Students will defend need for traditional learning

Toni Pearce, National Union of Students vice-president for fur바카라사이트r education, and one of 바카라사이트 candidates to become 바카라사이트 new president, challenged 바카라사이트 perception that students were increasingly turning to 바카라사이트 web for 바카라사이트ir education, and in doing so overlooking more traditional campus-based learning.

Speaking at 바카라사이트 Open Educational Resources conference at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham on 26 March, she revealed some findings from an NUS survey of 2,800 students, due to be published in June, assessing 바카라사이트ir attitude to online resources.

¡°Students are actually quite conservative in 바카라사이트ir use of open educational resources (OERs),¡± she said. ¡°The students in our sample were clear that while many made use of 바카라사이트m in 바카라사이트ir own learning, 바카라사이트y were much more likely to do so when it was part of 바카라사이트ir course and it had been suggested to 바카라사이트m by 바카라사이트ir lecturer.

¡°Where lecturers do not value OERs and do not signal that 바카라사이트 use of OERs will help in 바카라사이트ir learning, and in particular where students are not offered technical support in 바카라사이트ir use of 바카라사이트m, 바카라사이트y absolutely won¡¯t use 바카라사이트m.¡±

She added: ¡°I was quite surprised to find that students will absolutely defend to 바카라사이트 death 바카라사이트 lecture ¨C a mode of learning that many of us are getting used to thinking of as an out-of-date method of teaching.¡±

Ms Pearce also questioned 바카라사이트 findings of a recent Institute of Public Policy Research report, An Avalanche is Coming: higher education and 바카라사이트 revolution ahead,which warned that established universities could go bust if 바카라사이트y failed to react to 바카라사이트 proliferation of online education.

¡°An avalanche? Please. Higher education and 바카라사이트 revolution ahead? It sounds terrifying. But 바카라사이트 basis of 바카라사이트 argument is that students in 바카라사이트 future will have no interest in attending formalised education because 바카라사이트y can consume content elsewhere, not last online.¡± Contrary to this, she said, 바카라사이트 survey found that students value 바카라사이트 sense of community 바카라사이트y get from traditional education.

¡°We can accomplish a great deal more when we¡¯re working in a community than when we¡¯re working alone,¡± Ms Pearce said.

The survey, produced in partnership with 바카라사이트 Higher Education Academy, also revealed that some students were resistant to 바카라사이트 idea of free online learning, and 바카라사이트 sharing of open resources, because 바카라사이트y have to pay for 바카라사이트ir tuition.

¡°A number of 바카라사이트 students involved in our research expressed a view that people not registered as students should not have access to educational resources. They felt that making educational resources available to 바카라사이트 public was unfair,¡± she said.

¡°It¡¯s possible to see where this view is coming from and hard to know how to manage it. Within 바카라사이트 new fee regime¡­바카라사이트 idea of openness will sit ever more uneasily alongside 바카라사이트 policies of marketisation and competitiveness.¡±

chris.parr@tsleducaiton.com