I think I have laid down the foundation of what I would like to see in the online student-professor environment, I figure I can lay down my "dream system" for stimulating online communication at the academic level.
Right now I only have to remember my Cal Poly email address and my password. That aspect can stay the same, adding additional user names and more passwords and authentication systems would only make things challenging. Students, professors and administrators would all be able to log on. Just like we invite our friends to events and form social networks, professors would establish online groups for individual classes, allowing students to get in touch with the entire class and an instructor from a single webpage. Message boards and folders to upload content would allow discussion and collaboration for labs and projects, leading to peer evaluation and a stronger group dynamic. Professors can upload resources such as lecture notes, podcasts of lectures, relevant external links (to NROC?) and provide feedback on student discussions. Online assignments/assesments would be a possibility, allowing busy students more flexibility in their study schedule. Professors could even create a hybrid environment that allows students to take the class while on a campus while other students are taking the class remotely, all contributing and sharing with each other via this online hub.
A system like this could really be quite simple, it doesn't need to be complex. It shares some similarities with school networks already in use and could make use of the great features developed by NROC, specifically the robust social network and online database.
This may be a ways off and surely would be a large undertaking, but it sure would be nice.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
