DETC Conference presentations

Discussion in 'Off-Topic Discussions' started by Gert Potgieter, Apr 27, 2002.

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  1. DETC has posted two presentations (by Utah Governor Michael Leavitt and Unext CEO Andy Rosenfield) on its website as streaming video.
     
  2. I watched these two presentations. The one by Governor Leavitt is 21 minutes long, and quite interesting. He summarizes the genesis of Western Governors U. and provides a reasonable justification for competency-based degrees (though I remain unconvinced!). A couple of interesting points:
    • There are now 19 states involved (18 are listed in BG14).
    • They have identified 1,200 available courses that are mapped to the competencies required for each degree.
    • They are focusing on the education field: further education of teachers (e.g. through the Master's in Learning Technology); upgrading of credentials for paraprofessionals who want to qualify as full teachers; transition programs for military personnel moving into civilian life as teachers.
    The video of Rosenfield's presentation is shorter (ca. 10 minutes) and less interesting. Early online offerings were delivered in a point-to-multipoint manner, but deeper interaction amongst students and between students and faculty is desirable. In this regard, Napster is a better model for an online university than Amazon. He also presented the Disneyland theme park as a model -- to the extent that students should be able to set their own path through the material and spend time where they have the greatest need and/or are most productive (with Big Brother watching all the time, of course).
     

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