN THEY WILL
BE BETTER EMPLOYEES BECAUSE THEY WILL BE MORE RESPONSIBLE FOR WORK PLACE
EXPECTATIONS.
THE PASSIVE LEARNER IS NOT DEVELOPING RESPONSIBILITY, SO WHY WOULD WE EXPECT
THEM TO BE RESPONSIBLE AT WORK.
SO WE HOPE THAT CHANGES IN THOSE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES WOULD LEAD TO A
BETTER PREPARED WORK FORCE.
ROB: WHAT COULD THIS MEAN FOR TRADITIONAL EDUCATION?
AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE INDUSTRY OF EDUCATION OF HIGHER ED, BECAUSE IF I
CAN GO ONLINE AND FIND THE BEST LECTURER, WHY DO I WANT TO SIT INTO AN
INSTRUCTOR'S CLASS WHO MAYBE HAS BEEN DOING THIS FOR 6 MONTHS?
TAYLOR: WELL, AND THERE ARE SOME FOLKS OUT THERE WHO ARE ADDRESSING THAT IN
VERY MEANINGFUL WAYS.
THE BEST REFERENCES ARE ON DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN COLLEGE.
AND THERE'S THIS NOTION ON DISRUPTIVE INNOVATIONS THAT MOST INDUSTRIES PASS
THROUGH PERIODS OF TIME OF KIND OF SLOW, INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR
PRODUCT; THEN SOME HUGE DISRUPTIVE INNOVATION COMES IN WHERE THE MAJOR
PLAYERS GO OUT AND A NEW SET OF INNOVATORS COME IN.
AND WE'VE SEEN THAT, YOU KNOW, THE FIRST COMPUTERS THAT WERE VERY POPULAR
WERE COMPAQ AND NEC AND IBM, WHO DON'T EVEN MAKE COMPUTERS ANY MORE BECAUSE
THESE UPSTART COMPANIES CAME IN.
AND THERE'S A SUGGESTION THAT ONLINE LEARNING IS DISRUPTING HIGHER ED LIKE
THAT AND YOU ASKED THE PERFECT QUESTION.
WHY WOULD I PAY FOR THIS CLASS WHEN I CAN ACCESS THE BEST LECTURE ONLINE
ALREADY?
AND WHEN PLACES LIKE MIT AND HARVARD ARE PUTTING ALL, AND PRINCETON, ARE
PUTTING ALL THEIR CONTENT ONLINE, IT'S VERY HUMBLING TO YOUR BREAD AND BUTTER
PROFESSOR TO SAY NOW I'M GOING TO OFFER MY BEST EXPLANATION ON THIS EVEN
THOUGH THAT NOBEL LAUREATE'S EXPLANATION IS ALREADY ONLINE.
I'VE HAD FACULTY PEOPLE TELL ME, YOU'RE GOING TO MAKE ME OBSOLETE.
I SAY, NO, IF ALL YOU'RE DOING IS LECTURING, YOU HAVE ALREADY MADE YOURSELF
OBSOLETE.
WHAT WE NEED IS EXPERTISE THAT CAN TAKE STUDENTS WHO HAVE ALREADY BEEN
INTRODUCED TO THAT CONTENT, NO MATTER WHERE THEY GOT IT, BUT WHEN THEY
COME TO CLASS THIS EDUCATIONAL EXPERT KNOWS WHAT ACTIVITIES TO DO WITH
THEM TO SOLIDIFY WHAT THEY KNOW, WHAY THEY CAN DO AND WHAT THEY CARE ABOUT.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE THE EDUCATOR OF THE FUTURE.
NOT CHALLENGED BY ALL THESE OTHER LECTURERS ONLINE, BUT ABLE TO
LEVERAGE THOSE RESOURCES IN THEIR OWN CLASS.
THOSE WILL BE THE VALUABLE EDUCATORS.
ROB: DR MARK TAYLOR, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHTS.
TAYLOR: MY PLEASURE, GOOD DOING BUSINESS WITH YOU ROB.
ROB: NOW TO HEAR MORE FROM MARK ABOUT THE CHALLENGES OF TRANSITIONING TODAY'S
DIGITAL LEARNERS INTO THE WORK PLACE, JUST HEAD TO OUR VALUE ADDED SECTION AT
OUR WEBSITE, AT
OK HORIZON DOT COM.