Student centered class / new role for faculty

Our professor gave us two questions:

1. how can we make online learning more student -centered.  shoudl we do this, why

2. how can we best support faculty in moving toward a less defined and more dynamic role in the online classroom

I dont actually think that these are two separate questions -- creating a student centered class, and supporting faculty toward a less defined and more dynamic role in the online (or onground) classroom.

In a "traditional" class  (find an image) the faculty member is the sage on the stage.  Teachers do a brain dump.  taking what they do ... and transferring knowledge to the students.

  

In a "modern" class, teachers take a less defined, more dynamic role ...  teachers become the guide on the side.  assisting and guiding students as they learn and discover more actively.  that the students do constructive learning (this is student-centered).  And we use multi modal for learning.  we use text, voice, graphics, video, simulations.  Not JUST because individual students have different learning styles but because one students learns better with multi modalities.  it reinforces, it stresses different points in the different modalities.  

In order to create a student centered class, which we should do, because students who learn constructively - are better creative thinkers, are better higher order thinkers... they remember more and they can apply it.  but in order to do this, we must support faculty to help them become more comfortable in the new role.  we must support faculty and give them the resources.  Traditional teaching is easier because its only about the content.  New online learning -- new online teaching is about so much than content.  its about the application of content, its about the placement of content in context.  Preparing guided content...  preparing exercises so that student can learn is much more difficult and takes much more time.

What we need to focus on is pedagogy.  but we need to make sure that the faculty have the appropriate tools.  both online and in the classroom.