Herding Butterfliesis more difficult than Herding Cats

Herding Butterflies
is more difficult than Herding Cats

Do you know the expression "herding cats?"
Most often - I've used this to relate the difficulty of persuading very independent-minded people to adopt and adhere to new processes and standards (especially with my pet-peeve issue of website accessibility).

Teaching online in our wealth of digital connections is much more like trying to heard butterflies. Not only will each student take their own independent path in journeys all over the digital world, but as we try to hold their attention - we often end up crushing their spirits and inspirations.

Butterflies travel thousands of miles during migrations. They are exposed to more worlds and possibilities than we can comprehend. Through differing weather conditions and changing landscapes, they are able to successfully navigate and reach their destination.

Butterflies are independent, but they must also be responsible (or perish).

Perhaps our online students are butterflies. They are beautiful, motivated, and energetic, yet they are still inexperienced and fragile. Rather than trying to herd them into a single location at a single moment, perhaps we need to let them "learn to fly."

As faculty, we need to give students both the responsibility and the authority for their learning. Rather than delivering very strict "flight paths" - perhaps instead we set the destination, and then provide the tools, recommend the strategies, and deliver the guidance that students can use in their missions. After all, the outcome we want for our students is to incorporate our lessons into their attitudes, beliefs, actions, and process.

Then... Allow them to "fly."

Shifting Responsibilities

Rather than graduating majors, our mission should be graduating problem solvers.
Through our online courses, our focus ought to be making sure that students can use the theories and processes we are teaching them. Rather than testing on memory or specific technical tasks, our assessments should be "did students solve the unknown?"
Rather than being worried "are they going to be able to cheat," we instead should instead concern ourselves with "are they using the best resources to discover the best solutions to the problem?"

We need to recognize that the technology and tools are evolving faster than we (as faculty) can adapt. However, our lessons in how to recognize, categorize, and organize knowledge will serve students a lifetime. Within our specific disciplines, we need to ensure that students have the correct understandings of the situations, applications, and implications that our theories and processes provide.


I would argue that regardless of the discipline or program, students need to learn how to:

• become careful observers/investigators of their environments


• identify weaknesses and opportunities, strengths and threats


• scope out problems and projects realistically given limited resources and time


• locate information and resources


• research issues and alternatives


• consult with stakeholders


• inventory usefulness of currently available assets, tools, processes, and people


• design multiple solution alternatives


• evaluate the potentials of each solution, and persuade others to adopt a plan of action


• implement project plans in a meaningful and intentional manner


• gather data and feedback to improve the process


• evaluate the success of the implementation, and accept responsibility for the "lessons learned."

Is this what we are teaching?

Adult learners yearn to understand the context and the applications of the materials they are studying. They want to make content personally useful. If they can't, then they will either become bored/frustrated or will reduce their overall career potential (having only learned information, rather than being able to leverage knowledge). When students can immediately incorporate knowledge, skills, behaviors, and beliefs into their day-to-day living, they are more likely to practice the skills and accept the theories we hope they will master.

Forget about the scabs

Learning is hard. When I was learning to ride a bicycle, I "wiped out" going downhill on a gravel road. My right leg continues to exhibit the scars I earned back in 1973. Bruises and scabs were my price for the freedom that learning to ride a bike provided.
Real learning requires failure.
No one will ever learn to play concert piano by watching someone's fingers.
No one will ever discover the next innovation if they aren't willing to try and fail.
No one will ever improve their course without possessing the same devotion to new learning as expected in the students of the course.
Learning takes practice, patience, and persistence..

I tell my students that if they have to "think" on multiple-choice test questions, then they don't really know the material; with enough "practice" (study), the correct answers are obvious and immediately recognizable. If a student has to think, rule out choices, and guess - then they have failed to adequately learn the materials to the depth I intended.

When I ask students to "think hard" about solving a problem, they need to weigh and carefully consider the multitude of possible solutions - rather than simply attempt to come up with one possibility that might produce the desired results.

Rather than a rote response, I want each student to invent their own flight-plan, incorporating the strategies, sites, and resources that make the most sense to their understanding of the content. Some will take a direct path to a solution, while others may choose to take the scenic route.
While I question if everyone will arrive at the destination safely, my new approach will be to let them fly!

James