Integrating the strengths of the web-based and traditional models of teaching

Abstract

The Internet has revolutionized the way we communicate and created new paradigms for innovation in education. This paper discusses the pedagogical issues conforming to constructivism that educators may consider in the delivery of instruction in post-secondary vocational education. The roles of both the students and teachers must be redefined in the new paradigm. An intellectually exciting learning experience can happen in a classroom, a laboratory or the cyberspace. The art of combining the strengths of classroom face-to-face teaching and Web-based self-directed instruction will be a challenge to educators. In addition to management support and a fair reward system as drivers for improvement, success in the integration of information technology in teaching will rely on teams of teachers who are committed to learning, experimenting, collaborating and sharing their knowledge.