Welcome to the second installment of this three-part article series in which we speak to higher education management consultant, Wayne Clugston on a variety of issues surrounding Christian higher education in the 21st Century. Let’s continue…
Question: Technology is driving the placement of all academic materials, student records, and management of faculty into the Internet "Cloud." Do you have any thoughts regarding "anytime anywhere" accessibility to all of these areas?
Clugston: “Increasingly, we are encountering university leaders who recognize this paradigm shift. Mobility and immediate access to data continue to spiral as personal values in contemporary culture. It's important for university leaders to respond, to create technological access to learning opportunities that are not time and place bound. Such steps diminish the distinctions between on-campus (internal) and external learning opportunities,” says education management consultant, Clugston.
“In the near future, cloud-based learning support services will be the preferred model--providing single-location access to all data relevant to a learning program, resources for collaboration, capabilities for digital portfolio development, and opportunities for immediate learning engagement.”
Question: How much does a college degree contribute to a student's life-long well being?
Clugston: “The lifetime earning differential between those who have a bachelor's degree and those who don't is widely known, and significant. At the same time, the developmental contribution of the bachelor's degree experience is rarely fully measurable on graduation day. But, the broad knowledge perspective, critical thinking abilities, and communication skills gained in a bachelor's degree program become strong influencers over time. They constitute an informing vision that enables individuals to change, to grow, and to continue to learn on a life-long basis.”
Question: We talk about Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 interactivity in online courses and textbooks. What advantage is there for an institution to invest in a Level 3 interactivity?
Clugston: “Technologically driven interactivity needs to be carefully designed in the online classroom at every level. Level 1 and Level 2 technologies tend to be effective in identifying concepts and in reinforcing memory and knowledge. Level 3 interactions are more comprehensive--designed to stimulate and measure higher level cognitive and affective behavior.
“Questions such as the following should be considered by higher education management consultants to ensure optimal use of technological widgets at every level:
Clugston:“Individuals who recognize that the post-traditional learning environment is a reality tend to have concerns, rather than objections. However, their primary concern is usually not about being displaced; it's about being unprepared to move into an online instructional modality. Common issues relate to:
(1) Developing course materials in a non-semester format, and
(2) Adopting facilitative methodology to replace their familiar lecture-based methodology, as a means of motivating and supporting student inquiry.
“When faculty members with classroom teaching experience are orientated to the principles of learner-centered inquiry and shown how students' data-driven, step-by-step progress in relation to course learning outcomes can be monitored and measured, their openness to the online instructional environment usually changes in positive ways.”
Question: What tips would you as a higher education management consultant give leadership regarding ongoing management of online faculty whether full time or adjunct?
Clugston:“A mentoring model has many advantages. All of us who teach at a university level reflect characteristics of professors we've known in our undergraduate and undergraduate classroom experiences. In the same way, an experienced, effective online mentor and higher education management consultant can be an inspiration to a colleague who is teaching online for the first time. Online methodologies are still in their infancy. It is important, therefore, to arrange Faculty Forums where successes and failures are discussed and online pedagogy is fine-tuned in a collaborative community of professional practitioners.
Stay Tuned for Part 3
To read more of higher education management consultant Wayne Clugston’s thoughts, stay tuned for the final installment of this three-part article series, coming next week.
Contact Significant Systems
To learn more about our education management consulting firmSignificant Systems, check out our website. If you have any interest in pursuing our new model of education for your institution, Contact Us.
Remember, our goal is simple:
Looking forward to our possible conversation!
Dr. Michael K. Clifford
Chairman
760.801.5021(My personal cell)
mkc@mclifford.com
Question: Technology is driving the placement of all academic materials, student records, and management of faculty into the Internet "Cloud." Do you have any thoughts regarding "anytime anywhere" accessibility to all of these areas?
Clugston: “Increasingly, we are encountering university leaders who recognize this paradigm shift. Mobility and immediate access to data continue to spiral as personal values in contemporary culture. It's important for university leaders to respond, to create technological access to learning opportunities that are not time and place bound. Such steps diminish the distinctions between on-campus (internal) and external learning opportunities,” says education management consultant, Clugston.
“In the near future, cloud-based learning support services will be the preferred model--providing single-location access to all data relevant to a learning program, resources for collaboration, capabilities for digital portfolio development, and opportunities for immediate learning engagement.”
Question: How much does a college degree contribute to a student's life-long well being?
Clugston: “The lifetime earning differential between those who have a bachelor's degree and those who don't is widely known, and significant. At the same time, the developmental contribution of the bachelor's degree experience is rarely fully measurable on graduation day. But, the broad knowledge perspective, critical thinking abilities, and communication skills gained in a bachelor's degree program become strong influencers over time. They constitute an informing vision that enables individuals to change, to grow, and to continue to learn on a life-long basis.”
Question: We talk about Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 interactivity in online courses and textbooks. What advantage is there for an institution to invest in a Level 3 interactivity?
Clugston: “Technologically driven interactivity needs to be carefully designed in the online classroom at every level. Level 1 and Level 2 technologies tend to be effective in identifying concepts and in reinforcing memory and knowledge. Level 3 interactions are more comprehensive--designed to stimulate and measure higher level cognitive and affective behavior.
“Questions such as the following should be considered by higher education management consultants to ensure optimal use of technological widgets at every level:
- How does the interactivity contribute to learning?
- Can its effectiveness be measured?
- Does the interactivity allow exploration of theories or concepts that are central to the course?
- Does manipulation of the technology stimulate creative or critical thinking related to course outcomes?”
Clugston:“Individuals who recognize that the post-traditional learning environment is a reality tend to have concerns, rather than objections. However, their primary concern is usually not about being displaced; it's about being unprepared to move into an online instructional modality. Common issues relate to:
(1) Developing course materials in a non-semester format, and
(2) Adopting facilitative methodology to replace their familiar lecture-based methodology, as a means of motivating and supporting student inquiry.
“When faculty members with classroom teaching experience are orientated to the principles of learner-centered inquiry and shown how students' data-driven, step-by-step progress in relation to course learning outcomes can be monitored and measured, their openness to the online instructional environment usually changes in positive ways.”
Question: What tips would you as a higher education management consultant give leadership regarding ongoing management of online faculty whether full time or adjunct?
Clugston:“A mentoring model has many advantages. All of us who teach at a university level reflect characteristics of professors we've known in our undergraduate and undergraduate classroom experiences. In the same way, an experienced, effective online mentor and higher education management consultant can be an inspiration to a colleague who is teaching online for the first time. Online methodologies are still in their infancy. It is important, therefore, to arrange Faculty Forums where successes and failures are discussed and online pedagogy is fine-tuned in a collaborative community of professional practitioners.
To read more of higher education management consultant Wayne Clugston’s thoughts, stay tuned for the final installment of this three-part article series, coming next week.
To learn more about our education management consulting firmSignificant Systems, check out our website. If you have any interest in pursuing our new model of education for your institution, Contact Us.
Remember, our goal is simple:
- Provide Broader Access
- Lower Tuition and Fees
- Leave your Institution with Less Debt and More Graduates
- Facilitate Education with a Purpose
Dr. Michael K. Clifford
Chairman
760.801.5021(My personal cell)
mkc@mclifford.com
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