Academic Overload: Teaching in an Age of Information Explosion
In a time when knowledge is increasing exponentially, what does it mean for a student to study art history, or political science or biology? What is known in the natural and physical sciences is increasing rapidly, triggering a trend toward specialization as comprehensive study of a field grows near impossible. In the social sciences and humanities, open access to sources once limited to specialists blurs the traditional roles of students and expert scholars. Meanwhile, proliferation of media saturates our lives and our studies with images, opinions, music, personal messages, and self-publishing opportunities. In response to the changing face of disciplines, teachers and students are adapting and even transforming curricula, instruction techniques, and the classroom experience. In this our tenth annual Forum, we will explore how this information explosion has changed what it means to teach and learn in the college environment.