THE CONTEMPORARY WORK ENVIRONMENT

THE TRADITIONAL CLASSROOM
AND THE CONTEMPORARY WORK ENVIRONMENT

Reprinted with permission of Kathy Yamashiro
Office of the Chancellor for Community Colleges, University of Hawaii

Traditional Classroom		Contemporary Work Environment
Instructor provides information and direction.		Employees need to solicit information and resources from supervisors and peers.
Students follow instructions and do only as they are instructed.		Projects are self initiated and managed.
Individual students follow procedures/processes to arrive at the "one" correct answer or solution.		Employees work in groups to solve problems.
There is one recognized way to do things -- the instructor's way.		Rational justifications for method(s) are acceptable.
Students use books as their primary source for information.		Co-workers and managers are primary resources.
Students complete assignments as instructed with timelines determined by the instructor.		Timelines are negotiated and set by employees and managers together.
Grades are determined by the instructor.		Assessments are qualitative and include input from individual employees, peers, supervisors, and work products.
Students are expected to listen and take notes in class. Questions are acceptable only to clarify what has been said.		Personal interest, participation, experimentation, and active questioning are major job components.
Group work is considered to be unfair.		Cooperative group skills are essential to getting things done.