Science or Art

Is Learning a Science or an Art?

Characteristics of science:
Systematic
Replicable
Reliable
Standardized
Measurable with accuracy

Characteristics of art:
Individualized
Unique
Hand-crafted
idiosyncratic

Analogy: building a canoe
Need to make cedar ribs

Cut on a saw

Uniform dimension but does not take into account particular characteristics of each piece of wood
Knots, cracks, weaknesses

Split by hand
Can adapt to peculiarities of each piece
But more time consuming and less consistent dimensions

Question:
Is consistent dimension the most important measure of a canoe rib?
Or are flexibility and durability more important?

Apply the analogy to students
What are the most important qualities students will have on completion of a unit/course/program?

What functions should they be able to perform under what conditions?

How critical are undetected weaknesses?
Will the student float?
Survive the rapids?

How important are the precise dimensions of the canoe to its ability to function successfully?
It must have sufficient length, depth, width and shape to carry its intended passengers and cargo, but there are many suitable variations

Does the way we design courses, classrooms and assessment allow for this variability?

Or do we push everything through a pre-set jig and expect to discard a certain percentage as substandard and unusable?

The factory model
Groups of students
Common curriculum
Scheduled time/duration
Standardized exams
Focus on acquisition of a common set of facts/knowledge/skills
Time is fixed, level of success is variable

The artisan model
Pre-assessment
Individual projects
Office hours (personal contact)
Focus on development of interest, unique abilities
Time required to achieve success is variable