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Innovation, Past and Future with Open Learning's Dean Christopher Capozzola

Jun 5, 2024

Christopher Capozzola, MIT’s Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning and a professor of American history, discusses the evolution of online education. He draws parallels between today’s digital learning landscape and the transformative communication technologies of the late 1800s. The conversation addresses the significance of trust in information and democratizing access to education. Capozzola emphasizes fostering curiosity and structured discourse in classrooms, especially in history education, to prepare students for complex societal discussions.

13:19

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Christopher Capozzola

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Quick takeaways

Christopher Capozzola emphasizes the importance of historical context in shaping current discussions around trustworthiness and accessibility of information in education.

He advocates for integrating generative AI in teaching by promoting open dialogue and curiosity to enhance student learning experiences and engagement.

Deep dives

The Historical Context of Open Learning

The evolution of open learning can be understood through historical parallels, particularly with a significant information revolution that occurred between the 1870s and 1890s. This period saw transformative advancements in communication technologies, such as the telegraph and telephone, as well as innovations in publishing like mass-circulated newspapers. These changes introduced new possibilities for knowledge dissemination and raised questions about the reliability of information. The development of the Dewey Decimal System exemplifies efforts to better organize knowledge, which highlights the importance of accessibility and systematic information management in contemporary educational initiatives.

Intro

6min

Navigating Education in the Age of Generative AI

2min

Fostering Curiosity and Reflection in Education

2min

Fostering Open Discourse and Learning in History Education

3min

As MIT’s Senior Associate Dean for Open Learning, Christopher Capozzola’s job is to look forward, identifying new opportunities and facing new challenges in online and digital learning. But he’s also a professor of American history. In that capacity, his job also requires him to study the opportunities and challenges people faced in the past—and, in the classroom, to make those past events meaningful to young people in the present. In this episode, Prof. Capozzola draws analogies between the present moment and the late 1800s, when new communication technologies and systems for organizing and presenting information transformed the world. Just like in the 19th century, he says, we’re facing questions about the trustworthiness of the flood of information we’re exposed to, as well as about how to democratize access to that information in order to achieve a more equitable society. In overseeing MIT OpenCourseWare and other programs in MIT Open Learning, Prof. Capozzola says, he’s on a mission to make information both trustable and discoverable, and to seek out—and collaborate with—the innovators and philanthropists (the “Deweys and Carnegies” of today) who can support that mission.

Relevant Resources:

MIT OpenCourseWare

The OCW Educator Portal

Prof. Capozzola’s faculty page

The Dewey decimal classification system (PDF)

The Carnegie libraries

21H.221 The Places of Migration in United States History on MIT OpenCourseWare

21H.223 War & American Society on MIT OpenCourseWare

21H.224 Law and Society in US History on MIT OpenCourseWare

Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions

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