Re:Students Learn as Well from Software as from Live Teachers
by tedmiston on Tuesday May 22, 2012 @10:48AM
(#4008056)
> many college students sitting in a lecture don't engage the material themselves to the same degree and instead rely on the professor to "teach" them instead attempting to learn it on their own.
On the other hand, material in a medium to large lecture is rarely custom tailored to individual students. If half of the class doesn't understand what slope represents in a supply curve, the experience is ruined for the more gifted students desiring to learn the finer points of economics. Once a lecture regresses into basic concepts you already know, at the loss of interesting finer points, it's quite easy to zone out and lose focus. When the "instructor" to student ratio is 1:1, custom tailoring can really benefit those outside the norm.
Even more, the student is driving the educational vehicle. It's quite empowering to be able to skip over videos about concepts I already know, especially when I can confirm my thoughts with a basic exercise (e.g., a multiple choice question, or short code prompt).
On the other hand, material in a medium to large lecture is rarely custom tailored to individual students. If half of the class doesn't understand what slope represents in a supply curve, the experience is ruined for the more gifted students desiring to learn the finer points of economics. Once a lecture regresses into basic concepts you already know, at the loss of interesting finer points, it's quite easy to zone out and lose focus. When the "instructor" to student ratio is 1:1, custom tailoring can really benefit those outside the norm.
Even more, the student is driving the educational vehicle. It's quite empowering to be able to skip over videos about concepts I already know, especially when I can confirm my thoughts with a basic exercise (e.g., a multiple choice question, or short code prompt).