Brilliant discussion, and a quick read, on the massive changes happening now in higher education.
The world’s master thinkers in every field are now widely available to everyone with a computer and many are teaching in MOOCs (Massive Open Online Course) to 100’s of thousands of students. Do we need thousands of mediocre courses/lectures on the same topic around the US or is there a new model for receiving knowledge by the best digitally, and applying it in smaller settings with key teacher/facilitators? Done right, it will give students a superior learning experience.
Soon we’ll select from the best of many institutions and ‘masters’ putting together our own highly personalized educational curriculum, which will then be certified for quality based on the rigor of that learning experience. This is a good thing. The current accreditation system is meaningless in regard to quality and ridiculously expensive. With this, I believe we’ll see a superior learning experience, delivered in a more efficient and effective way.
Change has come slowly to higher ed–it’s the nature of huge governmental and non-profit entities. Your memory of college 25 years ago would be similar to today’s reality–except the cost is approximately 20X what you paid and nothing else in our world is similar, including the demands and career sophistication awaiting the new college grad. Welcome disruption! Our students and economy deserve it.
Trish Costello 