It's as revolutionary as the printing press, but online learning still confounds much of academia.

It's as revolutionary as the printing press, but online learning still confounds much of academia. At a recent conference, the keynote speaker remarked when Googlingthe word "professor" the first site that appears iswww.ratemyprofessors.com. I was surprised although familiar with thissite, in which students evaluate their instructors in a way similar tohow we rate any other product purchased online. At the same conference, I listened attentively as one presenterafter another lectured about how "active learning" includingthe use of technology is now dramatically changing higher education. Thebig change is coming, they said. But saying that change is on its way and applying it in practiceare two different things for today's educators. Even those familiarwith the transformation now taking place on college campuses havedifficulty shifting away from how the business of higher education hasbeen practiced for 1,000 years. From my perspective, here's what the transformation is allabout. First, education is no longer about a place: the college campus.Today, students can take almost any course online. They are no longerbound by geographic location in terms of the college or university theywant to be affiliated with. We now speak of an individual student's"learning space"--the physical, online, real or virtual spacewhich a student creates, using any learning modality modality/mo��dal��i��ty/ (mo-dal��i-te)1. a method of application of, or the employment of, any therapeutic agent, especially a physical agent.2. currentlyavailable, from textbooks to online learning management systems, fromclassrooms to lecture podcasts. For that reason and many others, theuniversity and its professors are no longer at the center of education.The learners are. Long gone are the days when professors were the main holders ofknowledge. Anyone with a computer has access to immediate information.So the question for teachers and students alike becomes how to manageall this data: how to access it, how to sort the good information fromthe bad, how to categorize cat��e��go��rize?tr.v. cat��e��go��rized, cat��e��go��riz��ing, cat��e��go��riz��esTo put into a category or categories; classify.cat it and ultimately use it for solvingproblems. And the nature of the instructional challenges colleges face ischanging as quickly as the rate of new information being created anddisseminated. For instance, why should students memorize mem��o��rize?tr.v. mem��o��rized, mem��o��riz��ing, mem��o��riz��es1. To commit to memory; learn by heart.2. Computer Science To store in memory: the capitals ofAfrican nations when they can see them listed on www.nationsonline.org?Wouldn't a better project be a study of the Africanpopulation's influx into cities during the last ten years? Andbetter yet, an analysis of what triggered that historic migration? But much of academia, with its millennium tradition, is having adifficult time adapting to the new millennium. Long-held rituals such asyearly processionals of its members clad in academic garb--to theaccompaniment of baroque music Baroque music describes an era and a set of styles of European classical music which were in widespread use between approximately 1600 and 1750.[1] This era is said to begin in music after the Renaissance and was followed by the Classical music era. , no less--are evidence of how dear thesetraditions remain. And yet, many institutions of higher education, especially thosewith large numbers of non non-traditional students--working adults--havebegun to respond to the needs of today's learners. It's notsurprising then that community colleges have led the way inacknowledging and embracing the "big change" for quite sometime. They offer courses and even entire programs online, while manyuniversities still cling to Verb 1. cling to - hold firmly, usually with one's hands; "She clutched my arm when she got scared"hold close, hold tight, clutchhold, take hold - have or hold in one's hands or grip; "Hold this bowl for a moment, please"; "A crazy idea took hold of traditional resident students. More people than ever are enrolled today in online courses wherethe instructor's role is to guide learning rather than"profess" it. Following the model of other industries, moreand more colleges and universities now provide students a variety oflearning modalities and formats, from on-campus to online to any blendin Verb 1. blend in - blend or harmonize; "This flavor will blend with those in your dish"; "This sofa won't go with the chairs"blend, gofit, go - be the right size or shape; fit correctly or as desired; "This piece won't fit into the puzzle" between. That means students have more choices than ever before in how toaccess college services. If online is not an option, they are morelikely than ever to shop around and find the institution that offersthis option, be it close to home, outside their state or even in anothercountry. As an industry, education is now global, with the emergence ofuniversities offering online courses worldwide. I look forward to attending a conference, some time in the nearfuture, where presenters lecture less and instead involve me in theirpresentations. I don't need to sit passively listening toinformation directed at me one-way. I can get it from a book, or accessit from my laptop. Students of the new millennium expect nothing less. Never since the invention of the Gutenberg Press in 1440 has highereducation seen a revolution similar to what it is experiencing today.Books have been, and remain, one of the most user-friendly and easy toaccess forms of communication. But given a choice more compelling and proximate proximate/prox��i��mate/ (prok��si-mit) immediate or nearest. prox��i��mateadj.Closely related in space, time, or order; very near; proximal.proximateimmediate; nearest. to individuallearners than any in a millennium, what will we opt for: our books orour laptops? Comments: editor@ccweek.com DIANA ZILBERMAN DIRECTOR OF DISTANCE LEARNING BALTIMORE CITY COMMUNITY COLLEGE Baltimore City Community College dates its origins to the Baltimore Junior College, founded as part of the Baltimore City Public School System in 1947 to provide post-high school education for returning World War II veterans and was the inspiration of Dr. Harry Bard. The author is director of distance learning at Baltimore CityCommunity College, which received six consecutive awards of recognitionfrom the Maryland Distance Learning Association. She is also presidentof Maryland Online and can be reached at 410-462-7719.