Higher Education 4.0: The Digital Transformation of Classroom Lectures to Blended Learning

This book explores the 10-year implementation of blended learning at a leading technological university, highlighting the socio-technical issues and challenges encountered. It emphasizes the need for digital transformation in higher education, advocating for large-scale Randomized Controlled Trials to validate digital platforms and exploring the role of MOOCs as surrogates for "fees-free" higher education. The research findings suggest that online delivery of education must be guided by informed educational management and innovation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 279 pages
Publication date: 17 April 2022
Publisher: Springer Verlag, Singapore

This comprehensive book delves into a decade-long journey of integrating blended learning into the curriculum of a renowned technological university, known for its longstanding commitment to technology-enabled teaching and learning and state-of-the-art infrastructure. Despite the familiarity of both teachers and students with online courses, the longitudinal experiment yielded unexpected results. While a few technical challenges emerged, the experiment required significant behavioral changes from both educators and learners, leading to the unearthing of a multitude of socio-technical issues, challenges, and conundrums.

In the backdrop of design ideals like "tech for good," the industrial sector must critically assess whether digital platforms can truly serve as credible substitutes or, at best, complementary alternatives. In the context of Industry 4.0, higher education, like any other industry, should aim for digital transformation rather than the creative destruction of the values cherished within universities. The book concludes with an agenda for large-scale, repeatable Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) to validate digital platforms that can meet the aspirations of key stakeholder groups, including students, faculty, regulators, and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs).

The book's central focus lies in examining the data-driven evidence within a design-based research methodology to present the outcomes of two alternative instructional designs: traditional lecturing and blended learning. Through rigorous research and statistical analysis, the book concludes that the inevitable shift towards online education delivery must be guided by informed educational management and innovation.

In conclusion, this book offers a valuable contribution to the ongoing discourse on the future of higher education. By shedding light on the challenges and opportunities associated with blended learning, it provides valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and industry leaders alike. Through its comprehensive analysis and forward-thinking agenda, the book advocates for a balanced approach to digital transformation in higher education, ensuring that the values and traditions of academia are preserved while embracing the potential of technology to enhance learning and teaching.

Weight: 480g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9789813366855
Edition number: 1st ed. 2021