A couple of years ago I attended a presentation at an Educational Technology conference in Calgary. The presenter used a series of photos to demonstrate the transformative influence of technology on everyday human activity. Examples included music (a Victorola phongraph juxtaposed with an iPod), communication (a wall-mounted telephone from the 1930s contrasted with a Blackberry, and medicine (a doctor’s surgery from the 19th Century contrasted with a modern operating theatre). The punchline for the presentation was a pair of images similar to the ones above: a standard classroom setup separated by the passage of 80 years or so. At least in terms of physical surroundings, a teacher from the past would have no problem fitting in and recognizing the classroom environment where learning takes place today. If teaching methods have changed so little, what’s the likelihood learning outcomes have changed very much?
There’s a lot of talk about transformative change in education, but it’s worth considering how much change is possible when the basic structure of the classroom — the physical space but also the learning activities that are possible within that space — seems to be resistant to change.
UFV is engaged in an institution-wide consideration of what education should provide students in the 21st Century. It’s a great opportunity to consider if the existing structure of post-secondary education adequately prepares graduates for the work environment that awaits them and, if not, what needs to change to make a Bachelor’s degree more relevant.