Instruction in the digital age
Many instructional styles we experienced as students and have adapted to our own classrooms were used before the advent of the internet, smart phones, and the "digital classroom." There are a number of studies indicating our students today have different expectations and needs when it comes to instruction. Within these arguments is a notion that lectures don't really "work' any more. How much should an instructor adapt their style to these new needs without minimizing content and learning objectives?
Too many times instruction changes to meet the student's needs. At some point the changes are so much that the instruction has failed. We are still a traditional educational institute and need to show the student how to adapt to school not the school to adapt to the student. Our jobs will not give us all that we wish. Bottom line....If you want your job, then do what it takes to keep it. ;-)
Mark,
Great question to which I don't really have answer. I know as a long time teacher I have adapted my instruction over the years to continue to achieve the student learning results that I need in the course. I continue to check for knowledge retention and application. As long as I have that then I stick with what I am doing, when I see a drop I then seek out and implement a new delivery strategy to once again get the results I want. It is ongoing which for me is exciting because even though I teach the same course over and over it never becomes boring because the course is new in many ways each time I teach it.
Gary
Dr. Gary Meers
