Reframing Faculty and Technology

A common objective of all teachers is to train their students to achieve learning objectives. From the early education, to primary and secondary school, and through higher education, professional training, and graduate school, the learning objective is the main interface between the instructor and the student. With objectives, a course plan can be laid out, examination criteria can be prescribed, and students can be fairly assessed for their capacity to achieve a performance of understanding that validates their mastery of the course content. On a larger scale, learning objectives frame a curriculum of study and prescribe attributes of a successful graduate of a degree program. These objectives don’t replace the pedagogy of a given instructor but they provide a common framework where a group of instructors with similar skill sets can train a given student cohort. There is little doubt that instructors are masters of organizing domain-particular information in support of the acquisition of knowledge.

Paradoxically, a common problem in learning communities is the organization of information about themselves and how to approach technology. This tender subject is often made visible in times of transition and during discussions of technology use and adoption. It may be that instructors can rely on themselves for the focus and attention required to organize domain information but the kind of insight required for a community to “know” itself must be commonly understood, collaboratively developed, and irreverent of discipline. As this relates to the adoption of new technologies and their use – the 21st century institution needs everyone to have a common desire to share information and to learn from it. Once common desires are established, communities can begin developing practices that promote a healthy relationship with technology and build rapport in a growing learning community.

Support Services in Academia and Technology

21st Century learning communities must implement technology as a means to communicate information and balance a constantly evolving skill-set and knowledge base. Though faculty members often stand at the threshold to content-based experience, support staff, administrators, and advisors are a critical part of fulfilling the contemporary academic experience. The 21st Century learner has access to more raw information than can ever be coherently presented in a course of study. So much information, in fact, that it is often difficult to separate meaningful online activity from pointless wandering. Much like the impromptu meeting with a colleague, instructor, advisor, or friend however, the right information at the right time can significantly change a person’s outlook and the way in which they approach the trials of adult and post-secondary education.

The 21st Century institution can only take advantage of “just-in-time” information by having a proactive and innovative group of support and administrative stakeholders to create these opportunities. Rather than the support team that waits for relevance to arrive, institutions of 21st century caliber are able to help students to integrate informal learning with formal lessons by providing relevant information to each student when they need it. The challenge for learning support specialists is to understand what role they can play in the learning experience, what information they need from instructors, what information they can provide to students, when they can provide this information, and how they can best do these tasks. As this relates to the adoption of new technologies and their use ¬– the 21st century institution needs everyone to have a common desire to share information and to learn from it. Once common desires are established, communities can begin developing practices that promote a healthy relationship with technology and build rapport in a growing learning community.