You’ll never guess who’s disrupting online learning — from forbes.com by Chris Proulx, President & CEO of eCornell
Excerpt:
The reality behind the hype is that online education has been disruptive for over a decade, well before MOOCs. Certainly since the economic downturn in 2009, we have seen an accelerated focus on agile work practices and more rapid adjustments in company strategy. This change has created opportunities for employees to drive their career growth by becoming masters at acquiring and applying new skills in short bursts. Much of this has come through on the job skill development, but individuals and organizations alike are also adapting their more formal training and education approaches so it aligns with the accelerating pace of business.
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First, in the 21st economy, education needs to be as much about context as it needs to be about content. Second, it needs to put the learner in control of the pace, timing, and application of the learning. Third, it needs to blend concepts with practice by aligning expertise from traditional faculty with non-traditional expert-practitioners in order to drive relevance.
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But just like with iTunes, the next step for the digitization of higher ed will need to come with new sustainable business models, not just technology, to drive widespread adoption and change.