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PODIUM
Lights at the Ends of the Tunnel
Elizabeth Perrin, Ph.D. Journal Editor
Change in our human world, for good or evil, is brought about, for the most part, by ingenuity and vision within the human race.
There is light now, clearly visible, at both ends of the Education Tunnel. And no, it is not two trains rushing forward to clash darkly in final disintegration and destruction. At one end is Face-To-Face Education. At the other end, in its simplified statement, is Technology Delivered Distance Learning.
Learning and our understanding of critical thinking, cultural differences, human capacities and economic realities are evolving across the Academic Spectrum. Our education absolutes are more cautionary than condemnatory.
"Common sense" (the Law of Past Experience) is now recognized as a somewhat confining framework created by our (generic) associative experiences. Just because something hasn't been done, of course, does not imply that it can't be done or shouldn't be done or won't be done. What we tend to forget is that if something hasn't happened, this does not imply that it can, should or will. This is the broad playing field, ultimately, of Education, learning and the structuring of information.
Within the August 2002 USDLA Journal are three major structurings: Setting Everyone Up for Success: Part IV, the summation of the two year research and implementation of the International Distance Learning liaison between the University of Ulster, Northern Ireland, and Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA; the overview by Dr. Muirhead of Dr. Gilly Salmon's research and implementation in her new book: E-Tivities: The key to active online learning; and the learning vision and paths developed by Dr. Guy Bensusan in A Design for Learning: The Escalator.
The clarity provided is that the center of Academic focus is not directed solely by Aristotelian Logic (how to determine the number of teeth in a hen's mouth) nor in the passionate discussions to prove the number of angels that can unequivocally be placed on the head of a pin (Duns Scotus), nor any derivers of these worthy and mind wrenching philosophies. In all seriousness, the light we are now experiencing, in addition to the light from the past, is the quality of focus on the students - the sine qua non that has long been either overlooked or preconceived as a more or less fixed entity.