Like many of the nearly 27,000 undergraduate students who attend this university, when I got wind of the expected snowstorms and potential school closings last week, I grew excited at the possibility of enjoying a day off from classes so early in the semester. Preparations for two separate parties and social functions were already in the works in the days leading up to the snow, as friends anticipated the inclement weather would in fact hit hard enough to warrant class cancellations. Fridges were stocked with beer, homework was left unfinished and large groups were organized to perform snow dance rituals to appease the snow gods who had proved to be merciful last year in an epic weeklong, campuswide shutdown, known to almost everyone as Snowpocalypse.
But these preparations would be all for naught because a professor in one of my business classes announced during the first week of classes that he had launched the web conferencing tool Wimba Classrooms on Blackboard and that he would be conducting class via this communication tool “rain or shine.” Talk about a blow to the stomach. You could hear a pin drop as the news was announced to a stunned room of about 30 business students who had already gained the reputation for not being the most hardworking group of individuals at the university. The professor then demonstrated a slew of online tools and resources that would be available to students this semester, a majority of which decreased the barriers students face in accessing needed content. Full lectures were made available through Blackboard, detailed lecture slides were posted, and chatrooms were created that enabled students to communicate with class members about relevant coursework.
I found it ironic that the teacher — who looked about 70 years old to me — seemed a lot more enthusiastic about the new toys we would have at our disposable than the tech-savvy students who are by-products of our new digital culture. After being educated about all of the available resources, I couldn’t help but ask myself “Then what do I need you for, professor?”
It is no secret the need for actual professor-student interaction has diminished exponentially in the past two decades. We no longer need to have personal contact with teachers to absorb much of the material, and you can rest assured universities have taken notice. There is definitely a broader array of options available to students who wish to forgo the commute to class altogether in exchange for online classes that essentially provide the same content that professors regurgitate to students in lecture.
We all read the yearly spring insert in The Diamondback in which faculty salaries are published for the world to see. Attracting the best professors in the world is not cheap. Indeed, a great deal of this university’s budget is allocated to teacher salaries. So it is no coincidence that innovative approaches are on the rise, since they cut down on costs and are more convenient for students.
While I am sure university officials encourage professors to integrate technology into their courses, dependence on these tools might make professors dispensable. It is evident that technology is allowing us to get to the root of exactly what we want. We don’t desire CDs; we want the music they hold. We don’t enjoy reading newspapers, we like the content they produce. Similarly we don’t pay tuition for classes, we want the knowledge they provide. Music then newspapers, will professors be next?
Dekunle Somade is a senior finance major. He can be reached at somade at umdbk dot com
