Ageless, Asynchronous, and Ubiquitous Learning
Sofia gets up very early in the morning and immediately runs to her mother’s computer. She switches it on, hits the Internet icon, clicks on favorites, finally clicks on her favorite game, and begins to play. For Sofia, who is three-years-old, she is merely playing; however, she is also learning the alphabet and how to read.
At her young age, Sofia knows how to navigate her way into many other functions of her mother’s computer by herself. She is not at school but she is learning. When her mother gets up at 7:00 a.m., Sofia will tell her all the new things she learned when she was playing. Sofia will then ask her mother to let her play some more later in the day.
From an instructional point of view, what this episode portrays is a sequence of events where Sofia is attending school online at a non-traditional time and location; she could be anywhere as long as there is Internet access. She has an assessment session with her instructor (face-to-face time with her mother) and there is a request for another session. This real-life story shows how technology is impacting learning. You can actually learn at any age, anytime, and anywhere.
There is no doubt that the Internet, and all the technology that goes with it, is changing how knowledge is delivered to new generations of learners and how those learners acquire skills. However, there are serious questions about the quality and effectiveness of a fully online learning environment.
Penn State President Graham Spanier stated in a recent CNN interview, “The single greatest unrecognized trend in American higher education is what I call ‘hybrid learning.’ It’s the merging, the melding of web-based education–distance education–with resident instruction.”
This hybrid model would allow for some of the delivery of knowledge and learning to occur outside the traditional classroom. An immediate consequence of this trend is to reduce “student seat time.” This begs the question: Is hybrid learning going to cost less?
Faculty who have been teaching fully online courses report that they dedicate far more time in preparation and delivery of these courses, as well as in attending 24/7 interactions with their students, to maintain the same quality of fully resident instruction. The temptation for faculty to ask for additional compensation when teaching hybrid courses is always present. As we transition from fully resident instruction to a hybrid model, savings may not be the main motivation, but rather the opportunity to enhance learning, taking advantage of the existing and emerging technologies.
There is undoubtedly a balance between online and resident instruction to accomplish a well rounded education. Sofia also goes to day care and in that environment she learns the social skills needed to interact with other children. It would seem that Sofia has her mix of resident as well as online instruction. We would not want her to grow in isolation.
Hybrid learning seems to be the model, where knowledge and information are both available 24/7. At Penn State Berks, we are committed to providing our students with the best educational experience; that includes hybrid learning in a setting that supports various student learning styles with a combination of “high touch” experiences, engaging students in traditional classroom settings, and extending their learning with complementary technology outside of the physical classroom.
Is ageless, asynchronous, and ubiquitous learning the future of education at all levels? It will definitely take an increasing portion of the current delivery model.
Paul D. Esqueda,
Ph.D. Professor of Engineering and Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Penn State Berks