Rethinking the Learning Experience

The conventional pedagogic approach is constantly being questioned. New technologies have generated many important benefits in the field of education and have designated the traditional paradigm as only one facet of a multi-dimensional spectrum. You might ask – if academic lectures are widely available on YouTube, why go to class? In fact, why get a university degree at all?

Realizing that the Technion must redefine its approach to remain relevant and a worldwide leader in science and technology, the university is devising a broad strategy to update the teaching and learning processes across all faculties. The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically accelerated this process, sparking a worldwide overnight switch to digital learning.

Prof. Oded Rabinovitch, Senior Executive Vice President of the Technion, explains that the university is indeed in the midst of a broad conceptual change: “We are shifting from a focus on teaching and learning to a wider mission that also includes educating. Education is much more than simply transmitting knowledge; it is also about social and environmental awareness, ethical values, understanding historical context and realizing the full potential of all faculty members. In fact, education is just as much about values as about skills. The broader look at university-level education and the availability of a variety of digital means point to the need to rethink and perhaps leverage the added value of our faculty and the meaning and value we contribute to the development of the next generation of scientific and engineering leadership.”

A window of opportunity

The Technion’s plan to support new modes of teaching and learning is being developed by the Steering Committee for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Undergraduate Studies, under the leadership of Prof. Hossam Haick, Dean of Undergraduate Studies. The committee recently submitted a report describing the need to upgrade the students’ educational experience both on and off-campus. According to the report, the pandemic has generated a window of opportunity, facilitating processes of deep change in academia and encouraging the implementation of new approaches.

One of the most fundamental changes recommended by the committee’s report is to teach Technion students 21st-century skills crucial for thriving in the contemporary workplace. Among them are leadership, complex problem solving, teamwork, entrepreneurial skills, and a heightened awareness of social and environmental issues. Tools that encourage the acquisition of these skills will be incorporated into courses throughout the Technion.

Education is much more than simply transmitting knowledge; it is also about social and environmental awareness, ethical values, understanding historical context and realizing the full potential of all faculty members

The Technion Center for Promotion of Learning and Teaching, which is spearheading implementation of the plan, has been significantly bolstered to meet the challenge. Headed by Dr. Olga Chuntonov, the Center has recently launched an innovative pilot program: assigning pedagogic change agents to specific faculties. These education specialists are tasked with upgrading and modernizing the learning experience in their faculty. They are highly qualified academic professionals with expertise in the discipline where they are embedded and well suited to work with the teaching staff to update the curricula and teaching models. Faculty members are urged to receive training in modern teaching technologies and up-to-date pedagogic approaches using the Center’s resources.

Prof. Ido Roll and Dr. Olga Chuntonov use an electronic light board to record a lecture

“Until now, faculty members interested in upgrading their teaching methods had to consult the Center voluntarily. Now we are investing in the Center’s professional team. The education specialists proactively act within the faculties and bring the needed resources and skills to train lecturers, develop new content and embed digital components in the curriculum. All the Deans are very enthusiastic,” notes Assoc. Prof. Ido Roll of the Faculty of Education in Science and Technology. This program will be evaluated at the end of the one-year pilot period and will hopefully be expanded to include more faculties.

Reaching a digital equilibrium

One of the university’s biggest challenges is finding equilibrium on the spectrum that spans from 100% traditional face-to-face to 100% digital learning. “Students may prefer Zoom, but face-to-face classes are critically important,” explains Prof. Haick. “Our vision is that large introductory courses will include significant online components, while more advanced courses will be ‘blended’ – meaning that they will be in person but will include digital technologies to enhance the inter-action between students and teachers.” These include tools such as online simulations, virtual labs, interactive assignments, etc. Introducing digital tasks throughout the semester will encourage students to learn continuously rather than “cram” before exams.

One of the models of blended learning that is gaining traction at the Technion is the “flipped class-room,” where students learn the course material at home through digital platforms and then meet in classroom settings to discuss the material under the teacher’s guidance. The Technion is also encouraging professors to develop MOOC courses, which are free online courses typically attended by tens of thousands of people worldwide. This is an excellent way to promote the Technion internationally and draw attention to the unique achievements and knowledge of its teaching faculty.

According to the Steering Committee for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, the primary motivation for promoting digital learning in academic courses is the understanding that digital elements such as flipped classrooms can significantly improve the teaching quality and make classes more accessible to a larger audience. They enable greater collab-oration among students, including students from different faculties and universities. Furthermore, they create spaces for diverse and complementary knowledge that connect students and faculty members. These virtual platforms can also be used as spaces that encourage collaborations among undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students, enabling a vertical integration.

‘Blended’ learning includes digital technologies to enhance the interaction between students and teachers

Another key aspect of the current strategic change involves a new approach to teacher evaluations. Several pilot programs are testing various ways to obtain meaning-ful feedback from students. One example entails testing students six months after completing a course to see what they remember. Another innovative program uses a digital platform to ask students every half hour during a lecture whether they understand the material, with the professor receiving their feedback in real time. These are among the new tools that the Center for Promotion of Learning and Teaching is training lecturers to use and are part of the Technion’s new strategic approach to enhance its students’ overall education.

This article was originally published in the June 2022 President’s Report.