AHE 591: Lesson 1

Greetings AHE 591! My name is Matthew Burttram. I am the Technical Division Advisor at Gadsden State Community College. I previously worked as a Career Coach at Gadsden State, and as Upward Bound Advisor at Snead State Community College. I have been married to my beautiful wife, Emily, for three years. We had our first child, Andrew, almost two months ago on April 8th. I am pursuing an Ed.D. in Higher Education Administration, and take the majority of my classes through the UA Gadsden Center.

In regard to Lesson 1, I read "The Future of Higher Education" article by Pew Research. The article stems from a survey in which respondents were asked how much technology will change higher education by the year 2020. I enjoyed reading the varied responses of those who were surveyed. Some of the comments I heartily agree with, while others...not so much.

If I were surveyed, I am of the opinion that that technology will continue to change higher education over the next five-and-a-half years, particularly in how instruction is delivered. However, I do not see an upheaval of higher education any time soon because of technological advances in our society, nor would I recommend it, as some respondents suggested in the article. Here is why...

Much of what I read about technology is how it connects us and brings us closer together. But, I have found that in some ways technology does just the opposite. It often makes my relationships with others more shallow. When my relationship with someone is reduced to "liking" a Facebook post, or "retweeting" a Twitter message, there is a depth in the human experience that is lost. When it comes to education, proponents of using more technology seem to verbalize how information that was once only available to a select few (students who pay the outrageous tuition rates that universities require) is now available to everyone in the world with an Internet connection. This is true to some degree. But, I would also say that, personally, some of my richest, most memorable, learning experiences have happened in a brick-and-mortar lecture class. There is something to be said about interacting face-to-face with other students in a learning environment where there is a dynamic teacher imparting knowledge and leading classroom discussions. I hope that we who work in higher education are not quick to get rid of this type of experience.

I am all for using technology that is available to supplement the educational and learning experience. For those who have families to raise and full-time jobs, online learning may be the only way they can earn a degree. But, I agree with Matthew Allen, professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Australia. "Universities are not just portals where students access learning. They are places in which people develop as social beings, in some quite specifically institutional ways."