Columbus State is about to engage in a strategic planning process that it undergoes once every five years. Several teams of faculty, staff and administrators meet to review current strategic goals and set new ones based on our scan of local and global social, economic, and political forces. I have been lucky enough to asked to participate. One of my tasks is to identify issues and trends we should consider. I then need to supply illustrative or explanatory media that others can study to learn about these issues.
I am calling on the collective wisdom of this campus -- and anyone else -- for input. What do you see coming and wish the rest of us would get a clue about? What do we need to consider to be providing the most relevant and accessible education we can five years from now? Please chime in in the comments area of this post.
At the moment I've identified two trends/issues.
1. Globalism and networked learning (of course!)
This was a tough one because there is so much innovation, enthusiasm and alarm resonating through educational technology right now. Driven by both awe and fear of globalism, a disgust with factory-style learning models, and a recognition that tech saturated millenials simply do not think like their teachers, educators are pushing for a more student-centered educational environment in which technology connects learners with each other and global resources. Sifting through the abundance of resources about this was a challenge but here are three I think paint a clear picture:
- David Wiley's testimony before the US Secretary of Education Commission on the Future of Higher Education. Wiley works at Utah State University in the Department of Instructional Technology and directs the Center for Open and Sustainable Learning. Utah has joined MIT and a few other universities in endeavoring to make all of its course material available for free online.
- The 2006 Horizon Report describing "six areas of emerging technology likely to have a significant impact on teaching, learning, or creative expression in higher education within three adoption horizons: a year or less, two to three years, and four to five years."
- The Myth about Online Course Development:
- “A Faculty Member Can Individually Develop and Deliver an Effective Online Course,” by Diana Oblinger and Brian L. Hawkins of Educause. They point out what it takes to create quality learning experiences in this environment.
Simply stated, energy consumption will -- and may already be -- exceeding our ability to cheaply produce it. This means a global economy marinated in cheap oil will quickly become too expensive to maintain. Oil touches everything, therefore, everything will be more expensive. When and how severely this hits is a matter of debate, but many oil scientists and oil financiers are sounding the alarm. We will have to live with the consequences and be part of the solution. Here are three resources:
- Peak Oil Primer from the Energy Bulletin
- The Oil Man: Maryland's most conservative congressman leading charge against fuel dependency, recent popular article from MSNBC.msn.com
- Peaking Of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation, & Risk Management (The Hirsch Report) A study prepared for the US Department of Energy
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