Learning How We Learn: An Interview with MOOC Pioneer Barb Oakley
September 21, 2015
Hosted by David E. Goldberg
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Guest Information
Episode Description
Since the early days of the university in the 11th century, professors have lectured increasingly large numbers of passive and often bored students. With the advent of educational technology (EdTech) and massive open online courses (MOOCs), the possibility for scaling both the benefits and difficulties of higher education has been received by traditional higher educators as something of a mixed blessing. In this episode, Big Beacon Radio host Dave Goldberg interviews Barbara Oakley, bestselling author, researcher, professor, adventurer, and teacher of one of the most popular MOOCs on the planet, “Learning How to Learn.” In addition to drawing over a million students to her course (co-taught with Terry Sejnowski of the Salk Institute), Barb is author of the provocative and riveting book on how we learn, A Mind for Numbers. Join Barb and Dave for this important conversation on the future of MOOCs, the future of learning, and the transformation of higher education.
Big Beacon Radio
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Change is coming to higher education like a freight train, but transforming higher education is challenging, full of risks and opportunities for educators, students, workers, and employers, alike. Big Beacon Radio, Transforming Higher Education, with Dave Goldberg, helps you explore and understand the latest news and views. Hear about the latest innovations from cutting edge innovators as higher education remakes itself, in the United States and around the globe. Join Dave as he speaks with top guests, innovators, thought leaders, and movers and shakers, on an equal footing from his own experiences as a higher education transformation pioneer. Transforming higher education is complex, and the world of higher education is changing quickly. Stay on top.
David E. Goldberg
David E. Goldberg is a speaker, author, strategist, trainer, and coach for transforming higher education. Toward the end of a 27-year distinguished academic career in which Dave achieved renown for his path-breaking work on artificial intelligence, he founded the iFoundry incubator for educational change at the University of Illinois. iFoundry’s success in unleashing students was so startling, that in 2010, Dave resigned his tenure and a distinguished professorship to start ThreeJoy Associates, a change consulting, training and coaching firm for transforming higher education. Work at Illinois, Olin College, NUS (Singapore), UFMG (Brazil), and other innovators led to the development of the SmoothChange method for transforming higher education, featuring rapid innovation and respect for faculty governance.
In 2012, Dave founded Big Beacon as a non-profit organization for transforming higher education. Today, Big Beacon gathers students, innovators, and employers together to learn from each other and to advocate for transforming higher education. In 2014, he co-authored the groundbreaking book, “A Whole New Engineer: The Coming Revolution in Engineering Education,” available in hardcover and major e-book formats.
Dave maintains an active correspondence with many of the world’s top thought leaders in educational and organizational change. He is constantly on the lookout for new ideas, thinkers, and practices that lead to success in transforming higher education.
