Adapting to a 21st Century Education
Dr. Rey Rosales, Associate Dean for MacEwan University’s Centre for the Arts and Communications, recently had his article focusing on the classroom syllabus published in a popular American information technology magazine.
Rosales’ article, The Syllabus and a 21st Century Education, appears in the current issue of Educause Quarterly (EQ), the flagship publication for Educause - a non-profit association whose mission is to advance higher education by promoting the intelligent use of information technology.
21st Century Educational Reform
According to Rosales, one of the ways we can implement 21st century educational reform is by updating the instructor-student learning contract – specifically, the syllabus. “Making the syllabus more digital should be the first step for 21st century instructors teaching 21st century students,” says Rosales. “This roadmap for learning acts like a herald for pedagogical styles – and this far into the millennium, the syllabus should be resoundingly digital,” he adds.
Rosales’ research points to the fact that students feel lost in the classroom, failing to see the relevance many postsecondary courses have to their everyday lives. “We need to stay relevant and current, and this is a good way to heighten interest among students and to keep them engaged with learning,” he says. “It’s a unique idea within Edmonton and throughout the world. People need to get over the fact that we’re not going back to paper-based textbooks and other 20th century learning practices.”
Bachelor of Communication Studies
Dr. Rosales also discussed and shared many of the ideas in this article to the faculty and colleagues in the Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS) program. A committee from this program meets regularly to discuss the current and future curriculum of the new degree which was introduced this year. The BCS group has been proactive in integrating new online resources as well as strengthening social media options for the classroom.
Educause has a membership comprising of more than 2,200 colleges, universities, and educational organizations, with more than 300,000 subscribers in North America.
Rosales’ full article can be found at Educause Quarterly.
