College Learning and the Digital Age
The following originally appeared in The Huffington Post. For anyone who has fallen out of good physical condition after having been physically fit, the thought of getting back into shape can be a constantly nagging refrain. In response, we sometimes set goals and deadlines but they rarely get us going. Looking for a spark, we might buy some new workout clothes, or sneakers, or download some new music promising ourselves that the tunes will motivate us. But something more fundamental than the external trimmings has to change to go from a sedentary life to a consistently active life. This change requires an existential shift and just what causes such a shift can be difficult to identify. At a recent faculty meeting to discuss a digital learning initiative we call SHUsquare, the conversation led me to think of digital tools and outlets for college learning as analogous to the clothes, music and goals of the person who merely thinks about getting in shape. I say that as the person who initiated SHUsquare, a virtual public square that brings together the ideals of the agora in Ancient Greece with 21st-century technology to create a platform for students to participate in their community guided by intellectual ideas and content. As a complement to our first-year writing seminars, SHUsquare extends conversations beyond classrooms so that students can interact across the campus and beyond.