Orientation Day at TUJ

Today, I issued a challenge to Darin, Nabim and Chris and 15 other new and transfer students at Temple University, Japan Campus (TUJ). As director of the International Business Studies program, I get to give a pep talk at the start of every semester.

Nearly all of these students admitted to playing World of Warcraft or Farmville or some online game. No one taught them how to play. They learned the rules and became proficient on their own.

I CHALLENGED these students to:

1. Think about the process(es) they used to learn online games

2. Apply that same vigor to their studies

It’s time for this generation of students to PULL from the academy, not just wait for faculty to PUSH information, exercises and exams.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about learner-centered education. What does it mean? How will we teach if we don’t lecture? How will the students learn? How will we know? These are important questions for those want to challenge centuries-old notions of teaching and learning.

But, if we really want to CHANGE higher education, we can not lead. We must co-create new paradigms with our students. Just as we have to resist the temptation to play “sage on the stage,” students need to step up, and take control of their own learning portfolio.

Faculty are not the only font of knowledge and information. I suggested that students PULL from whatever sources they have available: textbooks (read them before class starts), Blackboard, Wikipedia, fellow students.

I also so suggested that they needed to be critical, not passive, readers of now-abundant info sources. While nearly all admitted to using Wikipedia, only student one had ever looked at the edit pages.

Students can learn the material on their own and view their professors as coaches. No one expects a track coach to be as fast as the runners. No one expects a football coach to actually play soccer. The players must take what they practice and go beyond the abilities of their coach.

This is my challenge.

photo by flickr micah.e