rsities to meet the needs of the new generations of students has also entailed the requirement for faculty to transform their instructional methods. According to Duderstadt (2000), the "digital generation" of students who are used to visual and interactive media prefer a participatory approach of learning than the traditional lecture paradigm, in which they are required to be passive listeners in a one-way communication mode (pp. 82-3).
Furthermore, as a result of the advances of the Internet technology, the role of the professor has become transformed from that of a teacher to that of a consultant or facilitator. Professors must now exhibit different abilities in learning how to incorporate technological resources in their curriculum in order to enhance their ability to promote an active learning experience for these students. Essentially, within this learner-centered environment, the faculty must no longer hide behind their mask of expertise and knowledge. Rather, they must be willing to take on the role of learners in their process of developing a new type of curriculum (Duderstadt, 2000, pp. 84-5; Cohen, 1998, p. 368-70).
Finally, the most important conceptual framework I have acquired through this course is the reconceptualization of the institution of the university as a dynamic learning community. Within this new conception, both faculty members and students are active learners who collaborate with one another in the process of learning and acquiring knowledge (Duderstadt, 2000, p. 85). This change entails the recognition that students may possess more knowledge than professors at times. By adopting a new attitude in a previously unequal relationship, professors will then be able to provide a dynamic learning experience that deviates radically from the traditional paradigm. Even more importantly, the institution will also benefit from the collaborations between professors and students who are constantly
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