dangers of the status quo

Education as we know it is finished — by Christensen & Horn

On 07/15/2010, in budgets, business side of he, dangers of the status quo, disruption, education, education technology, elearning, future of higher education, game-changing environment, innovation, K-12 related, online learning, by Daniel Christian

Education as we know it is finished — from forbes.com by Clayton M. Christensen and Michael B. Horn (emphasis below from DSC)
Classrooms are giving way to online learning–forever.

School budgets are continuing to tighten, as the drop in state and local revenues has not abated and there likely will not be another $100 billion in federal stimulus funds coming any time soon. Even if the economy rebounds, the situation for public education will remain bleak. With baby boomers set to retire en masse, state and local governments, which provide the majority of school funds, will face mounting retiree health care and nonpension benefit obligations for which they haven’t made proper allowances. And local districts haven’t yet felt the full pain of the housing crisis in reducing revenue from property taxes. In other words, we have only seen the beginning of the red ink.

But others are seeing the hardship of the moment as an opportunity to transform what they do with the implementation of online learning. Pressured by not only widespread cuts but also increasing demands for accountability, these innovative leaders recognize that online learning is a key reform for doing more with less.

For example, the people who run many schools realize that they can save considerably by cutting back on traditional classroom versions of non-core courses–advanced placement, foreign language, economics and so forth–and instead offer them online, thereby aggregating demand across many school districts. Likewise they can cut back on the number of periods during which they offer certain classroom courses and still affordably meet student demand by offering those courses online.

The adoption of online learning is much more than just a cost-saving move for school districts. It has the potential to transform schooling more broadly by allowing students access to a wide range of high-quality offerings and teachers, regardless of where they live. Some students whose classroom courses have been replaced with online versions will be thrilled to find out that they now have access to not just one provider’s online courses but a whole marketplace of high-quality options, in a naturally technology-rich environment quite compatible for them.

Online learning also allows students to study unburdened by the usual constraints of time, proceeding at a pace that works best for them. The current system forces all students to learn the same material within the same time frame. That stalls the progress of advanced students while leaving others behind. This is one of the reasons online learning has been shown to produce better results overall than traditional face-to-face instruction.

From DSC:
Consistent readers of this blog and my former website will know that I’ve been saying we are in a game-changing environment for some time now — K-12 and higher education will never be going back to “business as usual.”

Tagged with: dangers of the status quo • educational technology • elearning • future of higher education • game-changing environment • innova • online learning

Reflections on “Is college overrated?”

On 07/13/2010, in cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, by Daniel Christian

Is college overrated? — from USAToday.com by Patrick Welsh

By Web Bryant, USA TODAY

From DSC:
Those of us in higher education better damn well pause for some serious time of reflection when we continue to see this type of question being asked out there. We had better address it head-on, as I have it that the bubble is already starting to burst in some institutions of higher education — and what’s just as troubling to some, is that the Internet continues its path towards Disruption. But whether you think that there is a bubble or not, the bottom line is this: When we even see this question being asked, we have a problem.

And we had better figure out a way to deliver education at a 50%+ discount/savings. Perhaps there needs to be a continuum of pricing related to how much time a student has access to a full-time faculty member…or perhaps there are different pricing structures for 100- and 200-level courses as opposed to 300- and 400- level courses…perhaps you get a price break when you take a course taught by a grad student…

We need to start thinking much more creatively about pricing structures and how we can get the price of a college education down to much more affordable prices.

We do not want to be in an overvalued* position — a position we will be in if we maintain the status quo.

* What does overvalued mean? — from http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/overvalued.asp

A stock with a current price that is not justified by its earnings outlook or price/earnings (P/E) ratio and, therefore, is expected to drop in price. Overvaluation may result from an emotional buying spurt, which inflates the stock’s market price, or from a deterioration in a company’s financial strength.

Investors may be willing to pay more for stocks with superior growth potential, but they don’t want to overpay for a company with growth prospects that don’t justify its current market price. One way to determine whether a stock may be overvalued is to look at the price-to-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio. For example, a stock is generally considered to be fairly valued if the PEG ratio is 1 (which means the P/E ratio equals the estimated earnings growth), and possibly overvalued if the PEG is more than 1.

Tagged with: cost of getting an education • Walmart of Education

Reflections from the article “Evaluating Part-Time Faculty”

On 07/12/2010, in cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, education reform, future of higher education, game-changing environment, multimedia, new business models, using teams, by Daniel Christian

Evaluating Part-Time Faculty — from Academic Impressions by Daniel Fusch

This fall, the US Department of Education is expected to release a report showing a further drop in the percentage of US faculty who are tenured or tenure-track (which as of 2007 had already dropped to 31%, down from 57% in 1975). This comes on the heels of a recent study published in the journal Educational Policy that showed lower persistence rates for freshmen who have many of their courses taught by adjuncts, prompting fresh debate over what the increased use of contingent faculty may mean for the quality of education.

From DSC:
I don’t mean to be critical or find fault here…but I do wonder how many resources are put into full-time faculty’s training and development in terms of helping them learn how to TEACH (vs. doing research, publishing their findings, etc.). Teaching is tough and is both a science and an art. Few can be good at everything.

Also, I think there is an emphasis on teaching at some institutions, but there may be more of an emphasis on publishing and doing research at other institutions.

For example, I went to Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Currently, NU charges about $55,000 a year to go there. Does the student get top notch TEACHING? In many cases, I doubt it. The students may get subject matter experts (SME’s) who know their subject matter like the back of their hand or they make be taking a course from someone who has carved out a name for himself/herself in a particular discipline…but that doesn’t mean they know how to teach that material. Also, it doesn’t mean that many students will ever get to take a class from these folks, as they may be getting a grad student teaching some of their core courses…I know I did.

Also, this is all the more reason that teams of specialists will be/should be used to create and deliver content. You want the best SME’s you can get…but you need to back them up with the resources to create the best all-around product. You need the skillsets found in instructional designers, programmers, web designers, interaction designers, graphic designers, legal experts, etc. — the best that you can afford to create engaging, interactive, multimedia-based, personalized content.

You can bet that the “Forthcoming Walmart of Education” will get this right! And when they do, watch out. They will leave many institutions in their dust.

Tagged with: education reform • future of higher education • game-changing environment • Using teams • Walmart of Education

Virtual schooling: Disrupting the status quo — Michael Horn

On 06/16/2010, in dangers of the status quo, disruption, virtual K-12 schools, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: dangers of the status quo • disruption • virtual schools

Future of Education (video)

On 04/29/2010, in change, dangers of the status quo, disruption, by Daniel Christian

…and ends with, “Are you?”

Tagged with: change • dangers of the status quo • disruption • game-changing environment

Reinventing Higher Education Conference — May 4th in Segovia, Spain

On 04/29/2010, in dangers of the status quo, education reform, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, by Daniel Christian

About the Reinventing Higher Education Conference
A conference organized by IE University, Segovia (Spain), 4th May 2010.

The field of Higher Education is experiencing one of the most fascinating and challenging transformations since the foundation of the first universities eight centuries ago (emphasis here and below by DSC):

• New actors are entering and are supplementing the traditional role of the State and other grand institutions in setting the agenda of education institutions.

• New technologies are reshaping the way knowledge is generated and distributed, including the learning methodologies, the forms of delivery and even the role of professors.

• A new profile of students is entering higher education. The web generation brings new skills and attitudes into class. At the same time, continuous education is becoming a fast-growing segment for many universities.

• The internationalization of education stakeholders and cross-border mobility are key features of the new higher education environment.

• Transnational accreditation and ranking systems may play key role in constructing and signaling the quality of the diverse institutions

• The governance and funding of higher education centers will vary and universities and governments may seek alternative sources of income.

• Universities may become catalysts of innovation and more accountable to society in a number of ways: how research is applied in development and innovation, the connections between university departments and companies as well as the relevance of education for graduates’ careers.

Tagged with: dangers of the status quo • future of higher education • game-changing environment • Global learning • IT

2010 Horizon Report — K-12 Edition — now out

On 04/13/2010, in Augmented Reality (AR), cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related, dangers of the status quo, education technology, educational games / serious games, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, future, game-changing environment, innovation, K-12 related, mobile learning, web-based collaboration, by Daniel Christian

Executive Summary

Key Trends
Critical Challenges
Technologies to Watch
The Horizon Project

Time-to-Adoption: One Year or Less

Cloud Computing
Collaborative Environments

Time-to-Adoption: Two to Three Years

Game-Based Learning
Mobiles

Time-to-Adoption: Four to Five Years

Augmented Reality
Flexible Displays

Tagged with: augmented reality • cloud-based computing / apps / other cloud-related • collaboration • dangers of the status quo • educational gaming • educational technology • game-changing environment • K-12 • Mobile learning

Why the ’system’ won’t change quickly — from Tony Bates

On 03/29/2010, in dangers of the status quo, faculty/staff, using teams, by Daniel Christian

Why the ’system’ won’t change quickly — by Tony Bates and Trent Batson

Batson, T. (2010) Let faculty off the hook Campus Technology, March 17

“I liked this article very much. Trent Batson lays out a whole host of compelling reasons why it is so difficult to get faculty to change and use technology more and better. His main argument is that the whole ecology of higher educational institutions reinforces the status quo.”

From DSC:
Most institutions won’t change…not until the writing is on the wall. As a related example, Blockbuster now gets it and has been scrambling to make the necessary changes to stay in the game — they now offer movies-on-demand and will deliver movies directly to you. However, they were very late to the game and nearly lost their shirt because of it (they still might). They didn’t change until Apple and Netflix came along with some seriously-attractive alternatives to the “traditional way” of renting movies — and were either forced to change or to file for bankruptcy.

When someone gets it right within higher education (see below), such an organization will be copied over and over again (witness what happens every time to Apple and their innovations). Such a trend will issue in a new system that will leave the traditional institutions scrambling to catch up. The faculty members alone won’t be able to make the changes.

To me “getting it right” means:

We need TEAMS of specialists to create and deliver multimedia-based, rich, interactive content (much like those in healthcare-related fields did long ago — they specialized. The for-profit organizations out there already are doing this and are enjoying very healthy growth rates.)
Such content will be offered in 2-5 different ways (audio only, audio/video, simulations, games, text/graphics)
We need administrations that are visionary in their approaches and will get the faculty members and the rest of the specialists the support and resources that they need to make the necessary transitions
We need to turn the control over to students to pursue their passions
We need to let students’ passions drive their learning
We need to guide the students, while letting them create more of the content themselves — i.e. allowing for more active, participatory types of learning
Such offerings will be extremely affordable — due to the volume of learning that occurs and/or due to developing stronger consortiums and repositories of content (which spread out the costs)
We need CULTURES that are OPEN/WILLING to make changes.

That’s my 2 cents here.

Tagged with: dangers of the status quo • faculty-staff • Using teams

Improving quality AND reducing costs — from Tony Bates

On 03/26/2010, in budgets, business side of he, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, by Daniel Christian

Improving quality AND reducing costs — from Tony Bates
Bassis, M. (2010) Changing the equation Inside Higher Education, March 25

This article, by the President of a private college, Westminster College, in the USA, challenges the notion that reducing costs of teaching reduces quality. Some interesting quotes will give you the flavour of the article:

So we started searching the literature for instructional designs that require fewer resources and result in high levels of student learning. The ones we found shared certain characteristics. They were driven by clear learning goals and involved extensive assessment and feedback to students. They stressed active learning and took maximum advantage of technology. In each design, faculty spent less time lecturing and more time coaching, proactively asking and answering questions with groups of students. And faculty were assisted in their coaching role by teaching assistants or peer mentors. Finally, economies of scale helped to produce significant cost savings….

I pulled together a team from our school of business and told them that the goal was to develop an undergraduate degree completion program in business that produced more and better learning at half the cost of our traditional program (emphasis DSC).

From DSC:
This is right along the lines of what I have been saying will happen — and is already starting to happen with Straighterline, University of the People, and other organizations. What are YOUR plans to deal with these trends?

Tagged with: budgetary • cost of getting an education • costs • Walmart of Education

Universities look into the future – from the BBC

On 03/22/2010, in change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, global / globalization, higher education, online learning, pace of change, strategy, student-related, traditional / tradition, UK, universities, by Daniel Christian

Quotes below — with emphasis from DSC

Already more than one in three students studies part-time and one in six is from overseas.

There will be more mature students, more studying part-time, more living in their own or their parents’ homes, and many more studying online.”

There will be more tailor-made vocational courses, operated in partnership with individual companies and employers.

There will be more “pick-and-mix” degrees, with students accumulating course credits at different universities, even across different countries, and with gaps for employment in between.

Students will increasingly become “consumers” as we reach the tipping-point where their contribution to the cost of the degree is greater than that made by the government.

Private providers will take over an increasing share of the university market.

The all-round university will increasingly lose out to more specialised institutions.

Finally, universities will become more global.

Tagged with: Britain • change • game-changing environment • higher education

Quote from “Affordable Online Classes Lower College Costs”

On 03/18/2010, in change, changing business models, dangers of the status quo, future of higher education, game-changing environment, online learning, student-related, by Daniel Christian

Quote from Affordable Online Classes Lower College Costs

Kevin Carey, policy director for the non-profit think tank Education Sector, told Fox News that businesses such as StraighterLine could very well restructure higher education and bring down its costs. “People will be in the business of just offering a few classes,” he noted. “They’ll focus on what they’re good at. And students will want to assemble degrees from a variety of different providers.“ (emphasis DSC)

Tagged with: game-changing environment • online learning

SXSW 2010 Presentatation: Universities in the “Free” Era — by Peg Faimon and Glenn Platt

On 03/17/2010, in accessibility / UDL, budgets, business side of he, change, changing business models, consortiums, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, disruption, economics, education technology, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, expectations, face-to-face, faculty/staff, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, innovation, interaction design, interface design, internet, leadership, learning ecosystem, new business models, online learning, open courseware and systems, social learning / networks, staying relevant, student-related, traditional / tradition, universities, by Daniel Christian

From:
http://www.slideshare.net/glenn.platt/universities-in-the-free-era-sxsw-2010-presentation

Also see:
Links for SXSW 2010 Presentatation: Universities in the “Free” Era

Glenn Platt, Armstrong Institute for Interactive Media Studies
Peg Faimon, Miami Design Collaborative — Miami University

Other food for thought:

5 ways to add value to information — Ross Dawson

On 03/16/2010, in change, dangers of the status quo, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Along with this, I would add that each institution of higher education will need to make solid attempts at keeping themselves from becoming a commodity. That is, what are you going to offer that few other institutions of higher education are offering?

Tagged with: adding value/not a commodity • future of higher education • higher education

Colleges embrace MP4 technology for delivering instruction — from eSchoolNews.com by Dennis Carter

University Alliance promotes live chats, streaming lecture video, and message boards through students’ mobile devices

Four universities are giving students the chance to complete certificate and degree programs by downloading class material to mobile devices like iPhones and iPods in a distance-learning initiative that one day could be commonplace in higher education. The University Alliance, one of the country’s largest online education facilitators, announced earlier this month that students enrolled in web-based courses at Villanova University, the University of San Francisco, Tulane University, and the University of Notre Dame will be able to watch course lectures in MP4 video format on their mobile devices.

Tagged with: Apple • digital audio • digital video • iPod • Mobile learning • online learning

A vision of the future Smart Classroom — Daniel S. Christian

On 03/12/2010, in 21st century, 3D, Apple, Augmented Reality (AR), blended learning, change, colleges, computer science, convergence, creativity, dangers of the status quo, digital audio, digital learning, digital storytelling, digital video, disruption, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, face-to-face, faculty/staff, future, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, geography / geology, global / globalization, higher education, hybrid learning, innovation, internet, learning, learning ecosystem, learning spaces, liberal arts, online learning, online media, pace of change, participation, passions, pedagogy, smart classrooms, strategy, teaching & learning, teaching online, training / L&D, videoconferencing, virtual field trips, Virtual Reality (VR) / worlds / learning, visualizing information, web-based collaboration, webinars, by Daniel Christian

A vision of the future Smart Classroom — Daniel S. Christian

Tagged with: blended learning • educational technology • future • future of higher education • hybrid learning • Keeping students engaged • smart classrooms

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Learning Ecosystems

Reflections on “Is college overrated?”

Reflections from the article “Evaluating Part-Time Faculty”

Virtual schooling: Disrupting the status quo — Michael Horn

Future of Education (video)

Reinventing Higher Education Conference — May 4th in Segovia, Spain

Why the ’system’ won’t change quickly — from Tony Bates

Improving quality AND reducing costs — from Tony Bates

5 ways to add value to information — Ross Dawson

Colleges embrace MP4 technology for delivering instruction — from eSchoolNews.com by Dennis Carter

A vision of the future Smart Classroom — Daniel S. Christian

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