Pilot Program: Autonomous Cohorts and Emergent Learning

该项目将建立和评估一种创新的教育方法，在这种方法中，大量不同类型的学生使用基于网络的在线学习环境来发展他们的一般创造力。该学习环境的独特之处在于，它提供自动评分，使用基于计算机的同行评议技术，同时让学生参与基于学科的美术课程。该环境将被设计为处理非常大的班级，并使学生自主地通过课程内容（没有教师），在内容交付和创造性作业的时间表内自动异步地完成课程内容。这种新的教育方法将确立一种教学方法，在某些情况下，这种方法可以完全改变教育的可及性和可获得性。所需要的只是一个学习者社区，同意参与预先设计和广泛安排的学习过程（从而成为一个队列）。一个队列可以是一群高中毕业生，一群新兵，一个在家学习的学生的在线社区，一群老年人（或任何终身学习者），或这些的任何组合。人们可以设想各种各样的开源课程围绕着现在免费提供的大量内容而发展。自主队列学习是全球学习者迅速增长的一种解决方案，也是引导大量学习者实现个人创造潜力的一种方式。

This project will establish and evaluate an innovative educational approach where a large and diverse group of students develop their general creativity using a web-based, online learning environment. Unique to the proposed learning environment is that it provides automated grading, using proven techniques of computer-based peer review, while engaging students in a discipline-based fine arts curriculum. The environment will be designed to handle very large classes and to move students through the course content autonomously (without an instructor), automatically and asynchronously within a schedule of content delivery and creative assignments.This new approach to education will establish a method of teaching and learning that could completely change, in some instances, the landscape of accessibility and availability of education. All that is required is a community of learners agreeing on participation in a pre-designed and broadly scheduled learning process (thus becoming a cohort). A cohort can be a group of high school seniors, a group of new Army recruits, an online community of home-schooled students, a group of senior citizens (or any life-long learners), or any combination of these. One could envision a variety of open source courses developing around the explosive amount of content now freely available. Autonomous cohort learning is one solution to the burgeoning growth in learners across the globe, and a way to guide large groups of learners to realize their individual creative potentials.