Khan Academy: The Illusion of Understanding

Abstract

This paper examines the ongoing challenge of defining what learning means from the perspective of the cognitive and learning sciences, especially as it unfolds in on-line environments. To better define learning as well as offer guiding principles, this paper uses Khan Academy as an example of what some highprofile individuals, such as Bill Gates, are claiming to be the future of education. I offer five guiding observations that provide a structure for understanding the learning process and apply them to Khan Academy as a means of revealing what I call the illusion of understanding, and I replace that view with a more authentic understanding of the learning process and the means to achieve that understanding.

Out of Classroom Instruction in the Flipped Classroom: The Tough Task of Engaging the Students

“…Screencasts, visualizations and other online resources are also powerful media and provide different ways to engage with mathematical thinking. Nevertheless, it is imperative that teachers make sure that students practice while going through all this material, otherwise they cannot be sure that authentic learning takes place [21]. Providing practice tests and quizzes can help in making the students study and come to class prepared.…”

One Size Does Not Fit All: Toward an Evidence-Based Framework for Determining Online Course Enrollment Sizes in Higher Education

“…Few students are capable of complex learning without focused facilitation from knowledgeable experts. Arbaugh & Benbunan-Fich, 2005;Bain, 2004;Benbunan-Fich et al, 2005;Bozkurt et al, 2015;Chu, Zhang, Chen, Chan, Lee, Zou, & Lau, 2017;Curriculum Committee, 2012;El Tantawi, Abdelsalem, Mourady, & Elrifae, 2015;Holtslander, Racine, Furniss, Burles, & Turner, 2012;Holzweiss et al, 2014;Jones, 2015;Kim, 2013;Legg, Adelman, & Levitt, 2009;Mandel & Sussmuth, 2011;Maringe & Sing, 2014;Picciano, 2017;Ravenna, 2012;Schellens & Valcke, 2006;Schwartz, 2014;Taft et al, 2011;Williams, Jaramillo, & Pesko, 2015 Bloom's taxonomy: A classic in education theory, categories of learning level align in a pyramid, from simple/concrete (lower levels) to complex/abstract (higher levels). Each category contains subcategories.…”

“…(c) Mastering complex phenomena: critical thinking; deep learning with constructivist pedagogy Bristol & Kyarsgaard, 2012;Colwell & Jenks, 2004;Curriculum Committee, 2012;Kim, 2013;Maringe & Sing, 2014;Monks & Schmidt, 2011;Ravenna, 2012;Schwartz, 2014;Sorensen, 2014Sorensen, , 2015Taft et al, 2011;Tynan et al, 2015;Walls, 2016 17 (d) Attaining higher order learning: advanced content at the application level or above on Bloom's taxonomy Colwell & Jenks, 2004;Curriculum Committee, 2012;Holzweiss et al, 2014;Kim, 2013;Kingma & Keefe, 2006;Maringe & Sing, 2014;Ravenna, 2012;Schwartz, 2014;Taft et al, 2011 13 (e) Effects of instructor inspiration: more challenge for and effort by students; greater motivation and enthusiasm; better study/work habits; greater student average progress on course objectives Haynie, 2014;Monks & Schmidt, 2011;Sorensen, 2014Sorensen, , 2015 Re: instructor inspiration: Sorensen (2014Sorensen ( , 2015 reported that faculty with smaller enrollments created stronger intracourse relationships and more fully shared their knowledge and expertise about the subject matter, thereby enabling the expression of teacher and student social presences and engagement, than did faculty in larger classes. Meaningful relationships generate emotions that facilitate learning (Berg & Seeber, 2016).…”

“…Many college courses involve basic levels of learning that can be managed in large classes. Schwartz (2014) examined what learning means in online environments from the perspective of the cognitive and learning sciences. Using Khan Academy (KA), a purveyor of online content, as an example of what he called "the illusion of understanding," Schwartz identified didactic education with testing, as practiced by KA, as inadequate to the task of building complex understandings in students.…”

Toward an Understanding of Development of Learning to Solve Ill-Defined Problems in an Online Context: A Multi-Year Qualitative Exploratory Study

“…Lastly, they gained practice by following the same pattern of assignments across the five Modules in the course by working with different case studies and reading materials in each Module. Overall, this study offers some specific methods for teaching case analysis skills in order to address some of the challenges noted by Schwartz (2014) with student learning in an online context. Further, my study suggests an alternative lens to view the ongoing debate about the positivist vs. constructivist approaches to teaching in general, and in an online context in particular.…”