Pedagogy: The Art of Learning

University of Cincinnati President's Report 1998

Pedagogy: The Art of Learning

For some 2,000-plus years most formal learning took place as "filling a pail." The communication was, in general, one-way; the teacher spoke and the student listened. Or one might read a book or other learned materials. In essence, it was largely passive.

Today, there are many engaging ways to connect to information and work with information to answer questions. We are already seeing revolutionary shifts in the way universities operate in response to this information explosion.

Individual scholarship is giving way to interdisciplinary teams as complex problems attract intellectual inquiry from multiple fields. The traditional, lock-step, semester system will give way to self-paced learning as students learn to develop at their own rate. Students are demanding interactive learning programs with access to learning around the clock and across the calendar. Rote learning and make-work assignments are considered antiquated as students learn to use the analytical power of computers and online networks. The historically homogeneous student body is growing ever more diversified as lifelong learning becomes a fact and not just an ideal. Local perspectives are broadening toward global awareness. Knowledge itself, once hoarded in libraries and arcane journals, is now freely available via electronic networks.

The University of Cincinnati recently concluded an extensive survey of our instructional technology systems in collaboration with IBM. As a consequence, we are well on the way toward drawing together our technological resources to better serve our educational mission.

And, perhaps most importantly, the role of faculty is undergoing a profound transformation. The role of the professor, the "sage on the stage," is fading as faculty grow into a learning partnership with their students.

We are going beyond one faculty member doing and learning everything needed to teach, or do research, or stave off obsolescence. The university as a place, as a whole, as a community must engage in learning to learn.

Introduction | Faculty Development | Convergence of Knowledge | Innovative Research & Knowledge | New Analytical & Technological Tools | Global Perspective and Involvement | Community & Environment for Learning | Financial Viability | Return on Investment | President's Report Home | UC Home



		Pedagogy: The Art of Learning For some 2,000-plus years most formal learning took place as "filling a pail." The communication was, in general, one-way; the teacher spoke and the student listened. Or one might read a book or other learned materials. In essence, it was largely passive. Today, there are many engaging ways to connect to information and work with information to answer questions. We are already seeing revolutionary shifts in the way universities operate in response to this information explosion. Individual scholarship is giving way to interdisciplinary teams as complex problems attract intellectual inquiry from multiple fields. The traditional, lock-step, semester system will give way to self-paced learning as students learn to develop at their own rate. Students are demanding interactive learning programs with access to learning around the clock and across the calendar. Rote learning and make-work assignments are considered antiquated as students learn to use the analytical power of computers and online networks. The historically homogeneous student body is growing ever more diversified as lifelong learning becomes a fact and not just an ideal. Local perspectives are broadening toward global awareness. Knowledge itself, once hoarded in libraries and arcane journals, is now freely available via electronic networks. The University of Cincinnati recently concluded an extensive survey of our instructional technology systems in collaboration with IBM. As a consequence, we are well on the way toward drawing together our technological resources to better serve our educational mission. And, perhaps most importantly, the role of faculty is undergoing a profound transformation. The role of the professor, the "sage on the stage," is fading as faculty grow into a learning partnership with their students. We are going beyond one faculty member doing and learning everything needed to teach, or do research, or stave off obsolescence. The university as a place, as a whole, as a community must engage in learning to learn.

		Introduction \| Faculty Development \| Convergence of Knowledge \| Innovative Research & Knowledge \| New Analytical & Technological Tools \| Global Perspective and Involvement \| Community & Environment for Learning \| Financial Viability \| Return on Investment \| President's Report Home \| UC Home