When it comes to liberal-arts education, online learning changes only the tools
Preview:
“Nothing ever changes in academia,” the refrain goes. “Universities still teach the same way they did in the Middle Ages!” Usually I hear this tune from folks in the business world. Trustees at Wesleyan University, where I am president, have for years been singing the siren’s song to professors about the benefits of online teaching, and usually the answer they get is: “It just doesn’t work.” Well, things in academia are changing now! The coronavirus has upended our plans and our prejudices. Students have left their campuses, and entire curricula have shifted into distance-learning mode.
Originally published: April 27, 2020
Author: Michael S. Roth
Position: President
Institution: Wesleyan University
Published by: The Hechinger Report