Autonomy of Choice in a Global Classroom: Choose-your-own Adventure, Micro-credentials, and the Destruction of “Course in a Box”

Abstract

. Autonomy and student choice are values held by the more recent generations, and they are taking ownership of their learning in a variety of ways. It is not a surprise that students prefer different ways of learning, but students, more than ever, have greater choices in the educational marketplace for where and how they want to learn. iGen is accustomed to choosing their journey for knowledge, which is evident in the rise of the popularity of Coursera and other quick-hit education providers. If learners they choice they are presented, they can click through options until they find something they do like. This puts traditional institutions of higher education at a severe disadvantage from a customer service perspective. How then can higher educational institutions provide more choice? By building in components that students can take small portions of information have choices in how they learn, and what they learn creates student autonomy in an innovative environment where students engage in the topic. By dismantling the “course in a box,” off-the-shelf curriculum is redesigned with student-centered, student autonomy as a foundation. Micro-credentials are discussed as pathways and options for greater student autonomy.