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CAN THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION ENHANCE THE RESIDENTIAL EXPERIENCE OF
STUDENTS?
Sanjay Sarma, Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Director of Digital Learning
Today’s “consumers” are different from previous generations
• The anytime anywhere generation
• Diverse • Socially aware &
engaged• Global perspective• Other industries have
been swept up
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Academia has Had a Few Disruptive Technologies
Blackboard, 1801
* Europe U.S. 1801 at West Point* 1814: colored chalk
From Wikipedia
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• MIT & Harvard invest $30M each• Free world education• Open source platform
• We disrupted ourselves!!
Digital online delivery is the next one
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Why?Expand access to education for
students worldwide through online learning, while reinventing campus education through
blended models
And learn about learning.
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Online can make things interactive• Students view lectures
online• Interact with tutors online
and onsite• Classroom time freed up
for projects, problems, discussions, studios … and all things magical
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1968: Experimental Studies Group1969: Concourse1983: Athena System1996: Programmable Bricks (Lego Mindstorm)2001: MIT OpenCourseWare2002: Technology Enhanced Active Learning2003: CyberTutor2003: Scratch Programming Language2005: Online 6.0012012: MITx, edX
A timeline
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The 6.001 experiment (2003-2005)• Moved lectures online
– Audio-annotated power point– Interspersed “finger
exercises”– Pre-work for class
• Online tutor– Programs, other exercises– “Free checking”– Instructor dashboard
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Assessing learning outcomes
• Selected questions covering broad and detailed concepts
• Comparison: one online, one traditional lecture
• Exams normalized
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From that time our destiny was determined!
Providing immediate feedback• Interspersed “finger exercises”
– Reinforces concepts at time of acquisition
– Link to other material– Mine data to find gaps in
knowledge
• Range of tools for automated assessment
• Peer assessment can augment learning experience
• Opportunity to direct learner to discussion forums
• Early evaluations show improved learning
• Will not work for all disciplines?
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