FUTURE OF EDUCATION
Phelan Corrimal / Kevin Feenan
Rockcliffe University Consortium
Metameets May 2009

NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS
 Paradigms are defined
 Byproblem sets not solution sets
 Shared sense of community
 Shared sense of linguistic capital
 Re-envisioning how we objectify the world

KEY PARADIGM SHIFTS
 All reality is virtual
 Dialogues are limited only by the networks they
employ
 Practices are limited only by what we perceive to be
reality
 Modernity is a prerequisite for learning in a virtual
environment
 Learning can be centered in either the actor or the
agent
 Both the actor and the agent must be engaged for
individuals to develop knowledge.

ACTOR / AGENT PARADOX
I am my avatar and my avatar is me
however I am not bound by any agreements
made by my avatar on my behalf
 Fracturing of the concept of self
 Internal (actor) / External (agent) personas
 Perception of self is contextual

IMPLICATIONS FOR EDUCATION
 Migration away from typical forms of
education
 Increased student accountability
 Narrower subjects – Tighter delivery
 Open Courseware will become standard
 Increased price sensitivity
 Greater acceptability of learning deltas
 Educational class structure
 Reinvention of the “university”