How connected devices and streaming video are changing the way we consume content — from mashable.com by Christina Warren
On 08/18/2011,
in A/V -- audio/visual, change, convergence, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital video, game-changing environment, internet, Learning from the Living [Class] Room, Near Field Communication (NFC), technologies for your home, television,
by Daniel Christian
On 08/18/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, society,
by Daniel Christian
Student loan debt climbs — WSJ.com by Justin Lahart
Student loan debt growing even as consumers pull back on other types of debt — from dailyjournal.net; originally saw this one at Academic Impressions
Push comes to shove: More American parents would like Uncle Sam to regulate college costs — from Straighterline.com
Student-loan delinquencies rise, adding to fears of an education bubble — HuffingtonPost.com
On 08/10/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, budgets, change, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, education reform, education technology, game-changing environment, K-12 related, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, policy, United States, using teams,
by Daniel Christian
Closing the loop in education technology — from The Journal by David Nagel
Excerpt:
K-12 education isn’t using technology effectively and isn’t investing nearly enough in IT infrastructure to enable next-generation learning. That’s the conclusion of a new report, “Unleashing the Potential of Technology in Education,” which called for a greater financial commitment to education technology and the adoption of a holistic, “closed loop” approach to its implementation.
See also:
From DSC:
We may continue to be disappointed in our overall results — even if we do bump up our ed tech infrastructure/investments — if we continue to use the same models/ways of doing things. That is, I wish we would move more towards a team-based approach and stop trying to load up our teachers’ and professors’ plates with tasks that they probably don’t have the time, interest, or training to do. Graphically speaking:
So…use teams to create and deliver the content — and allow for online tutoring from a team of specialists in each discipline. Like the healthcare-related billboard I kept driving by the other day said: “A team of specialists at every step.”
On 07/01/2011,
in business, corporate / business world, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, expectations, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, innovation, leadership, reinvent, strategy, surviving, trends, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
A reflection on:
- “Why did Myspace fail?… Are you listening Microsoft, Yahoo, AOL, and Cisco? — from FastCompany.com by Mark Goulston
Don’t confuse a one-trick pony, first-mover niche player with a visionary company.
Excerpt (with emphasis from DSC):
The secret to visionary companies’ continued success was explained best what NHL great Wayne Gretzky stated: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” What Apple and Facebook know and more specifically their founders/CEOs’ Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg have in common is aspirational clarity. They appear to be able to see where the puck will be and into the future of what their market will not just want, but go ga-ga over and then they deliver it. Some may refer to that as their being market makers, but what enables them to make their market is that they can anticipate what will delight their customers and members that those people don’t even know will delight them.
From DSC:
This is why futuring, taking pulse checks on current trends, being in touch with your customers’ expectations (and future customers in the case of students), and scenario building are so important these days.
With the pace of technological change continuing to pick up, a healthy organization will constantly be looking to maintain its relevancy — to innnovate, to reinvent itself.
If you are not constantly reinventing yourself — as an individual or more collectively as an organization — your chances of staying relevant and marketable will likely decrease in the future.
Image by Daniel Christian
On 06/30/2011,
in colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, higher education, legislatures / government / legal, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, United States, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Related articles I saw today on this include:
- U.S. forcing some colleges to explain huge tuition hikes — chicagotribune.com
- Uncle Sam calls out steepest college tuition hikes — from money.cnn.com by Annalyn Censky
- Extreme tuition hikes ahead — from money.cnn.com
Colleges increase tuition after state cuts
-
Bringing Transparency to College Costs — The White House by Ezra Mechaber
Also see:
- College Affordability and Transparency Center — collegecost.ed.gov and http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx
On 06/20/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, change, colleges, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, organizational change, reinvent, staying relevant, United States, universities, using teams,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Surveys of the American public and of more than 1,000 college and university presidents, conducted this past spring by the Pew Research Center in association with the Chronicle of Higher Education, revealed significant concerns not only about the costs of such education, but also about its direction and goals.
More fundamentally, the business model that has characterized American higher education is at—or even past—its breaking point. Many institutions are increasingly beset by financial difficulties, and the meltdown since 2008 is but a shadow of what is to come. Undergraduate tuition has risen dramatically: at a 6.3 percent annual clip for nearly the last three decades—even faster than the much-decried 4.9 percent annual cost increases plaguing the healthcare industry. The full increase in the price of higher education has actually been hidden from many students and families over the years because gifts from alumni, earnings from private university endowments, subsidies from state tax revenues for public universities, and federal subsidies for students have been used to mitigate some costs. But universities are exhausting these mechanisms.
…
A Thriving, Disruptive Innovation
Just at the moment when these challenges to established higher education have arisen and compounded, another group of universities has arisen whose financial health is strong and enrollments have been booming. And yet the brands of these schools are weak and their campuses far from glamorous; sometimes the campuses are even nonexistent from the perspective of students, as online learning has largely driven their growth. How could this upstart group be so successful when the rest of higher education is treading water at best?
On 06/15/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, budgets, business side of he, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, learning, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, open courseware and systems, reinvent, society, staying relevant, United States,
by Daniel Christian
DIY U: The Future Of Learning [Video] — from FastCompany.com by Anya Kamenetz
From Khan Academy and TED Talks to instructional YouTube videos, the future of learning is open and free.
A related comment from DSC:
I have it that higher ed is a bubble and if an increasingly larger group of people can’t afford it — yet still want it — then, in my book, that’s a major problem.
I’ll use myself as an example. My wife and I could not begin to afford to send our kids to many of the colleges and universities out there right now — today, in 2011! (Let alone in 2017+ when our kids start hitting the college scene.) I should note that our kids are doing well in school and are very talented, hard workers. I should also point out that my wife and I place a very high value on being educated and we are both trying to pass that value along to the next generation.
But if you tell me that higher ed is not a bubble, the first question I will ask you (besides what planet are you living on) is what’s the gross income for your household? If you are making close to 6 figures, I highly doubt that your perspective will be the same as that of folks from households who are making $20,000-$50,000 a year. In fact, my hunch is that those who say higher ed is not a bubble are:
- Upper middle class to upper class (i.e. wealthy in the eyes of many in the world today)
- Folks who don’t have to worry about where their next paycheck is coming from (nor have they had to live like that in years!); that is, they are doing quite well these days…living quite comfortably
- College educated (nothing wrong with that!)
- Potentially involved with higher ed — or at least want to maintain the status quo
- Folks who do not have children
My take on this is that all of us in higher education need to figure out how we can greatly reduce the price of higher education. It shouldn’t be how well you understand the system or how many hours of work you have done to figure out the grants, loans, etc. that exist out there.
NEVER again should we be pleased with ANY sort of increase in tuition. Never again should we say, “Well, our tuition only went up by ___% which is the smallest increase in our history (or the smallest increase relative to our competition…or the smallest in our state/country/nation).”
Such a situation is causing a backlash against the current higher education environment/setup.
As such, we need to constantly be looking to reinvent ourselves — and to staying relevant.
Addendum on 6/17/11:
- Colleges add net price calculators to school prospective students on degree costs –– ecampusnews.com
New tool will give students a more accurate cost estimate
On 06/13/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, society, student-related, surviving, trends, United States,
by Daniel Christian
Excerpt:
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — What do you get when college costs skyrocket but incomes barely budge? Yet another blow to the middle class.
“As the out-of-pocket costs of a college education go up faster than incomes, it’s pricing low and medium income families out of a college education,” said Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of financial aid sites FinAid.org and FastWeb.com.
The numbers confirm what most middle class families already know — college is becoming so expensive, it’s starting to hold them back.
On 06/07/2011,
in budgets, business side of he, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, leadership, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, strategy, student-related, trends,
by Daniel Christian
From ‘gainful employment’ to lower college costs — from The WashingtonPost.com by Matt Miller
Excerpt (extra emphasis by DSC):
But whatever happens as these new rules are implemented in next few years, for-profit colleges will never get out from under a cloud, nor make good on their potential social contribution, until they pass on to students the benefit of the lower educational cost structures they are creating. To date, they’ve been reluctant to do so, because, for public companies especially, it seems tantamount to ignoring the shareholder interest in maximizing profits.
But this is shortsighted. For one thing, it ensures a perennial political backlash, which can’t serve shareholders over time. And beyond this, as a business matter, it means there’s a huge opening for any number of “Wal-Marts of higher ed” to win a vast market of underserved or overindebted young Americans (or mid-career workers who seek training) who desperately need affordable, high-quality educational services. The strategy should be to lower costs, lower prices and “make it up on the volume.” The firms that do this and earn a reputation for quality will force the traditional college world to reexamine its own inefficient practices, to the lasting benefit of students and the governments that fund them.
From DSC:
Also see:
- The Forthcoming “Walmart of Education” — by Daniel S. Christian (12/1/08); this is where we are going, at least in part. Major disruption is on the way (and parts of it are already here).
On 06/01/2011,
in change, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, innovation, internet, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, online learning,
by Daniel Christian
Online Learning: Is College (Finally) Ready For Its Innovation Revolution? — from The Atlantic by Derek Thompson; originally saw this at one of Ray Schroeder’s blogs
“The price of college is going to fall, and the Internet is going to cause that fall. The rest of it is really difficult to figure out.”
On 06/01/2011,
in accreditation, budgets, business side of he, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, education technology, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, instructional design, leadership, learning theories, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, new business models, online learning, open courseware and systems, pedagogy, reinvent, staying relevant, teaching & learning, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Is Higher Education Ready for “The Education Bubble”? — from CampusTechnology.com by Trent Batson
Excerpts:
American higher education–the jewel in the global crown of universal education, with nearly a quarter of the total number of higher education institutions in the world, and including graduate programs that are the envy of the world–is facing the prospect of being the next bubble to burst. Technology is both a culprit and a promising ally.
The spread of information technology, and its infusion into our culture, has opened the world to learning opportunities–raising expectations for college graduates and changing the terms of success.
Is American higher education ready to either prevent the bubble from bursting or to weather the storm when it does burst? And what is the bubble?
…
The bubble, as we can see by all the dimensions just described, is, in fact, a potential “perfect storm.”
…
But this effort must also result from a presidential-level decree: “The learning theory that fit so well in our culture and with the dominant technology pre-1995 (print-based and paper-based technologies), now is not working very well for any of us, so we have to change. Each of you on campus has sincerely and devotedly committed yourselves fully to learning, but now we know that our learning epistemology is less and less appropriate. This is not your fault; it is simply a time of incredible human growth; it is a time of rapid evolution in our culture; a time of re-shaping our economy. We must transform or become irrelevant.”
From DSC:
Good to see I have some company in these perspectives; thanks for the article Trent. Also see:
- The Forthcoming Walmart of Education
- The below graphics that I created a while back reflecting on whether there was a bubble building within higher ed (2/16/09) as well some of the elements of “The Perfect Storm in Higher Education” (9/10/10).
- The point is we need a response to these trends — we don’t want to be broadsided.
From 5/21/09
On 05/12/2011,
in budgets, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, leadership, legislatures / government / legal, New "Amazon.com" of Higher Education, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Is there any doubt anymore that we are in a game-changing environment? This is but one of the storm fronts creating the perfect storm within higher education. The graphic I created below lays out some of the other storm fronts (and I’m sure I missed some of the other pieces, but these are some of the key drivers of change).
NOTE:
I don’t mean to be a chicken little here or a doomsdayer — rather what I’ve been saying is not speculation. It is reality. Those who choose not to deal with things as they really are — and will be — will be the ones most likely to be broadsided in the months/years to come.
Universities slash budgets nationwide — from ABC News by Teresa Lostroh
Colleges across the country are facing layoffs, program cuts, tuition hikes and possible campus closings as they brace for major reductions in state funding — again.
The leaders of Penn State University are wondering if they’ll have to close some of their branch campuses next year, and more than 400 faculty positions may be on the chopping block.
In California, class sizes are swelling while class offerings are shrinking. One community college district in San Diego has cut 90 percent of its summer courses. And in Washington, universities are increasing the enrollment of out-of-state students, who pay about three times as much as in-state students, while considering trimming resident enrollment.
Colleges and universities, which can levy revenue through tuition hikes, are a primary target for cuts when states are in a budget bind.
“This year is going to be the hardest year on record,” said Dan Hurley, director of state relations and policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, which has 420 member institutions. “Any new revenue at the state level is being gobbled up by Medicaid and K-12 education,” he said, and much of the federal stimulus money expires this year, setting up the perfect storm for higher education.
Also see:
On 04/28/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, dangers of the status quo, digital learning, education reform, expectations, future of higher education, game-changing environment, K-12 related, online learning, online media, online tutoring, personalized/customized learning, student teaching/teacher education, student-related,
by Daniel Christian
