{"id":1232,"date":"2018-08-31T16:06:50","date_gmt":"2018-08-31T20:06:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jou.ufl.edu\/going-greater\/50-anniversary\/where-we-are-going\/journalism-future-2\/"},"modified":"2018-09-12T14:50:40","modified_gmt":"2018-09-12T18:50:40","slug":"future-undergrad","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.jou.ufl.edu\/going-greater\/50-anniversary\/where-we-are-going\/future-undergrad\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"By Dr. Michael Weigold<\/a><\/strong>
\nAssociate Dean, Undergraduate Affairs and Enrollment Management<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forecasting is a dangerous game in education.\u00a0 Far from being isolated \u201civory towers,\u201d public universities are at the center of government regulation, public opinion, changing student demographics, accrediting regulations, and evolving industries.\u00a0 That said, some trends, many of which have been underway for several years now, offer guidance as to how teaching will evolve over the coming years.<\/p>\n

Data and Accountability<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Dating to the early days of the Obama administration and its creation of \u201cscorecards,\u201d a reliance on data for assessing effectiveness continues to this day and will become even more important in the future.\u00a0 Whether it is timely graduation, meeting student learning outcomes, demonstrating institutional effectiveness, or determining the success of diversity initiatives, data are part of the daily operation of every college.<\/p>\n

Our college is involved in extensive data collection that goes above and beyond that required by UF through the use of our graduating senior survey.\u00a0 This survey provides insights into the experiences, classes, people, and student backgrounds that predict not only graduation but also employment on graduation, salary in first job, grad school admission, and overall satisfaction.<\/p>\n

How does this relate to teaching?\u00a0 The survey allows us to determine what classes, skills, immersion experiences, independent studies, student backgrounds, and internships best predict success.\u00a0 From that, we can better tailor the curriculum, and individual courses, to ensure greater student thriving.\u00a0 Tomorrow\u2019s teachers will routinely consult dashboards to better understand what experiences are accelerating student learning and what experiences are hindering it.<\/p>\n

Practical or Theoretical?\u00a0 The Future is in Both<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Primarily a professional school for undergraduates, CJC has traditionally emphasized real-world experience, the essentials of professional practice, and a deep appreciation of the industries that we serve.\u00a0 In recent years, we\u2019ve also ensured that students understand underlying processes that inform these practices.\u00a0 Media channels, software, and digital technologies will continue to evolve, but the processes of learning, attitude change, and behavioral modification will not.\u00a0 This suggests that the ideal background of tomorrow\u2019s communication teachers will reflect both social and behavioral science and real-world experience.<\/p>\n

Doing Great Things<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Contemporary students are anxious to lead and are motivated to address real-world challenges.\u00a0 These motives dovetail perfectly with the reality that the best way to incorporate new knowledge is to apply it.\u00a0 Immediately.<\/p>\n

Traditional \u201cbook learning\u201d remains important, but effective teachers know that such learning evaporates quickly if students are not given the opportunity to practice what they\u2019ve learned.\u00a0 Today\u2019s best teachers spend less time on information dissemination (which can be dealt with via effective texts, videos, educational games, etc.) and more on coaching, mentoring, and feedback on student exercises, projects, and simulations.\u00a0By encouraging students to produce real, meaningful, challenging work products, teachers help students to master important skills, grow in confidence, and offer value to future employers.<\/p>\n

In my opinion, the best measure of a course\u2019s effectiveness is a surprisingly simple metric: what are students able to do as a result of taking the class?\u00a0 Universities of today celebrate sports coaches who train and inspire their athletes to win championships.\u00a0\u00a0 In the same way, teachers who can cultivate important, challenging, and relevant competencies offer greatest value to the university of the future.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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