E-Learning Evolution: The Global Higher Education and Teacher Mentoring Network: Part I

As we progress to looking at the Global Higher Education and Teacher Mentoring Network, it would be prudent to summarize first where we have been before moving forward with the global E-Learning re-organization proposal.

GLOBAL E-LEARNING PORTAL

Summary

• Global online education covering the planet is established through the development and institution of 6 Global E-Learning Portals.

• Each Global E-Learning Portal consists of 4 collaborative networks that advise and take direction from a central hub called the Global E-Learning Hub

• The Global E-Learning Hub has three primary functions: (a) It is an established "learning community" that students, who belong to the family of nations that the learning portal oversees with respect to education,can login to, collaborate with other students and receive personalized, adaptive learning according to their personal needs and learning profile. (b) It also has the responsibility to take direction and advice from the four networks that are part of the portal. This is especially important in its collaboration with the Cross Disciplinary Research and Mentor Network which serves the needs of learners by establishing a mentor relationship with professionals in the Sciences, Arts, Technology and Mathematics disciplines, and (c) It is a professional collaboration and innovation community.

• The other networks and councils are: (a) The Business and Education Innovation Council which maintains close ties with corporations who are part of the family of nations involved in establishing a learning and innovation culture for their respective organizations and is a forum for their employees to present proposals, (b) Global Corporate Trainers, Instructional Designers and Learning Principles Educator Network which collaborates with the Business and Education Innovation Council and also promotes and designs E-Learning ideas in collaboration with the Global E-Learning Hub, and (d) The Global Higher Education and Teacher Mentoring Network.

Cross Disciplinary Learning and Higher Education

As was pointed out in a previous posting, cross disciplinary learning is becoming more and more important in solving real world problems that have become more and more complex. The skillsets required to analyze and solve these problems require collaboration that cross a variety of disciplines. A bright spot in this is that the STEAM disciplines are starting to recognize this more and more as indicated by the rise of cross disciplinary research. The compartmentalization of disciplines are starting to transform into hybrids designed to challenge the problems of the 21st century.

Credit: www.engent.blogspot.ca

Although research is starting to adopt the cross disciplinary and collaborative mindset, the institutions with the mandate to educate 21st century learners have shown a great deal of inertia when it comes to breaking free from the industrial model of education. Their experimentation with online education via the use of MOOCS has garnered mixed results but it is improving. They need to recognize that the technology advances will not improve their efforts if their pedagogy does not change

De-Programming Education Faculties

Since most major universities have faculties of education responsible for the training of teachers, if the university is still mired in the old model of education it will be the same situation for the faculty responsible for training educators. De-programming these faculties is now essential if we are ever to have teachers who have a renewed purpose to be agents of change and encourage their students to be agents of change and creators of new knowledge and skillsets. It requires deprogramming minds and preparing them for a new mindset that is going to have an exciting impact on their careers as educators and on the students as agents of change in their respective societies.

In order for these transformations to take place, E-Learning needs to communicate and even mentor educators and the faculties they attend in this cross disciplinary way of learning. This explains one of the purposes of the Global Higher Learning and Teacher Mentoring Network which I intend to describe in more detail in the next post.

Just as a side note, I know that some of the labels I have used for these networks and councils might be a bit unwieldy. If you could suggest alternative labels that would be better, I am open to suggestions. After all, I am a life long learner!

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