|
Concept-Map Area of Expertise What are the findings or theories from your area of expertise that we could apply to higher education? -
These are some of the pertinent questions that are addressed by cognitive psychology research in relation to higher education. -
What are the things that we know that help to promote remembering beyond the time that someone is in school? -
What is it that helps people to become better thinkers? -
Is thinking something that happens in one specific domain of knowledge or are there general skills of thinking that would transfer among domains? -
With all of these questions it is very important that we find good measures, so that we can accurately answer these questions in order to begin to apply this knowledge. Good measurement is essential if we are attempting to find out what works and what does not work. What are the (most important) unsolved problems? -
The unsolved problems are really about how to get transference. How do we get someone to spontaneously use the skills and knowledge that they have learned in class in other situations? -
How do we keep people motivated and get students actively involved in the learning process? -
How do we get people to accept that good learning is going to be hard work when all of the rewards and incentives are not set up to promote this? -
How can we go about getting people to want to look at real research answers, and to not shy away from research answers that we do not like for fear of disappointment? What should be included in an agenda for research? -
List of what the most important questions are. -
How do you do good applied research? -
How do you get people to value evidence for what works and what doesn’t work, especially in the very politicized educational environment that we now have? What prototypes can you point us toward where principles from the science of learning are already being applied (e.g., activities, courses, fields of study, degree programs, or entire systems)? There do not appear to be that many instances of people really breaking down the walls of traditional teaching styles. One example of an alternative learning environment is the work that Donald Norman has been doing. He has created a more problem-based learning environment in online instruction. An example of the problem-based style is in the approach to teaching statistics. Students start with a data set and are then asked what are the interesting questions that relate to our business. Students are able to learn statistics through application as opposed to a traditional model. What are the major problems with or barriers to redesigning higher education? There are many barriers in the way of reform. Faculty unions are one barrier; unions establish a mindset of not doing extra work, and change requires a great deal of work. Changing the rules of the game will upset the current winners and losers in the system. There are also barriers as a result of state legislation and state agencies that are not willing to take risks. There are not enough faculty trained to make the changes, and it is also possible that both faculty and students do not understand the possible or potential benefits when the outcome is uncertain. There are also systems of constraints, such as standardized tests like the GRE, and also, licensing exams. What happens to these requirements when the educational system begins to provide a different kind of knowledge than what these types of tests assess? The whole system needs to move at once. Do you have any ideas for overcoming them? Time and a few brave leaders willing to take the first big plunges; people who are willing to convince a whole network that there is a need for change and that this is what we should be doing. Possibly some very large national agency changing their learning structure, such as the military for example, that would have an impact on the whole society. Provided, of course, that this change could demonstrate a beneficial outcome. What additional questions should we be asking? We need to ask questions outside of cognitive science and extend our investigations to include social areas, groups, and group thinking. Also, questions about different means of presenting information. Another issue could be how to present these ideas to make them more palatable to the general public. What do we need to do so that one outcome of the retreat is to effect change (in ways that we want)? We have to get someone to make a real commitment to take the good ideas that come from the retreat and put these ideas into action. There is a need to get someone or some groups to fund this process. We need an energetic leader to help support this and also a few really good demonstrations that could help to convert the general public.
|
