我研究在线教育 I've been studying online education 应该已经有十几年了 for more than ten years. 所以经常会碰到一些学生 Some students 包括业内的人士就会去问我 and insiders of the industry 这样一个问题 have asked me the following question: 说你觉得在线教育 "Do you think online education 真的要颠覆大学吗 will change the core of universities?" 经常会问这个问题 People always ask me such a question. 对于这个问题 For this question, 我想我们通过这个途径来思索 I think we can look at it this way. 我把这个称为 I'll call it 是一个虚拟教育组织 a virtual education organization. 因为关于虚拟企业的研究 Around the year 2004, 在2004年前后 many business or management schools 在很多商学院或者管理学院 conducted a lot of research 就有过大量的研究 on virtual enterprises, 那么这里面也有一些 which inclulded 非常成熟的企业形态 very mature forms of business, 就像电子商务这类的形态 such as e-commerce. 但是在教育领域 But in the field of education, 关注这个虚拟教育组织的研究 I searched 我们搜了之后发现 and found just a little research 还不是很多 on virtual education organizations. 所以我觉得 So, I think in terms of 关于它是否要颠覆大学这点 whether online education will dramatically change universities, 我觉得我们似乎 maybe we can see it 可以通过这样一个角度来理解 from the perspective 就是虚拟教育组织 of virtual education organizations. 那么支撑我们对这个事情理解的 To understand this issue, 一个非常重要的理论 let's look at a very important theory. 我觉得也是来自 It was created 美国一个非常重要的传播学家 by a well-known US expert in communications, 他叫约书亚·梅罗维 茨 Joshua Meyrowitz. 他写了一本书叫《消失的地 域： He wrote a book titled 电子媒介对社会行为的影响》 "No Sense of Place: The Impact of Electronic Media on Social Behavior." 在这本书里 In this book, 梅罗维茨基于戈夫曼的舞台 论 which is based on Erving Goffman's Dramaturgical Theory 和麦克卢汉的这种媒介环境学的 and McLuhan's theory 这种学说 on media ecology, 他搭建了一个新的 Meyrowitz built a new 一个理论框架 theoretical framework 叫新场景理 论 called the Theory of New Setting. 这个新场景理论 I think the core idea 我觉得有一句 of the theory 非常核心的一句话 lies in these words 就是我在这跟大家显示的 I'm showing you here. 就是电子媒介 Electronic media.... 因为他的那个 As the writer 他当时研究的时候 did the research 应该是上个世纪 in the second half 后半叶的一个研究 of the last century, 他当时关注的 he mainly paid attention 主要其实还是那种有点广播电视 to radio and television broadcasting. 但是这个电子媒介 But here we can also replace electronic media 我们同样可以替换成互联网 with the Internet. 我们可以这样说 We can say: 互联网对组织的影响 "The Internet's impact on organized systems 并不是因为讯息的力量 doesn't come from the power of the information itself, 而是因为它什么呢 but from the fact that 因为重新组合了 it recombines 人们交往的社会环境 the social environment in which people interact 削弱了有形地点与社会地点之间 and weakens the once close relationship 曾经非常密切的联系 between the physical location and the social location." 梅罗维茨还特别又强调了 Meyrowitz also emphasized 另外一句话 some other points in particular. 他说怎么样我们在研究这个 He said when we study 基于特定物理地点的联系 Contacts based on a specific physical location 和基于一个信息系统的联系 and contacts 这两者期间 based on an information system, 实际上我们更重要的是要看 we should focus more 在这个群体之间的 on the structure of information flows 信息流动的结构 in the community. 所以这个就是梅罗维茨提出的 This is the Theory of New Setting 新场景理论 proposed by Meyrowitz. 我们可以用新场景理论 We can use the theory 来分析一下 to analyze 目前已经非常成熟的一个变革 a mature revolution, 就是零售业的变革 which is the revolution in the retail industry. 零售业 你看我们今天商场里面 You see, nowadays, 人已经越来越少了 fewer and fewer people come to shopping malls. 甚至店员比顾客还要多 There may be more salesclerks than customers. 所以我们从这个零售业 The change from shopping malls to online stores 从商场到网店的这个变化里面 in the retail industry 我们如果套用 can be analyzed 梅罗维茨的这个理论 with Meyrowitz' theory. 我们会看到 Then we realize that 比如商场是一种购物场景 the shopping mall is one setting for shopping 那么网店也是一种购物场景 while the online store is another. 在这个商场购物场景里面 We'll analyze 当然它的地点 the shopping mall setting 交流媒介和交易行为 in three aspects: 我们从这三个方面来分析 Location, communication medium, and trading behavior. 在商场它是一个物理的空间 The shopping mall is a physical space, 对吧 right? 那么在这个物理空间下 In this physical space, 买卖双方用什么样的媒介 what kind of medium is used 进行交流呢 by buyers and sellers to communicate? 用口头语言 It's oral language. 口头语言 Oral language. 口头语言来交流 They use oral language to communicate. 那这个卖场 Then what role 它到底起了什么样的作用 does the shopping mall play, exactly? 首先第一个 First of all, 它就是展示商品信息 it shows products' information. 因为我们知道 As we know, 原来零售业有一个常说的一句话 the retail industry has an often-mentioned term 叫铺货 called distribution. 铺货是什么 What is distribution? 铺货就是让一个消费者 Distribution allows customers 一进这个商店之后 to obtain the information 第一眼就能获得 of products 这个商店能提供 Immediately at a glance 什么样商品的这样一个信息 after arriving at the store. 商品供应信息 It offers information on the product supply. 所以这是卖场的 This is the first major feature 第一个非常重要的特点 of the shopping mall. 第二个它在交易行为里面 Then it comes to the trading behavior. 就包括我选中了 I choose a product 那我就开始讨价还价 and then I begin to bargain. 就是多少价格 How much the price is. 第三个当然就是付款 提供现金 The third step is the payment in cash, of course. 第四个其实就是提货 The fourth is picking up the product. 因为卖场本身充当了库房的作用 The shopping mall itself acts as a storehouse, 因为它东西就在那儿嘛 because the products are displayed there. 那我们把这个场景给它拆解开 Now we will deconstruct this setting 在网上重构之后 and restructure it online. 你会看到这几个场景 Then you'll find that 逐步的变成了 the setting gradually turns into 右边的这一列 what I list on the right column. 那么淘宝网店 What's the setting 它的这个场景是什么 of an online Taobao store? 其实是一个淘宝店的页面 It is actually the webpage of the Taobao store. 这个页面有点就像 The webpage is a bit like 一个商场的门店一样的 a store in the shopping mall. 第二个我们怎么样 Second, how do 买卖双方怎么交流呢 buyers and sellers communicate? 我们实际上使用的 In fact, they use 是远程通讯工具 remote communication tools. 就是今天微店都是用微信 At present, WeChat stores are using WeChat 然后阿里它主要用阿里旺旺 while Ali stores mainly use Aliwangwang 做文字语音的交流 for written or vocal communication. 就是把这个交流的形态 Communication has changed into 变成了这样一种形态 an online form. 第三个你比如说展示商品 Third, how are the products 怎么样体现呢 shown online? 其实就是我们在淘宝平台上 In fact, they are shown 看到的那些图片 in the form of pictures and standardized parameters 包括它那些标准码 on Taobao platform. 就是大家看网店 When we see an online store, 可能只看一些 we may just see 表面很热闹的东西 those interesting things on a superficial level. 但是实际上这个电子商务的过程 But we can't see the process of e-commerce 其实背后的 behind them. 你包括所有的鞋类 服装类 Shoes, clothes 生鲜类 fresh food, and others 它形成了大量的这种 have all been through 对产品的标准化过程 the process of product standardization. 所以它用了标准化的方式 So, these products are shown 展示商品 in a standard way. 所以就这一点来说我觉得 In this respect, I think.... 你看现在 You know, 那哪怕像再大的一个mall no matter how big a shopping mall could be, 像北京的那个金源 mall like the Golden Resources Mall in Beijing, 你能展示的商品的数量 it can only show a 你总是有限的 limited number of products. 你哪怕再大 It will finally reach the upper limit, 你上限10万 20万 几十万 which may be 100,000, 200,000 or hundreds of thousands. 但是网上它是无限的 But on the Internet, the number is unlimited. 所以这个其实就是今天 Therefore, today, 这种零售业变化的 a very important change 非常重要的一点 in the retail industry 就是它能提供的 is that online stores could provide 这种商品供应信息 more information on the supply of commodities 大大超过了任何一个实体网店 than any physical stores could. 然后我们再看这个中介 The process of communication, or bargaining, 讨价还价 has also turned into 变成了以网络为中介的 distance interaction 远程的这种交互 relying on the Internet. 然后付款就衍生出来 Cash payment 这个第三方支付 evolves into the third-party payment system 像支付宝 一个新的液态 represented by Alipay, a new form of payment. 然后提货这件事本身 In terms of picking up, 它就有了专门的物流仓库 we have specialized logistics warehouses 以及物流的配送 and logistics distribution. 这是这样的一个变化的过程 This is how we see the change 我们用梅罗维茨的理论来做 from the perspective of Meyrowitz's theory. 梅罗维茨理论 Meyrowitz's theory 有三个特别重要的要素 has three significant factors: 就是地点 交流媒介 交流行为 location, communication medium and communication behavior. 那我们用这个模型 Now let's use this model 我们来再看一下 to look into 未来的这个教育形态 the possible change of education form 它可能有什么变化 in the future. 那一般在传统课堂里面 In traditional classroom teaching, 已经形成了这样的一些 we've formed the following 教学的组织过程和行为 teaching process and behavior: 你比如说每个大学里面 In every university, 每个学期我们学生会 students are given 要有一个学习日程 a learning agenda for the semester, 然后告诉你 which tells them 每周我们到哪儿去meeting the location of weekly meetings. 因为是一个面对面的 It is a face to face communication, 有点像会议一样的形式 a bit like a conference. 然后我们在 Then how's the instructional content 教学内容在教室里面怎么呈现呢 presented in the classroom? 我们通过黑板 板书 We use blackboard-writing, 通过投影 projection and lectures 通过教师的讲授来提供教学内容 to provide instructional content. 然后我们还要给学生设计 Then we design 很多的课后作业 a lot of homework for the students. 然后还要对他提供 We also have to offer students 这种教学的评价与反馈 assessments, feedback, 以及基于模型和实物的一些展示 demonstrations with models and real objects, 还有考试 as well as exams. 这就是在教室这个空间里面 These are the instructional behaviors 会发生的一些教学行为 taking place in the space of a classroom. 那么在在线的这个情景下 In the context of online education, 我们实际上是把传统课堂的 we actually deconstruct 这样一些行为进行结构之后 some behaviors in the traditional classroom 又有一个重构的过程 and restructure them online. 好比第一个学习日程 For example, the learning agenda 在在线其实就直接变成了 has become Lecture One, Lecture Two, 像coursera平台上的第一讲 Lecture Three, and so forth, 第二讲 第三讲 on platforms like Coursera. 连续的这样一个安排 It becomes a continuous agenda like this. 你就不需要再拿着一个document You don't have to use an agenda 就是文档性的日程 written in a document. 而是平台上直接阐释的 The platform will offer you a dynamic agenda 就是一个动态的日程 that would be demonstrated online. 然后第二个呈现教学内容 Then the second, the presentation of teaching content. 我们现在有了课件 Now we have slides, 教材 视频等等这样一些类别 textbooks, videos and others. 那么我们在线也可以配合每一讲 We can also arrange all kinds of instructional activities 安排各类的教学活动 in line with every online lecture. 那么每一个教学活动 Students' performance 其实也包含了 in each instructional activity 就是（07：1 1） will be evaluated by their classmates 或者老师对他的一些评价 and the teacher. 然后对每一项学习活动 Their performance in each learning activity 就要打分 will be graded. 这个打分最后合起来 In the end, all the grades together 就变成了一门课程的 become the formative assessment 一个过程性评价 for students in the course. 看一下这种教学团队的 Now let's see the restructuring process 一个重构的过程 of teaching teams. 我们在这列了一个 Here I have 虚拟教学团队 a virtual teaching team. 我们来比较一下 We'll compare it 在传统的这个教育机构里面 with teaching teams in traditional educational institutions. 比如说你在清华 For example, undergraduates at Tsinghua University 在北大读一个本科 or Peking University 你四年期间要学好几十门课程 have to learn dozens of courses in four years. 那么这些老师 These teachers 他们实际上都是在 are actually working 共同的一个大楼里面工作 in the same building. 比如像我在北京 教学 For example, I teach at Peking University's Graduate School of Education. 我们所有老师 All my colleagues and I 都在这个大楼里工作 work in the same building. 然后我们日常的 Then how do we usually 这个教育学院的日常交流 communicate with each other 我们靠什么 at the Graduate School of Education? 其实主要依赖的是口头语言 We mainly use oral language. 比如说定期开会 For example, we have regular meetings 还有非正式的老师的个别交流 and some informal exchanges among teachers. 就是这是传统教育机构 This is the general communication 常用的一个教学团队的 for a teaching team 一个交流方式 in a traditional educational institution. 那么在互联网上我们就会看到 But on the Internet, 其实当你完成一个学位的 you'll find that 这种学习过程里面 in the learning process to get a degree, 可能给你进行这种教学交流 you may have teachers from all around the world to 指导的老师 communicate with you 可能是分布在世界各地的 and give you instructions. 我们这画的这个图还比较保守 The picture here is still a little bit conservative. 分布在中国各地 It just depicts teachers 教师分布在中国各地 from all over China. 那么这样一个教学团队 Then what's the thing 它如何形成凝聚力呢 that holds such a teaching team together? 它定期的这种管理交流 How are the management and exchange 依靠什么呢 carried out? 其实就是依靠我们网上的 Actually, they are executed 远程的这样一些交流工具 through remote communication tools. 顺便说一下这种虚拟教育组织 By the way, these kinds of virtual education organizations 其实早就实现了 have already had these tools for a long time. 我们在2007年曾经承担了 In 2007, we undertook an experimental course on training teachers 教育部的国培计划 之前的 prior to the National Teacher Training Program 一个教师培训的实验课程 put forward by the Ministry of Education. 这个课程在北大 From 2007 to 2013, 从2007年到2013年 the course offered by Peking University 总共累计起来培训了 trained over one million 100多万中小学老师 primary and secondary school teachers in total. 北大我们之前其实 Prior to that, Peking University 又没有一个专门的教师培训机构 didn't have a specialized teacher training institution. 其实北大这个的项目管理的 The team at Peking University 机构只有13个人 running the project only had 13 members. 大量的这种线上教学 So how did they organize 靠什么来组织 such a great deal of online teaching work? 其实就是靠分布在全国各地的 Actually, they relied on teachers all over the country. 就是北大当时网院 聘了 The School of Distance Learning, Peking University 两千多位这种兼职的辅导教师 hired over 2,000 part-time tutors 来完成这一百多万中小学老师的 to complete the training task 这样一个培训的任务和工作 of more than one million primary and secondary school teachers. 然后另外其实 Additionally, 你像我们前面举过的VIPKID training institutions like VIPKID, 这种培训机构 which we've mentioned before, 其实它也应该是一种完全的 are actually a new form 建在网上的一种 of educational organizations 全新的教育组织机构 based online, 因为它的老师和学生 because they have teachers and students 也是分布在世界不同的地方的 in different parts of the world, 并非像我们传统机构 instead of in the same building 都是在一个大楼里 or campus 或者是在一个校园里 as opposed to traditional institutions. 所以这个我觉得是在线教育 I think, in this way, 为现有的学校教育组织 online education provides a revolutionary new possibility 提供的一种革命性的新的可能性 for existing educational organizations.
