【中英双语】在线学习彻底火了，它对教育的未来意味着什么？
What the Shift to Virtual Learning Could Mean for the Future of Higher Ed
当某些突发事件迫使人们针对一种新的思想观念进行广泛的社会实验时，社会和商业中就会发生巨大的结构性变化。例如，在第二次世界大战期间，当美国的男人们去打仗时，女人们就积极承担起了男人们的工作——并且做得很好。自此之后，即使当战争结束，美国的女人们也不再退缩回自己战前的工作领域。与之类似，美国的千年虫问题（Y2K problem）需要大量的印度软件工程师才能解决，结果导致美国基于就业的签证增加了两倍。在修复了这一错误之后，印度工程师证明了自己的实力，并一举成为解决类似技术问题的世界级领袖。现如今，Alphabet、微软、IBM和Adobe都由印度籍的工程师领导。
Tectonic shifts in society and business occur when unexpected events force widespread experimentation around a new idea. During World War II, for instance, when American men went off to war, women proved that they could do “men’s” work — and do it well. Women never looked back after that. Similarly, the Y2K problem demanded the extensive use of Indian software engineers, leading to the tripling of employment-based visas granted by the U.S. Fixing that bug enabled Indian engineers to establish their credentials, and catapulted them as world leaders in addressing technology problems. Alphabet, Microsoft, IBM, and Adobe are all headed by India-born engineers today.
冠状病毒的流行迫使全球各地开始了远程教学实验。有许多迹象表明，这场危机将改变我们生活的方方面面；如果事实证明远程教学是成功的，那么教育的变革就将成为这场危机导致的重大改变之一。但是，我们怎么知道远程教育是否能够成功呢？为了找到答案，随着这一大规模社会实验的启动，我们应该密切关注高等教育的商业模式和优质大学教育的可得性等问题。我们应该努力收集数据，并集中关注以下三个方面的问题：
The Coronavirus pandemic forced global experimentation with remote teaching. There are many indicators that this crisis is going to transform many aspects of life. Education could be one of them if remote teaching proves to be a success. But how will we know if it is? As this crisis-driven experiment launches, we should be collecting data and paying attention to the following three questions about higher education’s business model and the accessibility of quality college education.
学生真的需要四年的住宿经历吗？
Do students really need a four-year residential experience?
为了回答这一问题，我们首先需要了解，目前通行的四年模式的培养方案中，哪些部分能够被取代，哪些部分可以被补充，哪些部分可以被数字技术所补充。
Answering this question requires an understanding of which parts of the current four-year model can be substituted, which parts can be supplemented, and which parts complemented by digital technologies.
理论上来说，个性化需求、人际交流与互动需求较低的讲座可以进行线下录制，然后通过多媒体进行演示，学生们可以根据自己的节奏和地点选择观看。课程中的这种“商品化”部分可以轻易地由一位非大学讲师在课程时代（Coursera）上讲授。因为毕达哥拉斯定理的教学在世界各地几乎都是一样的。对于这样的课程，技术平台能够以较低的成本将内容传递给更多的受众，同时又不会牺牲面对面（F2F）课堂的一个重要好处——社会体验，因为在这些基础级别的课程中几乎没有什么面对面交流的必要。
In theory, lectures that require little personalization or human interaction can be recorded as multi-media presentations, to be watched by students at their own pace and place. Such commoditized parts of the curriculum can be easily delivered by a non-university instructor on Coursera, for example; teaching Pythagoras’ theorem is pretty much the same the world over. For such courses, technology platforms can deliver the content to very large audiences at low cost, without sacrificing one of the important benefits of the face-to-face (F2F) classroom, the social experience, because there is hardly any in these basic-level courses.
通过将资源从可商品化的课程中释放出来，高校将有更多的资源致力于研究型教学、个性化问题的解决和导师指导等方面。学生们也能更为自由地支配更多的资源，因为他们不必在大学里住上整整四年。他们可以在自己方便的时候，以更便宜的成本在网上学习商品化的课程。他们可以利用在校园里的宝贵时间进行选修课、小组作业、与老师交流、互动和职业指导等活动，这些事情是无法远程完成的。此外，校园还可以促进社交网络、实地项目和全球学习考察活动的发展——这些都需要面对面的交流和参与。这是一种混合式的教育模式，它的前景非常广阔，可以让每个人都能负担得起大学教育。
By freeing resources from courses that can be commoditized, colleges would have more resources to commit to research-based teaching, personalized problem solving, and mentorship. The students would also have more resources at their disposal, too, because they wouldn’t have to reside and devote four full years at campuses. They would take commoditized courses online at their convenience and at much cheaper cost. They can use precious time they spend on campus for electives, group assignments, faculty office hours, interactions, and career guidance, something that cannot be done remotely. In addition, campuses can facilitate social networking, field-based projects, and global learning expeditions — that require F2F engagements. This is a hybrid model of education that has the potential to make college education more affordable for everybody.
但我们真的能成功转向混合模式吗？随着这项社会实验的深入开展，我们马上就会得出答案了。目前看来，参与远程上课的不仅是学生，就连老师现在也被迫在家里授课。几周前还坐在一起上着同一门课的学生和老师，现在也开始尝试不同的上课方法了。因此，在其他条件相同的情况下，师生双方都可以对比，究竟是面对面交流还是远程授课体验更好。
But can we shift to a hybrid model? We’re about to find out. It is not just the students who are taking classes remotely, even the instructors are now forced to teach those classes from their homes. The same students and instructors that met until a few weeks back for the same courses, are now trying alternative methods. So, both parties can compare their F2F and remote experiences, all else held equal.
在目前的教学实验中，学生、教授和大学管理人员必须记录有哪些课程受益于远程教学，又有哪些课程进展并不顺利。他们必须好好维护聊天室，方便匿名讨论技术问题、课程设计、授课过程和教学方法。这些数据可以为将来的决策提供有利参考，比如什么时候以及为什么有些课程应该远程授课，哪些课程应该留在校园内面对面授课，哪些校园内的课程应该得到技术的补充。
With the current experiment, students, professors, and university administrators must keep a record of which classes are benefiting from being taught remotely and which ones are not going so well. They must maintain chat rooms that facilitate anonymized discussions about the technology issues, course design, course delivery, and evaluation methods. These data points can inform future decisions about when — and why — some classes should be taught remotely, which ones should remain on the campus, and which within-campus classes should be supplemented or complemented by technology.
需要对IT基础设施进行哪些改进才能使其更适合在线教育？
What improvements are required in IT infrastructure to make it more suitable for online education?
现如今，我们之中许多人日常的行程安排表已经被虚拟会议所充斥。我们清楚地发现，在远程学习真正开始之前，有一些硬件和软件问题必须得到解决。毫无疑问，数字技术（移动、云端、人工智能等）可以大规模部署，但我们也知道，仍然有很多工作要做。在硬件方面，我们需要解决带宽容量和数字资源不平等的问题。在面对面授课中，由于在同一个班里的学生听到的是相同的课程，所以这种授课方式敉平了非常多的差异。然而，在线教育则扩大了数字资源不平等的鸿沟。富裕的学生拥有最先进的笔记本电脑、更好的带宽、更稳定的wifi连接，以及更复杂的视听设备。
As so many of us whose daily schedules have become a list of virtual meetings can attest, there are hardware and software issues that must be addressed before remote learning can really take off. We have no doubt that digital technologies (mobile, cloud, AI, etc.) can be deployed at scale, yet we also know that much more needs to be done. On the hardware side, bandwidth capacity and digital inequalities need addressing. The F2F setting levels lots of differences, because students in the same class get the same delivery. Online education, however, amplifies the digital divide. Rich students have the latest laptops, better bandwidths, more stable wifi connections, and more sophisticated audio-visual gadgets.
电话会议软件可能是一个不错的上课方式，但它缺乏一些关键的功能，比如无法容纳较大的班级规模，同时也无法提供个性化的体验。在面对面的现场教学中，即使在1000名学生的课堂上，老师也能察觉到学生是否有效吸收了学习内容，并能够相应地改变教学的节奏。而学生也能察觉到他们是否问了太多问题，是否拖慢了整个课堂的进程。我们的技术是否足以适应虚拟环境下的各种特性？我们还需要开发哪些功能？教师和学生必须注意并讨论他们的痛点，并促进和要求这些相关方面的技术发展。
Software for conference calls may be a good start, but it can’t handle some key functionalities such as accommodating large class sizes while also providing a personalized experience. Even in a 1,000-student classroom, an instructor can sense if students are absorbing concepts, and can change the pace of the teaching accordingly. A student can sense whether they are asking too many questions, and are delaying the whole class. Is our technology good enough to accommodate these features virtually? What more needs to be developed? Instructors and students must note and should discuss their pain points, and facilitate and demand technological development in those areas.
此外，在线课程需要实地的教育支持——教学设计师、培训师和课程教练——以确保学生的学习进程和课程的完成效率。数字鸿沟也存在于大学之间，这一点在接下来的实验中将变得十分明显。与预算紧缺的公立大学相比，顶尖的私立大学拥有更好的IT基础设施，每个教员的IT支持人员比例也更高。
In addition, online courses require educational support on the ground: Instructional designers, trainers, and coaches to ensure student learning and course completion. Digital divide also exists among universities, which will become apparent in the current experiment. Top private universities have better IT infrastructure and higher IT support staff ratio for each faculty compared to budget-starved public universities.
为了促进观念和行为方式的改变教师和学生需要做哪些培训？
What training efforts are required for faculty and students to facilitate changes in mindsets and behaviors?
并非所有的教师都对虚拟教室感到满意，在那些甚至从未使用过基本视听设备的教师（他们仅仅依靠黑板和挂图进行教学），和那些了解并熟悉新技术的年轻教师之间也存在着数字鸿沟。随着全国各地的学生进入网络教室进行学习，他们会发现，许多教师并未接受过设计和制作多媒体演示文稿的培训，也没有使用过复杂的符号和图表。学校需要做出评估，弄清楚究竟需要什么样的培训来提供一种令人满意的教学体验。
Not all faculty members are comfortable with virtual classrooms and there is a digital divide among those who have never used even the basic audio-visual equipment, relying on blackboards and flipcharts, and younger faculty who are aware of and adept in newer technology. As students across the nation enter online classrooms in the coming weeks, they’re going to learn that many instructors are not trained to design multimedia presentations, with elaborate notations and graphics. Colleges and universities need to use this moment to assess what training is needed to provide a smooth experience.
不止是老师，学生也面临一系列的有关在线课程的问题。他们必须遵循大学的培养计划，在规定的时间内完成相应的课时，而不能无限期拖延下去。在网上，他们会觉得自己与同龄人或大学同学的群体相脱节；而在现实生活，这样一种群体会向其中的个体灌输一种竞争意识，能够激发所有人追求卓越的精神。在网上做任何事情，我们的注意力集中时间都不会很长，因为学生们在参加在线课程的同时，还要处理多项任务，比如查收电子邮件，与朋友聊天，网上冲浪等等。
Students also face a number of issues with online courses. Committing to follow the university calendar forces them to finish a course, instead of procrastinating it forever. And online they can feel as they don’t belong to a peer group or a college cohort, which in real life instils a sense of competition, motivating all to excel. Anything done online suffers from attention span, because students multi-task, check emails, chat with friends, and surf the Web while attending online lectures. We’re parents and professors; we know this is true.
这些心态能够改变吗？现在，我们正在进行试错实验来找出答案。教师和学生都在努力调整自己。随着课程的教授，教学大纲和课程内容正在逐步修订和完善。学习效果的评估方法，如考试和测验，正在转换为在线考试。在如此短暂的时间之内，大学的管理人员和学生团体正在进行积极调整，并允许教师制定和创造他们自己觉得最棒的课程计划。教师、学生和大学的管理者都应该积极讨论：从虚拟教育开始的第一天到第X天，教学过程和学习情况究竟是如何变化的。这一举措将为培养未来的虚拟教育者和学习者提供有益的帮助。
Can these mindsets change? Right now we are (necessarily, due to social distancing) running trial and error experiments to find out. Both teachers and students are readjusting and recalibrating in the middle of teaching semesters. The syllabus and course contents are being revised as the courses are being taught. Assessment methods, such as exams and quizzes are being converted to online submissions. University administrators and student bodies are being accommodative and are letting instructors innovate their own best course, given such short notice. Instructors, students, and university administrators should all be discussing how the teaching and learning changes between day 1 of virtual education and day X. This will provide clues for how to train future virtual educators and learners.
一场巨大的实验
A Vast Experiment
冠状病毒已经迫使全球开展一项实验，该实验对比了寄宿大学提供的一系列服务与类似Coursera这样的在线教育供应商提供的超低成本教育之间的差异，并迫使人们在二者之间进行有关成本和效益的权衡与抉择。几年前，专家们曾经预测，大规模在线开放课程，如可汗学院（Khan Academy）、课程时代（Coursera）、优达学城（Udacity）和edX等等，将全面取代面对面的大学教育——正如数字技术取代了电话接线员和旅行社的工作一样。然而，迄今为止，面对面的大学教育经受住了时间的考验。
The coronavirus pandemic has forced a global experiment that could highlight the differences between, and cost-benefit trade off of, the suite of services offered by a residential university and the ultra low-cost education of an online education provider like Coursera. Some years ago, experts had predicted that massive open online courses (MOOCs), such as Khan Academy, Coursera, Udacity, and edX, would kill F2F college education — just as digital technologies killed off the jobs of telephone operators and travel agents. Until now, however, F2F college education has stood the test of time.
实验可能表明，四年的面对面大学教育不能再躺在它过去的功劳簿上无所事事了。已经有各种各样等因素表明，高等教育市场的分裂时机已经成熟了。而冠状病毒的流行可能恰好提供了这种时机。我们现在如何实验、测试、记录和理解我们对这一改变的反应，将决定在线教育是否以及如何成为未来的一个机遇。危机消退后，是否所有学生都应该回到教室，继续保持现状？还是说我们会找到更好的选择呢？
The experiment might show that four-year F2F college education can no longer rest on its laurels. A variety of factors — most notably the continuously increasing cost of tuition, already out of reach for most families, implies that the post-secondary education market is ripe for disruption. The coronavirus crisis may just be that disruption. How we experiment, test, record, and understand our responses to it now will determine whether and how online education develops as an opportunity for the future. After the crisis subsides, is it best for all students to return to the classroom, and continue the status quo? Or will we have found a better alternative?
关键词： 教育 机遇 人工智能
维贾伊·戈文达拉扬(VijayGovindarajan)、阿努普·斯利瓦斯塔瓦（AnupSrivastava）|文
维贾伊·戈文达拉扬是达特茅斯大学塔克商学院考克斯杰出教授，也是硅谷孵化器Mach 49的教员合伙人。阿努普·斯利瓦斯塔瓦是加拿大会计、决策和资本市场研究的主席，也是卡尔加里大学哈斯卡耶商学院的副教授。他研究了数字公司的估值和财务报告的挑战。
张振涛|译 周强|校
