Improving Learning Outcomes for Higher Education Through Smart Technology

Knowledge Explosion

For centuries, knowledge has doubled at a rather steady rate; a doubling rate roughly occurs once every century. Beginning in around 1900 the rate of knowledge began to double at an ever increasingly fast rate (Buckminster, 1981). Now, that rate is so foreshortened that it can be described as exponential. With the invention of personal computers, the Internet, and mobile devices, the growth beginning in the 1980's has jumped by approximately 900% (Buckminster, 1981). See Figure 1 for a dramatization of the growth of information from 1600 to 2050, which demonstrates the exponential growth. There appears to be no immediate end to the explosion of information. Some project this doubling rate to occur every 12 hours at some point relatively soon. This ever-increasing rate of doubling produces a problem for teachers and students: How to transform this vast quantity of data into knowledge? One way is through Smart technology that combines visual and the aural input to reduce cognitive load and make learning more efficient and more effective.

Figure 1.

A demonstration of the rapid growth of information from 1600 to 2050. Data obtained, in part, from Schilling (2013)