Technology has changed the way we think and learn in so many ways. The educational experience of the future is centered on collaborative exploration of knowledge and ideas, not question-and-answer sessions with a teacher. In a recent Strayer Connections newsletter, Dr. Elkanah Faux, Online Faculty, explained how the technology environment has rewired the brain and impacted online learning. Below you can see some of her insights.

Technology allows students to seek out and absorb knowledge on their own terms. On-demand television programming, 24/7 wireless Internet access, instant messaging and text messaging have primed multiple circuits, or neural pathways, in people’s brains.

It would be unwise to narrowly confine online students, whose numbers are on the rise, to conventional teaching methods such as the traditional lecture. Doing so would deny the rich potential they bring to the classroom and shortchange their educational experiences.

Online Education 2.0 caters to students’ needs by providing highly interactive learning. Students not only listen to a lecture, but follow along with visual presentations that include embedded links and quizzes to allow for more in-depth study and to reinforce concepts. Adult students often respond better to questions and challenges by learning in the comfort of their own homes rather than in a classroom, where fear of failure can be an issue.

The attributes of Web 2.0, such as social networking and blogging, are even more valuable for adults who choose to pursue an advanced degree while balancing work, family and other responsibilities. For these students, Online Education 2.0 creates a forum where information is exchanged, not just presented, and where solutions are not given, but developed through collaboration.