Subject Matter Experts
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family,” – Kofi Annan
Sharers of Knowledge
Webster’s Dictionary defines knowledge as “(1) the fact or condition of knowing something with familiarity gained through experience… (2) acquaintance with or understanding of a science, art, or technique.” Subject matter experts gain their knowledge through experience, both practical and theoretical. They know what others do not. Since the purpose of education is to enable those who lack knowledge to acquire it, subject matter experts are fundamentally important to this process.
What Subject Matter Experts Do
- Define syntactic content knowledge that must be covered
- Determine substantive content knowledge that must be included
- Ensure that lesson activities remain loyal to content knowledge
- Oversee value of learning objectives
- Review accuracy of content knowledge
Who Our Subject Matter Experts Are
- Experts in every subject area from accounting to zoology
- If A Pass does not already have a relationship with the right SME we will quickly find one
- Majority possess Master or Doctorate degrees
- Many have prior experience in industry or government
- Most have experience teaching in their subject area
- Most have worked with A Pass for 3-5 years
Brief: Working with SMEs
A Pass often partners with subject matter experts who work for our institutional partners. This can be a complicated affair. It can be challenging to motivate university professors and others to be responsive to instructional designers. Take a look at this A Pass resource to see how we work with outside SMEs.