在线MBA项目日趋成熟

    “他们必须弄清楚如何在法律课程上应用苏格拉底式的教学方法。后来我们明显发现，案例研究是一个很好的方式，”沙克尔福德解释说。学校将教授与两个学生（事先准备好台词且已经上过这一课程）之间的密集交流录制下来。“在某一时点上，教授会直接面向镜头，向在线学生提问，”沙克尔福德补充说。“然后，学生必须输入答案。问题可能是，‘你要收购一家公司吗？’一旦你做出选择，可能需要继续做作业，然后讨论会继续。这可能听起来有点老土，但当你观看视频时，会感觉是身临其境的学术交流。”

    如今，在线MBA课程教师要做的很多备课工作也慢慢出现在传统MBA教学中。许多学校都采用他们录制的讲座，即所谓的异步课程，以实现“颠倒课堂”：在这一模式下，教授制作基本的视频讲座供学生课外观看，从而可以利用更多课堂时间与学生互动。“它改变了这所学校的文化，”沙克尔福德坚称。“如今我认为，搞教育不考虑在线课程已经无法想象了。”

    这位曾经持怀疑态度的教授现在听起来就像在线教育的传教士。沙克尔福德说，现在我们正经历着一场学习的革命。“有一些人可能会否认世界正在发生巨变。但火车已经开出站，我认为这将是一个非常激动人心的时代。”（财富中文网）

    译者：默默

    "They had to figure out how to teach the Socratic method with their law program, and it became evident to us that this would be a good way to do case study classes," explains Shackelford. The school records a professor engaged in a rapid-fire exchange with two scripted students who have already taken the course. "At a certain point, the professor looks straight into the camera and asks the live students a question," adds Shackelford. "Then, the student has to type in an answer. The decision might be, 'Do you buy a company or not?' Once you make your choice, and it could require further work, the discussion resumes. It may sound kind of corny but when you watch the video, you feel you are involved in an intellectual exchange."

    A lot of the prep work required of teachers in an online MBA program is also finding its way into traditional MBA teaching. Many schools are using their recorded lectures, the so-called asynchronous course sessions, to "flip the classroom," adopting a model in which professors do the basic lecture on video and use the classroom time for more interactive learning. "It has changed the culture of the school," insists Shackelford. "I don't believe we could think about doing education in this building without thinking about doing online now."

    If the once-skeptical professor now sounds like an online evangelist, he is. What's going on is a revolution in learning, says Shackelford. "There are some who are in denial that the world is changing in a big way. But the train has left the station, and I think it's really exciting."