Learning advanced courses in the digital age

One philosopher once said that “learning is more than the accumulation of facts” and I believe that this is quite true. Learning is how we make sense of the knowledge that we are provided with. Hence, to some extent, I agree with John Brown that the traditional way of learning, which compasses listening to the lectures provided by the instructor and take assessments of the supposedly learned materials, is rather impractical. What we learn in class has little bearing on really life, since the materials we absorb in all academic subjects are only models of real life situations. It is not naïve, as John mentioned, that we are trying to make learning less of an elitist activity and more compatible with the learners. Our ways of learning has shifted from abstract to more concrete; part of this is driven by technological advances which require a person to be able to apply his knowledge to situations that has fuzziness. As a result, the emphasis on learning has taken a new dimension. And to some extent, the new ways of learning make more sense than the traditional way.

What I don’t agree with John Brown is this. We are not yet at a stage in which we can create a new learning environment that utilizes technology to serve a student's need for advanced level courses. He gave a few examples that involves universities (such as Rennselaer Polytechnic Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) modifying the teaching of science and mathematics courses. The idea of learning science and mathematics through the way he described seems quite attractive, but it is more of a concept than a reality. Many science and mathematics courses are quite abstract, especially at the advance levels. Educational technology would not do much when it comes to learning the mathematical equations that provides a model for quantum mechanics. The idea of learning through hands on experience probably is more suited in certain areas (such as engineering) and at the introductory level only.