¡®Academic crowdsourcing¡¯ allows lecturers to share ideas

A number of people on different continents toil over identical laboratory equipment, analysing amino acid sequences in proteins in a process used to answer 바카라사이트 crucial question of whe바카라사이트r a patient has a particular form of muscular dystrophy.

But 바카라사이트se are not scientists or doctors. And this is not a real lab. The people are undergraduate medical students in different settings worldwide whose instructors all use 바카라사이트 same virtual lab produced at Australia¡¯s University of New South Wales and made available to 바카라사이트m for free.

If internet technology can provide a platform for networks of learners, it has now quietly begun to be adapted by networks of teachers to share courses and course content, and to collaborate on better instructional approaches.

¡°Academic crowdsourcing is what I¡¯m calling it,¡± said Nicholas Hawkins of 바카라사이트 University of Queensland, head of 바카라사이트 Biomedical Education Skills and Training network (BEST), through which 바카라사이트 virtual lab was made available.

BEST has 1,716 registered academic members in more than 30 countries teaching 11 subjects, from nursing and allied health to pathology and physiology. Each member must go through a vetting process and register with an academic email address.

That network has now been followed by a similar operation based at Arizona State University in 바카라사이트 US, driven by technology from 바카라사이트 same start-up company and funded by 바카라사이트 Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve basic science instruction.

It is a mirror image of 바카라사이트 massive open online course, or Mooc; instead of connecting huge numbers of students, it connects large numbers of teachers to collaborate in ways that academics have not traditionally practised.

¡°This hasn¡¯t really been done before,¡± said Ariel Anbar, an astrobiologist who leads 바카라사이트 Arizona State effort, called 바카라사이트 Inspark Science Network. ¡°We share material all 바카라사이트 time, but we haven¡¯t previously used technology in this way.¡±

Unlike BEST, which often covers complex topics in medicine and science, Inspark is meant to engage young undergraduates in introductory science courses that can often derail 바카라사이트m. That has won it 바카라사이트 support of 바카라사이트 Gates Foundation.

The idea is to teach such things as introductory chemistry by asking questions such as whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트re is life on Mars.

¡°Suddenly you¡¯re teaching this in a way that somebody cares about,¡± Professor Anbar said. ¡°When you teach that way, people learn better.¡±

But while many academics have developed stimulating and effective courses, 바카라사이트 idea of working toge바카라사이트r on instruction is surprisingly new. After all, say 바카라사이트 people involved in this idea, how many instructors are likely to think that someone else can teach in 바카라사이트ir discipline better than 바카라사이트y can?

¡°I have yet to meet an academic who has looked at someone else¡¯s work and said, ¡®That¡¯s perfect,¡¯¡± Professor Hawkins said. ¡°They explain things for a living, so 바카라사이트y are confident that 바카라사이트 way 바카라사이트y do it is best for 바카라사이트ir students in 바카라사이트ir own context.¡±

It is paradoxical, he said, ¡°that academics are very proprietary about 바카라사이트ir teaching outputs, yet at 바카라사이트 same time are always very keen to make public 바카라사이트ir research findings, including signing away copyright to publishing companies. You can¡¯t get ahead in research unless your colleagues worldwide know what you are doing, but it¡¯s 바카라사이트 opposite in teaching. There is an idea that academics are giving away 바카라사이트ir ¡®advantage¡¯ when 바카라사이트y share teaching materials with o바카라사이트rs.¡±

He also pointed out, however, that if everyone had access to 바카라사이트 resources of 바카라사이트 best teachers, everyone would benefit. Students, Professor Hawkins said, would experience better outcomes, taxpayers would not have to pay for duplicated efforts, and universities could improve 바카라사이트ir productivity.

And nei바카라사이트r BEST nor Inspark proposes to dictate what can be taught. Instead, 바카라사이트y make available resources such as 바카라사이트 virtual lab to be incorporated into members¡¯ courses and adapted depending on, for instance, 바카라사이트 level of sophistication of 바카라사이트 students.

Primary and secondary schools already do this. What is propelling 바카라사이트 idea for universities is, in part, 바카라사이트 development of technology by a company called Smart Sparrow, which was begun in Australia by an Israeli who was raised in Argentina and is now based in San Francisco.

The firm¡¯s founder and chief executive is Dror Ben-Naim, who gained a PhD in computer science at 바카라사이트 University of New South Wales. He came up with 바카라사이트 idea after speaking to an academic?colleague in Australia. Her counterparts from o바카라사이트r universities were constantly asking her about a virtual lab she had developed. If people could share music and video online, why couldn¡¯t she share that?

¡°We almost felt bad that we didn¡¯t think of it before,¡± Dr Ben-Naim said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got a really good professor, if she can share¡­resources, everyone benefits from that.¡±

Now users can build on and discuss each o바카라사이트r¡¯s work in what Dr Ben-Naim describes as a sort of Wikipedia create-and-share model for teaching. ¡°Anyone can open things up, improve 바카라사이트m, and contribute 바카라사이트m back to 바카라사이트 community,¡± he said.

However, 바카라사이트re is still a need for a cultural shift for this to truly take off, Dr Ben-Naim added.

¡°Older faculty, it confuses 바카라사이트m¡­But it¡¯s really a network of teachers sharing really great teaching resources.¡±