Avoiding the ‘Sage on the Stage’ Mentality

As I have been teaching for 22 years, the transformation in teaching from the ‘sage on the stage’ to a ‘guide on the side’ is tremendous. In the health policy world, there are many wonderful briefs, commentaries and other material written in a way that is very accessible to a novice audience. I am not sure that it is even necessary to have ‘instructor notes’ or a PowerPoint presentation. If the instructor is well versed in the available resources (besides the typical textbook), the assignments, in combination with the carefully curated material, can be a very powerful way conveying the ideas.

When I took the Quality Matters class (pretty intensive), I was quite surprised at how the assignments, which were graded, forced me to delve into the material. There was no way I could have passed the class if I did not do the work. This is the type of learning I would like to structure in the hybrid and other online courses.

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One Response to Avoiding the ‘Sage on the Stage’ Mentality

  1. mobleyme says:

    Stephanie, that is the kind of class I would like to develop as well! I want to ditch the traditional lecture (and the traditional exams?) and have them learn by doing things! I’d like to create assignments that motivate (force?) them to grapple with the concepts and information to complete. I don’t have 22 years of experience to draw on. I would love to learn more about the kinds of assignments you are developing.

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