Things iLearned about eLearning

My previous post might make me look like a fast broadband hater, but I’m not, I just hate it when costs get represented as benefits.

Many of the benefits of fast broadband are claimed to be in education. Back when I was a lecturer, I thought that video lectures were some newfangled nonsense and students wouldn’t learn anything unless they came and sat down before me.

Recently, for fun, I’ve been “taking” a Stanford University course on computer programming via iTunes U. Now that I’m on the other side of the camera, I have a different opinion. Video lectures are great! If my mind wanders, I can rewind and review, or fast-forward the boring bits. I can watch the lectures on the bus to work, and review them again when I’m doing the homework problems. At the moment iTunes U lacks the ability for students to interact and ask questions or get their homework marked, but surely these features will come.

It helps that the Stanford course is very well organised and the lecturer, Paul Hegarty, is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Actually this technology is probably bad news for most lecturers. If you’re an average lecturer, why should students come to you when they can access the best in the world? Just like digital music caused the local CD shop to close down, digital teaching might spell the end for local teaching, at least for some subjects like economics and mathematics that are suitable for mass teaching.

I predict in 10 or 20 years we’ll start to see the rise of global teaching megastars, but fewer teachers overall. There will also be opportunities to teach extremely niche subjects where local demand wouldn’t support it, but there is sufficient global demand.