What are the Web’s effect on education institutions?
I think the web is helping to reshape the way think about education: how to educate, who we can potentially educate and, ultimately, what we want our educational objectives to be.
For example, the internet has been described as a “disruptive innovation.”
now with its own logo
This is a term coined by Clayton Christensen to describe:
“technological innovations, products, services, processes, or concepts that disrupt the status quo.”
Basically the argument is that technology like the web is challenging our previously held notions or our traditional paradigm for education.
Disruption: a three step process
I agree, in fact, I think it is a necessary step.
Ken Robinson offers a provocative argument as to why the paradigm for education needs shift.
But I think its a logical step. Consider the root idea of public education from the Enlightenment
“public education that is paid for by taxation, compulsory to everyone and free at the point of delivery.”
Now examine the last two points: for everyone and free at the point of delivery. Doesn’t this in essence sound like the nature of a MOOC or (Massive open online course)?
The point of these courses is to reach a larger audience, particularly to give access to audiences that previously had limited access to education, and to offer the courses at reduced rates or even free. Now, what has enabled this development? Well, the internet. And many people suggest that this is the end of universities as we know it.
disbelief?!
Take a look at the article “The End of the University As We Know It,” if you don’t believe me!
While there are still others that hold a more moderate view of the changing circumstances in higher education. Anya Kamentz in the article, “Disruptive innovation: Open online courses are changing education forever,” suggests Ivy Leagues and Community Colleges will be fine but its the middle-tiered schools that have a reason to worry.
Of course these new online environments are not without their challenges. For example the “meltdown” of a recent MOOC made headlines when it was suspended mid-course “so that improvements could be made.”
But as Debbie Morrison suggests in the article, “MOOC meltdown: Online Class on How To Teach Online Classes Goes Laughably Awry”
“It was not technical issues that derailed this course [which was a symptom], it is the underlying philosophy that many institutions still hold onto—that a MOOC is similar to, or the same as, a course in a traditional face-to-face classroom, and it can be successful using the same structure, same content and similar instructional methods. MOOC courses offered through Cousera and other such platforms, often appear modified to ‘fit’ into a course experience on the Web, albeit with thousands of students.”
What does this mean? Well, if the environment is changing for education then so too must the principles for governing an educational experience change.
How much do you use the WWW? What do you mostly use it for?
Here’s my relationship with the web…
Sometimes A
I love you computey pooter~!
Often B
chain, chain, chain, chain of FOOOOLS~!
Mostly C
Yep!
I use the web all the time and for everything. I work online, I go to school online, I do assignments and study online, I pay bills online, I bank online, I shop online, I chat with my friends and call my family online, I plan vacations online, I watch movies and TV shows online, I read online, I listen to music online, I game online, I am ONLINE!
Have you used it to learn something? What? Describe the experience and your reactions to it.
I have used the web many times to learn something. The experiences in general have been both positive and always different.
When I first went abroad, I was working in Japan and I earned an online TEFL certification. It was self-paced but not very interactive. We would read the module and answer a multiple choice quiz at then end. Then we had to submit an essay to our tutor who would then grade it and give us feed back.
It is interesting to note that the company I received my TEFL certification from originally is now cooperating with the language teaching company, I currently work for, using Second Life to develop a more interactive certification for future ESL teachers. My how the times have changed~!
I have also used video tutorials for learning. I have learned software from Lynda.com and for my knitting and crocheting hobbies from sites like Craftsy.com, YouTube and blogs. Recently I joined a site called Writers Village University which offers writing courses and MFA courses in a forum atmosphere. Its interesting. They post assignments and then we submit our writing to the forums for discussion and critiquing. Of course my M.A. in the OLIT/OILS program is all online! I very rarely set foot on campus!
Also, I use the web to do a lot of problem solving. If I have computer issues or need to do something in particular with a software I will “google it” then go to the specific forum or FAQ that comes up. I find a lot of answers that way!
Look at me learn~!
Hi Babette,
I think it is interesting that we are all defining education within the box of higher ed, when the majority of what we describe is informal and free! At least, many of the tutorials and instructions on everything from knitting to building a better computer are provided to anyone with access to the computer and an Internet connection.
You made me laugh and think, again. Thank you.
Robin
Hey Robin,
It might be the nature of adult learning too. We tend to know what we want to learn and it seems based on our interests. I just want the answer dern it~!
I think the real forces disrupting higher ed are political and financial. The political is a conservative effort to defund public education and transfer a lot of its functions to the private sector. Market theory gone haywire. The private sector sees opportunities for expansion and profits.
sophisticatedhammers.wordpress.com
Booo conservative movement~! I like my education free and public! It makes me wonder is this a problem in the US due to our capitalist tendencies? If so, then perhaps I’m hoping for a global revolution! Student in the US might be taking MOOCS from China, India and Brazil!
(Okay more likely Europe, but still…)
Babette,
In the link to the americaninterest.com article in your post, I found it fascinating to read about the prediction for higher education. It makes financial sense to see the trends toward online learning, but it saddens me to think about the loss of campus life as I knew it in college. Here’s an interesting excerpt:
“To borrow an analogy from the music industry, universities have previously sold education in an “album” package—the four-year bachelor’s degree in a certain major, usually coupled with a core curriculum. The trend for the future will be more compact, targeted educational certificates and credits, which students will be able to pick and choose from to create their own academic portfolios. Take a math class from MIT, an engineering class from Purdue, perhaps with a course in environmental law from Yale, and create interdisciplinary education targeted to one’s own interests and career goals. Employers will be able to identify students who have done well in specific courses that match their needs. When people submit résumés to potential employers, they could include a list of these individual courses, and their achievement in them, rather than simply reference a degree and overall GPA. The legitimacy of MOOCs in the eyes of employers will grow, then, as respected universities take the lead in offering open courses with meaningful credentials.”
What do you think about the future landscape of higher ed?
Izzie
Robin, Very interesting articles and layout of your blog! In reading about the MOOCs and the ability for one to manage their own learning by customizing courses is very appealing to me. While I would agree with Babette that many will miss out on campus life, it is also important to note that even campus life will be effected by technology. The students of today already have a different experience than I did. They can attend lectures online rather than participating in 100 level lecture style halls. They are accustomed to collaboration online. The analogy of how online dating was perceived at its onset and today’s acceptance is simply an amazing transition. I can certainly see how education requirements for graduation and employment are evolving. When I look at work requirements and consider what we need now to fill critical jobs is not relying on what our new employees learned in the past four years, but more importantly in how they are preparing for work now. I would much prefer to hire someone who focused their education on topics of interest, or ability to become a self-directed subject matter expert than a person who followed a strict syllabus. A creative education must lead to creative employees!
Thank you for the supporting articles as well.
Carolyn
Hi Babette!
Great post and great links! I have to agree with Kevin, education seems to be about the mighty dollar and the best product. Who ever holds the most money, holds the control!
Tomi