History of Virtual Learning and B.F. Skinner

 

Today I was thinking about the history of innovation in teaching and learning and scrolled the internet in search of an interesting article.  I came across this timeline, which outlines the progress that has been made in distance learning since the 1700s.  

From its humble beginnings in the 1700s where lessons were mailed to students to today where live video lessons are delivered to students around the world, teaching and learning has made many significant innovations over time, particularly as it pertains to educational technology.

One piece that caught my eye was B.F. Skinner's "teaching machine".  From my Psychology background, I was familiar with B.F. Skinner's work in operant conditioning, a learning process which leverages reward and punishment to strengthen a behavior response, but I had never heard of the teaching machine!

Building on this work in conditioning, Skinner had created the GLIDER, a teaching machine that uses automated, individualized reinforcement to teach reading and music.  Some say Skinner's invention was the beginning of open learning and computer-assisted instruction.  Could it also be a rudimentary introduction to Artificial Intelligence?  

The concept at work for the GLIDER is Programmed Learning (also referred to as Programmed Instruction).  During programmed learning, the student is presented with learning material with either a text or machine/computer of sorts.  Answers are provided and students are given immediate feedback. I think that vestiges of the GLIDER still exist today in our virtual learning environment where online quizzes are utilized not only to test a student's knowledge, but to reinforce concepts that are often best learned by repetition.

Sources

History of Virtual Learning Environments. Digital image, Retrieved from: http://www.designstorm.in/thoughtstorm/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/HistoryofVLEs_V3c.png

A Hypertext History of Instructional Design. Website.  Retrieved from http://faculty.coe.uh.edu/smcneil/cuin6373/idhistory/pressey.html