Brown and DuGuid are turning out to be an easy, fascinating read. I like how they make the point that "Despite predictions about the end of the campus as we know it, we suspect that the university of the digital age may not look very different. It will still require classrooms, labs, libraries, and other facilities. Nonetheless, we are sure that organizationally it will be very different". This makes sense to me, in the respect that technology now offers more transparency and quicker response time in dealing with the administrative aspects of university life. I do think that human beings are inherently social creatures, so the brick and mortar facilities are in no way on the verge of extinction. I liken this to the debate over books, and whether or not the printed word will still be around in 100 years. Of course it will. There are simply some things that people like and are comfortable with, like the smell of paper and the turning of a page, that technology cannot replicate. So it is with people needing social contact with others, it is wired into our collective DNA.
In regards to distance education, I have to disagree with our esteemed authors a tad. I think they underestimate the potential and ability of such education to enable "stealing" of knowledge, and constructing of knowledge. As a distance education student in my fourth semester working on my Masters, I can unequivocally state that the ability to obtain both knowledge in both ways is readily apparent and available, and at least in my case, those opportunities are not "designed out" but are encouraged and supported, via instant messaging, email, blogs, wikis, online collaborations, online class chats, and much more. I also find as a distance education student, working asynchronously and fitting in study when I can, greater ownership of my program if study, precisely because my fellow students and I are in the same boat and have to work together to get the most out of the program. We are also given opportunities through our university several times a year to meet in person and compare notes, and meetings are often also set up independent of the university. Distance learning, given the right level of university support, enhances collective learning and makes it easy to share and pass on knowledge.
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Although this is only my second online course I have taken thus far, I must agree with your statements. The online platform does allow for quite a bit of collaboration and ways in which to "steal" knowledge. However, it is also important to keep in mind the success of the course often relies on the instructor's ability to present the materials in an effective way to an online audience. And as for this course, Professor Garwood aka library steve always manages to keep me engaged. :)
I agree with your comments on distance education. I think B&D definitely underestimated the response of universities to this medium and its potential as a constructive learning environment.
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