What the Shift to Virtual Learning Could Mean for the Future of Higher Ed

當(dāng)某些突發(fā)事件迫使人們針對(duì)一種新的思想觀念進(jìn)行廣泛的社會(huì)實(shí)驗(yàn)時(shí)，社會(huì)和商業(yè)中就會(huì)發(fā)生巨大的結(jié)構(gòu)性變化。例如，在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)期間，當(dāng)美國的男人們?nèi)ゴ蛘虝r(shí)，女人們就積極承擔(dān)起了男人們的工作——并且做得很好。自此之后，即使當(dāng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)結(jié)束，美國的女人們也不再退縮回自己戰(zhàn)前的工作領(lǐng)域。與之類似，美國的千年蟲問題（Y2K problem）需要大量的印度軟件工程師才能解決，結(jié)果導(dǎo)致美國基于就業(yè)的簽證增加了兩倍。在修復(fù)了這一錯(cuò)誤之后，印度工程師證明了自己的實(shí)力，并一舉成為解決類似技術(shù)問題的世界級(jí)領(lǐng)袖?，F(xiàn)如今，Alphabet、微軟、IBM和Adobe都由印度籍的工程師領(lǐng)導(dǎo)。

Tectonic shifts in society and business occur when unexpected events force widespread experimentation around a new idea. During World War II, for instance, when American men went off to war, women proved that they could do?“men’s” work?— and do it well. Women never looked back after that. Similarly, the Y2K problem demanded the extensive use of Indian software engineers, leading to the?tripling of employment-based visas?granted by the U.S. Fixing that bug enabled Indian engineers to establish their credentials, and catapulted them as?world leaders?in addressing technology problems. Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe are all headed by India-born engineers today.

冠狀病毒的流行迫使全球各地開始了遠(yuǎn)程教學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)。有許多跡象表明，這場(chǎng)危機(jī)將改變我們生活的方方面面；如果事實(shí)證明遠(yuǎn)程教學(xué)是成功的，那么教育的變革就將成為這場(chǎng)危機(jī)導(dǎo)致的重大改變之一。但是，我們?cè)趺粗肋h(yuǎn)程教育是否能夠成功呢？為了找到答案，隨著這一大規(guī)模社會(huì)實(shí)驗(yàn)的啟動(dòng)，我們應(yīng)該密切關(guān)注高等教育的商業(yè)模式和優(yōu)質(zhì)大學(xué)教育的可得性等問題。我們應(yīng)該努力收集數(shù)據(jù)，并集中關(guān)注以下三個(gè)方面的問題：

The Coronavirus pandemic forced?global experimentation with remote teaching. There are many indicators that this crisis is going to?transform many aspects of life. Education could be one of them if remote teaching proves to be a success. But how will we know if it is? As this crisis-driven experiment launches, we should be collecting data and paying attention to the following three questions about higher education’s business model and the accessibility of quality college education.

學(xué)生真的需要四年的住宿經(jīng)歷嗎？

Do students really need a four-year residential experience?

為了回答這一問題，我們首先需要了解，目前通行的四年模式的培養(yǎng)方案中，哪些部分能夠被取代，哪些部分可以被補(bǔ)充，哪些部分可以被數(shù)字技術(shù)所補(bǔ)充。

Answering this question requires an understanding of which parts of the current four-year model can be substituted, which parts can be supplemented, and which parts complemented by digital technologies.

理論上來說，個(gè)性化需求、人際交流與互動(dòng)需求較低的講座可以進(jìn)行線下錄制，然后通過多媒體進(jìn)行演示，學(xué)生們可以根據(jù)自己的節(jié)奏和地點(diǎn)選擇觀看。課程中的這種“商品化”部分可以輕易地由一位非大學(xué)講師在課程時(shí)代（Coursera）上講授。因?yàn)楫呥_(dá)哥拉斯定理的教學(xué)在世界各地幾乎都是一樣的。對(duì)于這樣的課程，技術(shù)平臺(tái)能夠以較低的成本將內(nèi)容傳遞給更多的受眾，同時(shí)又不會(huì)犧牲面對(duì)面（F2F）課堂的一個(gè)重要好處——社會(huì)體驗(yàn)，因?yàn)樵谶@些基礎(chǔ)級(jí)別的課程中幾乎沒有什么面對(duì)面交流的必要。

In theory, lectures that require little personalization or human interaction can be recorded as multi-media presentations, to be watched by students at their own pace and place. Such commoditized parts of the curriculum can be easily delivered by a non-university instructor on Coursera, for example; teaching Pythagoras’ theorem is pretty much the same the world over. For such courses, technology platforms can deliver the content to very large audiences at low cost, without sacrificing one of the important benefits of the face-to-face (F2F) classroom, the social experience, because there is hardly any in these basic-level courses.

通過將資源從可商品化的課程中釋放出來，高校將有更多的資源致力于研究型教學(xué)、個(gè)性化問題的解決和導(dǎo)師指導(dǎo)等方面。學(xué)生們也能更為自由地支配更多的資源，因?yàn)樗麄儾槐卦诖髮W(xué)里住上整整四年。他們可以在自己方便的時(shí)候，以更便宜的成本在網(wǎng)上學(xué)習(xí)商品化的課程。他們可以利用在校園里的寶貴時(shí)間進(jìn)行選修課、小組作業(yè)、與老師交流、互動(dòng)和職業(yè)指導(dǎo)等活動(dòng)，這些事情是無法遠(yuǎn)程完成的。此外，校園還可以促進(jìn)社交網(wǎng)絡(luò)、實(shí)地項(xiàng)目和全球?qū)W習(xí)考察活動(dòng)的發(fā)展——這些都需要面對(duì)面的交流和參與。這是一種混合式的教育模式，它的前景非常廣闊，可以讓每個(gè)人都能負(fù)擔(dān)得起大學(xué)教育。

By freeing resources from courses that can be commoditized, colleges would have more resources to commit to research-based teaching, personalized problem solving, and mentorship. The students would also have more resources at their disposal, too, because they wouldn’t have to reside and devote four full years at campuses. They would take commoditized courses online at their convenience and at much cheaper cost. They can use precious time they spend on campus for electives, group assignments, faculty office hours, interactions, and career guidance, something that cannot be done remotely. In addition, campuses can facilitate social networking, field-based projects, and global learning expeditions — that require F2F engagements. This is a hybrid model of education that has the potential to make college education more affordable for everybody.

但我們真的能成功轉(zhuǎn)向混合模式嗎？隨著這項(xiàng)社會(huì)實(shí)驗(yàn)的深入開展，我們馬上就會(huì)得出答案了。目前看來，參與遠(yuǎn)程上課的不僅是學(xué)生，就連老師現(xiàn)在也被迫在家里授課。幾周前還坐在一起上著同一門課的學(xué)生和老師，現(xiàn)在也開始嘗試不同的上課方法了。因此，在其他條件相同的情況下，師生雙方都可以對(duì)比，究竟是面對(duì)面交流還是遠(yuǎn)程授課體驗(yàn)更好。

But can we shift to a hybrid model? We’re about to find out. It is not just the students who are taking classes remotely, even the instructors are now forced to teach those classes from their homes. The same students and instructors that met until a few weeks back for the same courses, are now trying alternative methods. So, both parties can compare their F2F and remote experiences, all else held equal.

在目前的教學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)中，學(xué)生、教授和大學(xué)管理人員必須記錄有哪些課程受益于遠(yuǎn)程教學(xué)，又有哪些課程進(jìn)展并不順利。他們必須好好維護(hù)聊天室，方便匿名討論技術(shù)問題、課程設(shè)計(jì)、授課過程和教學(xué)方法。這些數(shù)據(jù)可以為將來的決策提供有利參考，比如什么時(shí)候以及為什么有些課程應(yīng)該遠(yuǎn)程授課，哪些課程應(yīng)該留在校園內(nèi)面對(duì)面授課，哪些校園內(nèi)的課程應(yīng)該得到技術(shù)的補(bǔ)充。

With the current experiment, students, professors, and university administrators must keep a record of which classes are benefiting from being taught remotely and which ones are not going so well. They must maintain chat rooms that facilitate anonymized discussions about the technology issues, course design, course delivery, and evaluation methods. These data points can inform future decisions about when — and why — some classes should be taught remotely, which ones should remain on the campus, and which within-campus classes should be supplemented or complemented by technology.

需要對(duì)IT基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施進(jìn)行哪些改進(jìn)才能使其更適合在線教育？

What improvements are required in IT infrastructure to make it more suitable for online education?

現(xiàn)如今，我們之中許多人日常的行程安排表已經(jīng)被虛擬會(huì)議所充斥。我們清楚地發(fā)現(xiàn)，在遠(yuǎn)程學(xué)習(xí)真正開始之前，有一些硬件和軟件問題必須得到解決。毫無疑問，數(shù)字技術(shù)（移動(dòng)、云端、人工智能等）可以大規(guī)模部署，但我們也知道，仍然有很多工作要做。在硬件方面，我們需要解決帶寬容量和數(shù)字資源不平等的問題。在面對(duì)面授課中，由于在同一個(gè)班里的學(xué)生聽到的是相同的課程，所以這種授課方式敉平了非常多的差異。然而，在線教育則擴(kuò)大了數(shù)字資源不平等的鴻溝。富裕的學(xué)生擁有最先進(jìn)的筆記本電腦、更好的帶寬、更穩(wěn)定的wifi連接，以及更復(fù)雜的視聽設(shè)備。

As so many of us whose daily schedules have become a list of virtual meetings can attest, there are hardware and software issues that must be addressed before remote learning can really take off. We have no doubt that digital technologies (mobile, cloud, AI, etc.) can be deployed at scale, yet we also know that much more needs to be done. On the hardware side, bandwidth capacity and digital inequalities need addressing. The F2F setting levels lots of differences, because students in the same class get the same delivery. Online education, however, amplifies the digital divide. Rich students have the latest laptops, better bandwidths, more stable wifi connections, and more sophisticated audio-visual gadgets.

電話會(huì)議軟件可能是一個(gè)不錯(cuò)的上課方式，但它缺乏一些關(guān)鍵的功能，比如無法容納較大的班級(jí)規(guī)模，同時(shí)也無法提供個(gè)性化的體驗(yàn)。在面對(duì)面的現(xiàn)場(chǎng)教學(xué)中，即使在1000名學(xué)生的課堂上，老師也能察覺到學(xué)生是否有效吸收了學(xué)習(xí)內(nèi)容，并能夠相應(yīng)地改變教學(xué)的節(jié)奏。而學(xué)生也能察覺到他們是否問了太多問題，是否拖慢了整個(gè)課堂的進(jìn)程。我們的技術(shù)是否足以適應(yīng)虛擬環(huán)境下的各種特性？我們還需要開發(fā)哪些功能？教師和學(xué)生必須注意并討論他們的痛點(diǎn)，并促進(jìn)和要求這些相關(guān)方面的技術(shù)發(fā)展。

Software for conference calls may be a good start, but it can’t handle some key functionalities such as accommodating large class sizes while also providing a personalized experience. Even in a 1,000-student classroom, an instructor can sense if students are absorbing concepts, and can change the pace of the teaching accordingly. A student can sense whether they are asking too many questions, and are delaying the whole class. Is our technology good enough to accommodate these features virtually? What more needs to be developed? Instructors and students must note and should discuss their pain points, and facilitate and demand technological development in those areas.

此外，在線課程需要實(shí)地的教育支持——教學(xué)設(shè)計(jì)師、培訓(xùn)師和課程教練——以確保學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)進(jìn)程和課程的完成效率。數(shù)字鴻溝也存在于大學(xué)之間，這一點(diǎn)在接下來的實(shí)驗(yàn)中將變得十分明顯。與預(yù)算緊缺的公立大學(xué)相比，頂尖的私立大學(xué)擁有更好的IT基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施，每個(gè)教員的IT支持人員比例也更高。

In addition, online courses require educational support on the ground: Instructional designers, trainers, and coaches to ensure student learning and course completion. Digital divide also exists among universities, which will become apparent in the current experiment. Top private universities have better IT infrastructure and higher IT support staff ratio for each faculty compared to budget-starved public universities.

為了促進(jìn)觀念和行為方式的改變教師和學(xué)生需要做哪些培訓(xùn)？

What training efforts are required for faculty and students to facilitate changes in mindsets and behaviors?

并非所有的教師都對(duì)虛擬教室感到滿意，在那些甚至從未使用過基本視聽設(shè)備的教師（他們僅僅依靠黑板和掛圖進(jìn)行教學(xué)），和那些了解并熟悉新技術(shù)的年輕教師之間也存在著數(shù)字鴻溝。隨著全國各地的學(xué)生進(jìn)入網(wǎng)絡(luò)教室進(jìn)行學(xué)習(xí)，他們會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，許多教師并未接受過設(shè)計(jì)和制作多媒體演示文稿的培訓(xùn)，也沒有使用過復(fù)雜的符號(hào)和圖表。學(xué)校需要做出評(píng)估，弄清楚究竟需要什么樣的培訓(xùn)來提供一種令人滿意的教學(xué)體驗(yàn)。

Not all faculty members are comfortable with virtual classrooms and there is a digital divide among those who have never used even the basic audio-visual equipment, relying on blackboards and flipcharts, and younger faculty who are aware of and adept in newer technology. As students across the nation enter online classrooms in the coming weeks, they’re going to learn that many instructors are not trained to design multimedia presentations, with elaborate notations and graphics. Colleges and universities need to use this moment to assess what training is needed to provide a smooth experience.

不止是老師，學(xué)生也面臨一系列的有關(guān)在線課程的問題。他們必須遵循大學(xué)的培養(yǎng)計(jì)劃，在規(guī)定的時(shí)間內(nèi)完成相應(yīng)的課時(shí)，而不能無限期拖延下去。在網(wǎng)上，他們會(huì)覺得自己與同齡人或大學(xué)同學(xué)的群體相脫節(jié)；而在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活，這樣一種群體會(huì)向其中的個(gè)體灌輸一種競(jìng)爭(zhēng)意識(shí)，能夠激發(fā)所有人追求卓越的精神。在網(wǎng)上做任何事情，我們的注意力集中時(shí)間都不會(huì)很長(zhǎng)，因?yàn)閷W(xué)生們?cè)趨⒓釉诰€課程的同時(shí)，還要處理多項(xiàng)任務(wù)，比如查收電子郵件，與朋友聊天，網(wǎng)上沖浪等等。

Students also face a number of issues with online courses. Committing to follow the university calendar forces them to finish a course, instead of procrastinating it forever. And online they can feel as they don’t belong to a peer group or a college cohort, which in real life instils a sense of competition, motivating all to excel. Anything done online suffers from attention span, because students multi-task, check emails, chat with friends, and surf the Web while attending online lectures. We’re parents and professors; we know this is true.

這些心態(tài)能夠改變嗎？現(xiàn)在，我們正在進(jìn)行試錯(cuò)實(shí)驗(yàn)來找出答案。教師和學(xué)生都在努力調(diào)整自己。隨著課程的教授，教學(xué)大綱和課程內(nèi)容正在逐步修訂和完善。學(xué)習(xí)效果的評(píng)估方法，如考試和測(cè)驗(yàn)，正在轉(zhuǎn)換為在線考試。在如此短暫的時(shí)間之內(nèi)，大學(xué)的管理人員和學(xué)生團(tuán)體正在進(jìn)行積極調(diào)整，并允許教師制定和創(chuàng)造他們自己覺得最棒的課程計(jì)劃。教師、學(xué)生和大學(xué)的管理者都應(yīng)該積極討論：從虛擬教育開始的第一天到第X天，教學(xué)過程和學(xué)習(xí)情況究竟是如何變化的。這一舉措將為培養(yǎng)未來的虛擬教育者和學(xué)習(xí)者提供有益的幫助。

Can these mindsets change? Right now we are (necessarily, due to social distancing) running trial and error experiments to find out. Both teachers and students are readjusting and recalibrating in the middle of teaching semesters. The syllabus and course contents are being revised as the courses are being taught. Assessment methods, such as exams and quizzes are being converted to online submissions. University administrators and student bodies are being accommodative and are letting instructors innovate their own best course, given such short notice. Instructors, students, and university administrators should all be discussing how the teaching and learning changes between day 1 of virtual education and day X. This will provide clues for how to train future virtual educators and learners.

一場(chǎng)巨大的實(shí)驗(yàn)

A Vast Experiment

冠狀病毒已經(jīng)迫使全球開展一項(xiàng)實(shí)驗(yàn)，該實(shí)驗(yàn)對(duì)比了寄宿大學(xué)提供的一系列服務(wù)與類似Coursera這樣的在線教育供應(yīng)商提供的超低成本教育之間的差異，并迫使人們?cè)诙咧g進(jìn)行有關(guān)成本和效益的權(quán)衡與抉擇。幾年前，專家們?cè)?jīng)預(yù)測(cè)，大規(guī)模在線開放課程，如可汗學(xué)院（Khan Academy）、課程時(shí)代（Coursera）、優(yōu)達(dá)學(xué)城（Udacity）和edX等等，將全面取代面對(duì)面的大學(xué)教育——正如數(shù)字技術(shù)取代了電話接線員和旅行社的工作一樣。然而，迄今為止，面對(duì)面的大學(xué)教育經(jīng)受住了時(shí)間的考驗(yàn)。

The coronavirus pandemic has forced a global experiment that could highlight the differences between, and cost-benefit trade off of, the suite of services offered by a residential university and the ultra low-cost education of an online education provider like Coursera. Some years ago,?experts had predicted?that massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity, and edX, would kill F2F college education — just as digital technologies killed off the jobs of telephone operators and travel agents. Until now, however, F2F college education has stood the test of time.

實(shí)驗(yàn)可能表明，四年的面對(duì)面大學(xué)教育不能再躺在它過去的功勞簿上無所事事了。已經(jīng)有各種各樣等因素表明，高等教育市場(chǎng)的分裂時(shí)機(jī)已經(jīng)成熟了。而冠狀病毒的流行可能恰好提供了這種時(shí)機(jī)。我們現(xiàn)在如何實(shí)驗(yàn)、測(cè)試、記錄和理解我們對(duì)這一改變的反應(yīng)，將決定在線教育是否以及如何成為未來的一個(gè)機(jī)遇。危機(jī)消退后，是否所有學(xué)生都應(yīng)該回到教室，繼續(xù)保持現(xiàn)狀？還是說我們會(huì)找到更好的選擇呢？

The experiment might show that four-year F2F college education can no longer rest on its laurels. A variety of factors — most notably the continuously increasing cost of tuition, already?out of reach?for most families, implies that the post-secondary education market is?ripe for disruption. The coronavirus crisis may just be that disruption. How we experiment, test, record, and understand our responses to it now will determine whether and how online education develops as an opportunity for the future.?After the crisis subsides, is it best for all students to return to the classroom, and continue the status quo? Or will we have found a better alternative?

關(guān)鍵詞：?教育?機(jī)遇?人工智能

維賈伊·戈文達(dá)拉揚(yáng)(VijayGovindarajan)、阿努普·斯利瓦斯塔瓦（AnupSrivastava）|文

維賈伊·戈文達(dá)拉揚(yáng)是達(dá)特茅斯大學(xué)塔克商學(xué)院考克斯杰出教授，也是硅谷孵化器Mach 49的教員合伙人。阿努普·斯利瓦斯塔瓦是加拿大會(huì)計(jì)、決策和資本市場(chǎng)研究的主席，也是卡爾加里大學(xué)哈斯卡耶商學(xué)院的副教授。他研究了數(shù)字公司的估值和財(cái)務(wù)報(bào)告的挑戰(zhàn)。

張振濤|譯? 周強(qiáng)|校