How do today's university students look back on their education?

On a recent rainy Sunday afternoon, I went through my old files and started doing some purges to free up some space.

I had an entire file drawer full of folders, one for each class I took while earning my master's degree in the 1980s. They were thick and filled with photocopied professional papers, research papers bound in see-through covers, all handwritten drafts, and lecture notes with many scribbles in the margins of lined notebook paper. . Most materials and many handouts were mimeographed. Remember the purplish-blue ink that smelled like school? Perhaps we were more likely to pass notes in a class or two. I even found a clever invitation from a classmate to go out to eat after school.

It took me hours to revisit these individual folders. I realized I could safely throw away all my old documents, but I found myself reading almost everything before throwing them in the recycling bin. I read specific feedback, words of encouragement, and suggestions for improvement from professors. When I looked closely at the research paper I typed, I was even able to detect a few wightouts.

Remember using a microfiche reader to view old articles stored on film? Or do you reserve articles with a two-hour time limit that you can't take out of the library? No wonder I drafted it with lots of strikethroughs, arrows, and carets. Once the paper was set on the typewriter's roll, mistakes had to be erased with a special eraser, or Wightout.

This nostalgia-filled afternoon was interrupted by a quick glance at the clock. I realized that I also had some things to do.

Back to reality, I grabbed my laptop and logged into the “Learning Management System” I'm currently using to teach my own graduate students. Back in the 80s, I never dreamed of teaching other teachers, much less teaching completely online. This research got me thinking about all the differences and advances in technology in higher education. There are certainly many challenges, but there are also many benefits.

For me, working with students online pales in comparison to teaching them in person. However, by pursuing professional development opportunities and collaborating with other professors, I have been pleasantly surprised by the many ways online instruction can be personalized and differentiated to meet the needs of all learners.

Students submit assignments online and I grade them within the online system, allowing me to quickly and easily provide specific feedback and allow for revisions. You no longer need a blue book, a mini notebook to write answers to exam questions. No more leaving work at the end of the semester, handing your professor a stamped return envelope to have your final exam mailed to you, and then nervously anticipating the results. Instead of signing up and borrowing a projector, screen, and film from the library, you can find online video clips depicting almost any idea or scenario you want to share with your students. Send reminders and notifications, explore answers to student questions, make small changes to course content, and more with just a click or two.

What will today's graduate students think when they start teaching jobs a few decades from now? Will they look back on their learning experiences in the 2020s? Rather than shredding paper, would you delete your digital classroom content by dragging it to your computer's trash? Imagine how advances in technology will impact education in the near or distant future? It's difficult.

We want our students to look back on the good old days when teaching and learning were simple, fun and effective.