Abstract
Amongst the weighty limitations of lectures as a knowledge delivery platform, such as reduced learner participation and reliance upon memorization, the phenomenon known as the Dr. Fox effect presents a unique challenge to knowledge acquisition. This effect is a social phenomenon in which the non-verbal behaviours and presentation style of a lecture masks its poor content, producing the illusion of having learned something useful and important. The significance of such a phenomenon is pertinent enough during f2f teaching and learning environments, but in the context of online learning the present paper hypothesizes that the Dr. Fox effect further exacerbates the limitations of lectures, which in turn raises questions of how knowledge can best be delivered online. Such a hypothesis is supported by Marshall McLuhan’s (1964) insight regarding the limitations of hardware – the “medium” – which imposes a constraint upon its material output, a view that was further emphasized in the educational research by Neil Postman (2005) who warned that “form excludes content”, potentially resulting in a dumbing down of education into edutainment. This exploratory paper will investigate the ramifications of these challenges for teaching and learning in the post-pandemic era of technological dependence, together with suggested recommendations to ameliorate the illusion of learning posed by the Dr. Fox effect, an essential consideration being that information technology must serve the student as educational technology rather than simply I.T.
Biography
Adrian Davis (EdD) is an Associate Professor of Education in the School of Applied Sciences at Macao Polytechnic University. He has taught in schools in London, India, and Macao. He also has a Master Degree in Psychotherapy & Counselling, a Master Degree in Buddhist Counselling, and is a certified Play therapist (APTA) and Art therapist (CiiAT). He is currently studying Sandplay therapy with the HK Sandplay Therapy Association (HKSTA). His research interests include the psychology of teaching and learning; cognitive, social constructivist, Vygotskian, and poststructural approaches to language learning; humanistic and psychotherapeutic approaches to teaching and learning; and teaching English for Specific Purposes (ESP) involving Content-based Instruction (CBI)/Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) for social work students.