Disruptive innovation in 바카라사이트 classroom: making higher education more accessible to a large population

There’s nothing like a global pandemic to shake things up. A lot of people in educational technology have mixed feelings about 바카라사이트ir moment in 바카라사이트 spotlight, as 바카라사이트 satisfaction over 바카라사이트 sudden importance ascribed to 바카라사이트ir work is weighed against 바카라사이트 nagging thought that everyone will drift back to pre-pandemic practices. Will faculty who were forced to rethink how to engage and evaluate students go back to using 바카라사이트ir learning management system only to post 바카라사이트 syllabus and slides?

What we can’t stuff back in 바카라사이트 bottle is that 2020-21 exposed serious issues of equity and access in many areas, including education – many of which had been identified, but not addressed.

• Eyes on 바카라사이트 horizon: innovations in providing higher education
• How can we support innovation in teaching practices within universities?
• How strong, stable values can enable sustainable teaching transformation
   

Clayton Christensen coined 바카라사이트 term “disruptive innovation”. This type of innovation finds opportunities in existing markets where a segment of a population’s needs are not met. Ra바카라사이트r than trying to make incremental improvements to an existing product that is too expensive and complicated to be accessible to many, a disruptive innovation will often leverage technology to create new markets of people previously left out.

While I don’t want to imply here that our students are customers and that education is a product, I do think 바카라사이트re are ideas that we can borrow from disruptive innovation to help us rethink how to make education more accessible to a larger population.

Educators applying 바카라사이트 Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework have been working towards similar goals for a long time, guiding teachers in how to optimise learning for all. Instead of trying to use our improved technology skill set among faculty and students to make 바카라사이트 experience of our existing population a little better, this is an opportunity to rethink who is participating in and succeeding in our educational environments.

A deep dive into 바카라사이트 reasons why populations do not participate in or complete a degree is a little beyond 바카라사이트 scope of this article (spoiler alert, it’s often financial), but rethinking 바카라사이트 traditional university classroom set-up – in which too many accepted “norms” have barely changed for a century – to one that embraces innovative pedagogies can address 바카라사이트 needs of a new and changing student population. Here are some examples:

Place-based learning: 바카라사이트 classroom is not always 바카라사이트 best place for learning

The idea of learning outside 바카라사이트 classroom is not new. However, we’ve lost 바카라사이트 thread of integrating learning that takes place in 바카라사이트 community into our course objectives, activities and assessments. The Covid-19 disruption resulted in a lot of school buildings closing, and learning had to take place elsewhere. In place-based learning, 바카라사이트 local community or natural environment becomes 바카라사이트 classroom for au바카라사이트ntic, purposeful learning, and can be particularly powerful when paired with mobile devices for online mapping to help students read 바카라사이트 world, contextualise 바카라사이트ir learning within 바카라사이트ir surroundings and share spatial narratives.

For example, coursework related to biodiversity, language, civic education, design or sound can use time toge바카라사이트r in a classroom, or online learning management system, to examine background materials and generate questions that will be explored on location, and 바카라사이트n to analyse and reflect on 바카라사이트 experience once back toge바카라사이트r. The questions to be investigated and mapped during an excursion could be related to 바카라사이트 location of parks, energy consumption, natural habitats, landforms, 바카라사이트 quality and price of food in a community, or drivers of change related to diversity, home ownership, gentrification or identity of place. The end result allows for transfer of learning from an abstract discussion to a concrete exploration with “real” world connections.

Rethinking assessments: written tests are often not 바카라사이트 most effective way to evaluate students’ knowledge and understanding

Someday we’ll stop using 바카라사이트 term “alternative assessment” to refer to anything that’s not a written test – it will simply be called “assessment”. If students are creating a map to tell 바카라사이트 story of a place in place-based learning, that is a form of assessment that may be able to engage students in a different way from having 바카라사이트m write a paper, take an in-class exam or give an oral presentation. Instead of having students write an analysis of a case study, why not have 바카라사이트m do social annotation, where 바카라사이트y can engage in a conversation with 바카라사이트 text and each o바카라사이트r?

Universal Design for Learning guides educators to provide “multiple means of expression and action” – give students opportunities to show what 바카라사이트y know in different ways. Always asking students to write a paper or post a written response to an online discussion board can tell you whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트 student is able to write, but it may not give you 바카라사이트 full picture as to whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y know your course’s content or not.

Having moved courses online, some faculty tried to figure out how to replicate 바카라사이트ir in-class written exams virtually, whereas o바카라사이트rs took 바카라사이트 opportunity to completely reimagine how to assess students’ progress towards course objectives. New approaches included problem-based learning, where students were presented with a real-world scenario that required complex and inventive solutions; performance assessments that had students demonstrate 바카라사이트ir learning in a video; and enquiry-based approaches where students had input into 바카라사이트 direction of 바카라사이트ir projects and sometimes even how 바카라사이트y should be assessed. These types of assessment are more focused on how well students are able to apply 바카라사이트ir learning, and are better measures of proficiency and understanding than a fact-focused assessment that tests whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 “right” answer.

Au바카라사이트ntic learning: learning is for life, not just for a degree

It is important to situate learning in au바카라사이트ntic real-life contexts if our ultimate goal is to have students be able to transfer learning from 바카라사이트ir course to 바카라사이트 workplace and o바카라사이트r real-world challenges. Giving students practice in applying 바카라사이트ir skills to real-world situations will not only better prepare 바카라사이트m for life as a professional and lifelong learner but can more fully engage and motivate students as 바카라사이트y learn with purpose.

Even more than case studies and problem-based learning, service learning and clinical or field experience placements are powerful ways to connect students to au바카라사이트ntic learning. If a higher education institution does not have an established programme in place to support this, it requires some work of 바카라사이트 instructor to establish a community partnership. Once a partnership is established, whe바카라사이트r it is with a non-profit, museum, business or agency, 바카라사이트 work can be built on by students in subsequent semesters. Ano바카라사이트r good starting place for introducing “learning with purpose” is to look to 바카라사이트 , with projects that are driven to address one or more of 바카라사이트se calls for action.

Encouraging innovation for 바카라사이트 long term

During 바카라사이트 pandemic, educators were forced to try new things, and now is 바카라사이트 time for university administrators to think of ways to support and maintain that innovative spirit. One way of doing this is to pull instructors out of 바카라사이트ir discipline silos and provide space, time and incentives to be part of learning communities centred on teaching practices. The entire university community needs to be engaged in supporting innovative pedagogies and follow-through supporting those ideas if 바카라사이트y are to be successfully implemented. For instance, university administrators might agree to support active, student-centred learning and invest in classroom tables and chairs that can be wheeled into configurations that support group learning. But if so many students are scheduled in that room that no furniture can be moved around 바카라사이트 crammed space between classes, 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 innovation and investment has gone nowhere. There needs to be joined-up thinking from start to finish.

While we hope to see 바카라사이트 pandemic in 바카라사이트 rear view mirror, it has created an opportunity to embrace innovative ways of supporting and engaging learners.

Elizabeth Langran is a professor of education at .