A recently read article titled “where are the learners” (http://www.insidehighered.com/views/2013/01/25/learners-largely-left-out-digital-bill-rights-essay)
brought to mind a common occurrence in education.
In the article, some educators got together to create a “bill of rights
for online learners”, which is not a bad thing. “The
problem is the group did not include any learners”. Of the 12 signatories,
there were eight doctorates and they did not reach out to any learners on
public forums or ask any learners what they wanted to put in the document; “the
learners’ voices were silent”.
In education, it is amazing how often big decisions are made in a vacuum, without getting buy in from all the stakeholders (especially the learners). Think about how change has traditionally been implemented in your institution. Were you consulted or given a directive? More often than not, we are simply told, “this is what is going to happen’.
In education, it is amazing how often big decisions are made in a vacuum, without getting buy in from all the stakeholders (especially the learners). Think about how change has traditionally been implemented in your institution. Were you consulted or given a directive? More often than not, we are simply told, “this is what is going to happen’.
Having a terminal degree means, you are smart, but getting buy in from
all involved is just as smart. Let us talk with our learners before we try to
affect their lives in drastic ways.
It is about the learner right?
Dr Flavius A B Akerele III
The ETeam
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