Computer Based Education
I’ve been a fan of computer based education for years now. It has begun to emerge as online classes, and there are a host of education games for kids to play-but it doesn’t seem to be as much as it could be. I’ve even been tempted to try to get some form of psych/compsci/edu degree, but feel it is too much of a gamble at my age.
There are several principal benefits to CBE as I see it. 1.) No longer limited by geography, we can gear educational techniques to smaller populations in our society. In a school with a few hundred students, it would not be economical nor very feasible to coach education to one specific student. However, when sampling a population of a few hundred million, there may be several thousand or more students similar to him/her and warrant such an endeavor. 2.) as an extension to premise one, rooting out learning difficulties would be much easier. We could compare students with other students who had similar difficulties and have since moved on. We could also extrapolate which problems the current student ‘will’ face based on how the similar students fared. Specific learning programs could be generated to solve those problems before they occur. 3.) During the CBE course how students peform can be recorded. Later during review sessions (or before an exam) the ’software’ could remember what the student had gotten wrong before and focus specifically on those issues. 4.) as an extension to 3 the software could be used as reviews later on down the road to upgrade their class credit or merely for self benefit. 5.) the course content can always be kept up to date with current events. It may also be possible that as an extension to 4, people could take a condensed version of a modern version of a course where changes may have occured-such as new technologies or theories. 6.) a Computer Based Education system can be much cheaper to export to nations without adequate education, the infrastructure would not be nearly as intensive as school systems are today. This is already in effect in part with donated used computer systems to developing nations. It is much more cost effective and students can get access to information comparable with what developed nations students receive. The education requirement on the teachers part is minimal, the cost of maintaining dozens of books is offset-in fact some text books are released for free via the internet. 7.) CBE systems can make use of video, audio, and games for a student rather than just straight text. It can be far more interactive and therefore entertaining. 8.) The most important aspect to CBE in my opinion, is that subjects can be divided up into individual units rather than full semesters. Students can progress at their own rate. There is no need to lump it all together into one 4 month class. Also, if done properly the full information could be available through the CBE program. Students could follow ‘links’ to gain further knowledge that may not be a requirement of that specific class, but can go towards the credit for a future course. 9.) The feedback can be instant. Each time using the CBE program, the student can see how much of the subject he/she has learned. One of the most addictive components to games and online games, is seeing a "you have gotten better at" or "you have leveled up". With the online classes I’ve taken through the university, often weekly quizzes will give my grade back after completing it. I don’t need to wait a week for a returned test, of several months for a grade, of even several years for a degree. I see that my work has went towards something immediately. There is a reward factor to it. Too often I get into cycles will I find my work is wasted. Having that instant feed back keeps me going.
There you have it. The main benefits to computer based education as I see it. The technology is here now, we just haven’t fully made that leap. I used to have a few business models. The problem is having it count as much as a normal school. I find that if it were done privately rather than on a federal or state level, the program would have to begin as a tutoring system. With a set payment fee every month to access to the resources. One resource which would help would be the use of tutors, preferably college students who would have access to a large database to assist students over the internet via some messaging system. Generating information would have to be paying teachers to create lectures and units of information for a set price rather than through royalties. The goal would have to be that the information grows over time, rather than being replaced-royalty payments would get in the way of that. I do not think totally getting rid of school as is would be feasible, the system would have to start off as assisting education as it is now, which is why I suggest a tutoring system. If developed enough it would serve as a replacement for school for people who need it, but from numerous conversations people don’t feel confident giving their childrens education over to a computer rather than a classroom. Not to mention school is often considered daycare. The number one wall I run into is that students would not get the socialization necessary to function in the world.
