Open Network Learning

Modern education 2.0

I thought I was very modern twenty years ago when I went to Sweden’s only distance-education to a become a dental hygienist. Imagine, study using your computer instead of being at campus. Discipline and stubbornness (to navigate in a messy platform) were good qualities for attending that kind of education, which many of the course mates lacked. Several class-mates thought that it was a good idea to study online, as they could work at the same time. And of course, the studies became suffering. Many of us, me included, met IRL instead of using the platform for group tasks.

Today I am back as a senior lecturer at the university where I once started my own education. Together with my colleagues we will start Sweden´s only online education for dental hygienist as the previous education was discontinued. The technological development that has taken place since I left has been enormous. By today’s measurements, there were no “digital education” when I was at the university. We had a platform where we could send documents and chat with each other. In addition, all theoretical lectures were on campus in a traditional way.

The challenge for us now, when we are about to start a new education is to get the students genuinely interested in learning and keeping them activated. With the help of digital tools, which I am not familiar with, the hope is that we will become an attractive education that produces talented students. Collaboration over the web is the future for our students to be.