激情快播

鈥淚 remember leaving notes on a bulletin board in the library to let someone know where and when to meet me,鈥� Marisabel Wolfinger, 鈥�89, recalls. 鈥淚t seems so Fred Flintstone now.鈥�

鈥淲e can replicate the birth of the universe and observe it over and over again,鈥� says Dr. Joel Hartman, vice provost for Information Technologies and Resources. 鈥淲e can even replicate nuclear explosions and evaluate their effects. You couldn鈥檛 do that [20 years ago] in a lab.鈥�

鈥淚 can鈥檛 even imagine how long it must have taken for students in generations before me to sift through the card catalog doing research,鈥� Heather Masessa, 鈥�10, exclaims. 鈥淚 could turn on my computer and get answers instantly.鈥�

WIN-WIN FOR STUDENTS, 激情快播

鈥淚 worked a part-time job, so the more online classes I could take, the better,鈥� says Masessa, who now works as a traffic manager/marketing coordinator for the Orlando-based marketing firm, Net Conversion. 鈥淧lus, online classes let me learn on my own time and not be forced to listen to a lecture for two hours.鈥�

And that鈥檚 the difference. Many students today are looking for their higher education to work into their schedules, fit their lifestyles and complement their preferred learning methods. Previous generations didn鈥檛 have that option.

鈥淚 chose traditional classes because I鈥檓 a hands-on learner,鈥� explains Lauren Farber, 鈥�07, a graduate of The Burnett Honors College. As the principle trainer for AOL, Farber is well-versed in diverse learning modalities and champions a blended approach 鈥� using online and traditional tools 鈥� for the employees she trains. 鈥淭he one blended class I took was great 鈥� we would do homework and tests online, but meet in class. I liked the convenience, but appreciated the social aspect.鈥�

Farber gets it: Online classes benefit both the student and the university, and assessments show that students taking blended classes actually outperform students taking solely face-to-face or online classes.

In response, 激情快播 is putting significant resources behind its online programs, an effort that started in 1996 with just two classes. 鈥淥ur model is designed for quality,鈥� says Cavanagh. 鈥淲e have invested significantly in instructional design and do a great job training faculty members.鈥�

Today, Cavanagh says, 激情快播 offers one of the best online programs in the country, and 鈥渆veryone, from the senior administration down, recognizes the value and importance of online learning.鈥�

鈥淚n the last year, all of the university鈥檚 growth has been online.鈥�

The 鈥渧alue and importance鈥� that Cavanagh refers to is a reflection of modern students鈥� demand for greater convenience and flexibility, as well as President Hitt鈥檚 rallying cry for increasing access to higher education.

鈥淚n the last year, all of the university鈥檚 growth has been online,鈥� says Hartman. 鈥淎nd last semester, one-third of all credit hours at 激情快播 were earned from online courses, with close to 5,000 激情快播 students taking no traditional classes whatsoever.鈥�
The growth in online offerings clearly enables 激情快播 to educate more students without having to invest in new buildings, parking and other factors that traditionally limit university attendance. But even more important, Cavanagh points out, is that the expansion of online learning makes education available to people who face significant obstacles to attending traditional classes 鈥� whether for medical, geographic or scheduling reasons.

Yet while accessibility and convenience are important, the benefits are more far-reaching than that. By increasing online programs, Hartman emphasizes, 鈥淕raduation rates are increasing too.鈥� Plus, he says, 鈥淪tudents minimize excess credit hours, which enables them to graduate faster.鈥�

鈥淭here are chemistry labs that require students to handle virtual chemicals. Anatomy labs that allow students to conduct virtual dissections.鈥�

A REVOLUTION IN RESEARCH

While online learning is on every educator鈥檚 radar today, it isn鈥檛 the only way that technology is revolutionizing the student experience.

The university library, once the heart of every campus, is today a gathering place for students and a portal for information virtually accessible from almost anywhere in the world. Hartman points to OneSearch, the library鈥檚 robust search tool, which has changed the way students conduct research and dramatically broadened their access to critical publications.

And according to Hartman, 鈥淪mart boards and touch-screen technology are changing the learning experience even in face-to-face environments. It鈥檚 so much more interactive today.鈥�

Technology is changing the way science courses are taught too. 鈥淭oday, there are dynamic simulated labs that come close to imitating the real lab experience,鈥� Cavanagh says. 鈥淭here are chemistry labs that require students to handle virtual chemicals. Anatomy labs that allow students to conduct virtual dissections. For students learning in these virtual environments, the knowledge is no less real.鈥�

TECHNOLOGY AND THE STUDENT OF TOMORROW

For students of the not-too-distant future, the walls between the different modalities will most likely disintegrate even more. There will be no online learning and traditional learning 鈥� just learning.

Beyond the logistics of where and how students take classes, it is foreseeable that students in the future will not be bound by arbitrary time constraints either. Rather than complete courses within a prescribed semester, why not allow students to complete the course work at their own pace? It is conceivable that each student will be given an individualized, customized curriculum and the resources to learn what he or she specifically needs.

Furthermore, as the popularity of massive open online courses (MOOCs) continues to grow, it is fathomable that someday students will not take classes solely from a single institution, but will instead curate a personalized program from a multitude of classes offered by the most prestigious universities and colleges in the world.

Most exciting is that the student of the future won鈥檛 necessarily have such a different experience, but more appropriately, have the option of so many varied learning methods. Face-to-face, online, blended, virtual, MOOCs and more will be available for every student to customize his or her higher education in the way that is the most accessible, affordable and valuable.

YES, LEARNING IS DEFINITELY CHANGING.