Peers and LearningPeers and LearningA Solution to the A Solution to the

“Teacher Bandwidth” Problem“Teacher Bandwidth” Problem

David Wiley, Ph.D.David Wiley, Ph.D.Assistant ProfessorAssistant Professor

Instructional TechnologyInstructional TechnologyUtah State UniversityUtah State University

OverviewOverview

AssumptionsAssumptions

AffordancesAffordances

AlternativesAlternatives

Another assumptionAnother assumption

Ants & beesAnts & bees

The 1:1 AssumptionThe 1:1 Assumption

All other things being equal, the optimal All other things being equal, the optimal student to teacher ratio is one-to-onestudent to teacher ratio is one-to-one

Assumption + distance education?Assumption + distance education?

“The dilemma presented by individually tailored instruction is that it combines an instructional imperative with an economic impossibility. With few exceptions, one instructor for every student, despite its advantages, is not affordable. Instructional technology promises to provide most of the advantages of individualized instruction at affordable cost while maintaining consistent, measurable, high-quality content.”

-ADL / SCORM

Inside the Assumption Inside the Assumption

“The dilemma presented by individually tailored instruction is that it combines an instructional imperative with an economic impossibility. With few exceptions, one instructor for every student, despite its advantages, is not affordable.”

Individually tailored instruction requires 1:1

Roots of AutomationRoots of Automation

Move “tried and true” methods onlineMove “tried and true” methods online– Assumption of 1:1 moves online as wellAssumption of 1:1 moves online as well

1:1 requires massive number of teachers1:1 requires massive number of teachers– Teachers are expensiveTeachers are expensive

Use an automated systemUse an automated system

Environmental AffordancesEnvironmental Affordances

Control the way weControl the way we– PlanPlan– ActAct– EvaluateEvaluate– Do virtually everythingDo virtually everything

ID Methods/Strategies GenesisID Methods/Strategies Genesis

One room schoolhouse / classroomOne room schoolhouse / classroom– 20 to 30 students20 to 30 students– Physical proximityPhysical proximity

Conversation, body languageConversation, body language

Shared artifacts and workspacesShared artifacts and workspaces

– Intimate relationshipsIntimate relationships– Etc.Etc.

What would you do if…What would you do if…

You could read the mind of your boss?You could read the mind of your boss?

You could run 45 mph for any distance You could run 45 mph for any distance without tiring?without tiring?

A religious following of 1,000s suddenly A religious following of 1,000s suddenly dedicated themselves to worshipping dedicated themselves to worshipping you?you?

Future PlanningFuture Planning

Why haven’t you ever seriously Why haven’t you ever seriously considered the effects of these changes?considered the effects of these changes?

Would success in the old environment be Would success in the old environment be a reliable predictor of success in the new?a reliable predictor of success in the new?

Would you continue planning the same Would you continue planning the same after the changes occurred?after the changes occurred?

ID Methods/Strategies ExodusID Methods/Strategies Exodus

The NetworkThe Network– 10s of 1,000s of students10s of 1,000s of students– Physical separationPhysical separation

New modes of real-time conversation and new New modes of real-time conversation and new non-verbal cuesnon-verbal cues

New ways of sharing workspaces and artifactsNew ways of sharing workspaces and artifacts

– Generally casual relationshipsGenerally casual relationships

More ChangesMore Changes

Why haven’t we ever considered instructional Why haven’t we ever considered instructional methods for 10,000 students?methods for 10,000 students?

If small number methods fail with very large If small number methods fail with very large numbers, could large number methods not fail numbers, could large number methods not fail with small numbers?with small numbers?

We have no 25,000 student methods because We have no 25,000 student methods because we’ve never had reason or environment to we’ve never had reason or environment to support their discoverysupport their discovery

Still Tried and True?Still Tried and True?

““Tried and true” methods are only so F2FTried and true” methods are only so F2F

Strategic success in F2F settings is Strategic success in F2F settings is notnot necessarily a predictor of success in necessarily a predictor of success in online settingsonline settings

What would a new method look like?What would a new method look like?

Another AssumptionAnother Assumption

ITI requires 1:1 because students are ITI requires 1:1 because students are unqualified to provide learning support to unqualified to provide learning support to each othereach other

““If any student knew enough about the If any student knew enough about the course content to provide learning support course content to provide learning support to another, they wouldn’t be a student”to another, they wouldn’t be a student”

Collaboration?Collaboration?

If no If no oneone student is incapable, what student is incapable, what about a group?about a group?

1.1. Group ignorance is worse than individualGroup ignorance is worse than individual

2.2. Based on the little bit individuals might Based on the little bit individuals might know, groups would have to be know, groups would have to be unmanageably largeunmanageably large

Potential CollaboratorsPotential Collaborators

For F2F courses sizes 9 - 1900

New AffordancesNew Affordances

More New AffordancesMore New Affordances

Low Tech ExamplesLow Tech Examples

http://slashdot.org/http://slashdot.org/

http://kuro5hin.org/http://kuro5hin.org/

http://perlmonks.org/http://perlmonks.org/

They both fall in the ditchThey both fall in the ditch

““What is it that governs here? What is it What is it that governs here? What is it that issues orders, foresees the future, that issues orders, foresees the future, elaborates plans, and preserves elaborates plans, and preserves equilibrium?” equilibrium?”

– Maeterlinck (1927)Maeterlinck (1927)

The Ants Do It, The Bees Do ItThe Ants Do It, The Bees Do It

Social insects self-organize without central Social insects self-organize without central leadership, planning, or coordinationleadership, planning, or coordination– Food gatheringFood gathering– Food storageFood storage– Food deliveryFood delivery– Nest / hive buildingNest / hive building– Nest / hive defenseNest / hive defense– Cemetery, garbage dump, etc. Cemetery, garbage dump, etc.

Even People Do ItEven People Do It

Pre-zoning Committee CitiesPre-zoning Committee Cities– Residential districtsResidential districts– Commercial districtsCommercial districts

Specialty areasSpecialty areas

– SlumsSlums

Economics / marketsEconomics / markets

CommunitiesCommunities

OrganizationsOrganizations

Instructional Design Theory?Instructional Design Theory?

Goals: Provide on-going learning support, Goals: Provide on-going learning support, scale to extremely large numbers of scale to extremely large numbers of students, provide rich human contactstudents, provide rich human contact

Values: Human interaction, problem-Values: Human interaction, problem-solving, authenticitysolving, authenticity

Instructional Design Theory?Instructional Design Theory?

Methods: Problem-centering, Methods: Problem-centering, decentralization (teacher as super-peer), decentralization (teacher as super-peer), collaboration, reusable (digital) collaboration, reusable (digital) educational materials, networkeducational materials, network

Preconditions: Massive number of Preconditions: Massive number of learners, some existing knowledge, learners, some existing knowledge, positive attitudes toward collaboration and positive attitudes toward collaboration and power-sharingpower-sharing

Disdain for Pure DesignDisdain for Pure Design

And don't EVER make the mistake [of And don't EVER make the mistake [of thinking] that you can design something thinking] that you can design something better than what you get from ruthless better than what you get from ruthless massively parallel trial-and-error with a massively parallel trial-and-error with a feedback cycle. That's giving your feedback cycle. That's giving your intelligence _much_ too much credit.intelligence _much_ too much credit.

– Linus TorvaldsLinus Torvaldse-mail dated 12-04-01e-mail dated 12-04-01

Grounded ResearchGrounded Research

Examine functioning, large, online learning Examine functioning, large, online learning communitiescommunities– Ask SlashdotAsk Slashdot– PERL MonksPERL Monks– Newsgroups (programming)Newsgroups (programming)

Grounded theory development (ala Grounded theory development (ala Strauss & Corbin)Strauss & Corbin)

ConclusionConclusion

Solve the teacher bandwidth problem bySolve the teacher bandwidth problem by

Removing the teacher.Removing the teacher.

Replace the teacher with massive access Replace the teacher with massive access to peer expertise, resources, and archived to peer expertise, resources, and archived materials (conversations and artificial materials (conversations and artificial curricular materials)curricular materials)

ConclusionConclusion

Right for every circumstance?Right for every circumstance?– NO!NO!

Right for a large variety of circumstances?Right for a large variety of circumstances?– YES!YES!

In education, the power of In education, the power of peer-to-peer comes from peer-to-peer comes from

connecting learners, connecting learners, not machines.not machines.

David Wiley, Ph.D.David Wiley, Ph.D.

http://wiley.ed.usu.edu/http://wiley.ed.usu.edu/

david.wiley@usu.edudavid.wiley@usu.edu