Some great items re: whether online learning is disruptive or not
- Disrupting College? Lessons from iTunes — from The John William Pope Center by Burck Smith
So far, online education has failed to transform higher education. An entrepreneur explains why.
- Is online education disruptive or not? — from changinghighereducation.com by Lloyd Armstrong
On 03/31/2011,
in business side of he, change, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, journalism, new business models, organizational change,
by Daniel Christian
The newsonomics of oblivion — from the Nieman Journalism Lab by Ken Doctor
Excerpt:
The threat of oblivion should be a powerful motivator, and we now see — finally — after a decade of decline, its specter moving us away from incremental, “experimental” tests to a fundamental restructuring of the business of news.
From DSC:
(I don’t mean to be full of doom and gloom here. However, a healthy respect of the disruption being caused by technology is warranted here I believe.)
I couldn’t help but think of higher education as an industry when I reviewed this particular blog posting. Those of us working within higher education need to be highly aware of how other industries are dealing with the disruptions being caused by the Internet and other technologies. Why? Because the disruption has already begun within higher education.
On 03/30/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, dangers of the status quo, digital learning, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, new business models, online learning,
by Daniel Christian
Does online education put traditional universities at a ‘grave risk’? — from eCampusNews.com by Denny
An expert on ‘disruptive innovation’ says ed tech could change the way powerhouse universities operate
Excerpt from article:
Christensen, a Harvard Business School professor and author of The Innovator’s Dilemma and The Innovator’s Prescription, delivered the keynote address to an audience of higher-education officials March 7 at the American Council on Education’s Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.
Christensen outlined the ways upstart, innovative businesses have toppled the giants of industry—such as Toyota’s rise coinciding with American automakers’ downfall—and how that model might translate to colleges and universities.
While online college classes have grown more available and affordable over the past decade, Christensen said a major shift had not yet occurred in higher education. Not until online learning grew in popularity was higher education even “amenable” to a major “disruption,” he said.
“When technology gets good enough, it sucks customers out of the old into the new,” he said, referring to institutions that have specialized in online learning, rather than traditional schools that have slowly adopted online college classes. “It doesn’t work the other way around.”
That move away from traditional powerhouses of education, he said, likely would happen in the next 20 years, and elite schools should be prepared.
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National data support Christensen’s warning to traditional universities. Online student enrollment increased by 21 percent in 2010, according to the annual Sloan Survey of Online Learning. Overall, higher-education enrollment grew by 2 percent.
The survey of more than 2,500 colleges and universities showed online college classes gained 1 million students from 2009. More than 5.6 million students were enrolled in at least one web-based class in the fall 2009 semester.
Some example items from Christensen’s and Cizik’s keynote presentation:
The Innovative University: Changing the DNA of Higher Education From the Inside Out
- Clayton M. Christensen, Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School:
Also relevant/see:
On 03/29/2011,
in 21st century, business, career development, change, corporate / business world, disruption, game-changing environment, higher education, professional development, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
When the invincible become “vincible” — from HBR.org by Ron Ashkenas
Excerpt that caught my eye:
We now live in a world in which that sense of security can disappear in a heartbeat — whether your company falls off the cliff, or makes significant changes to avoid the cliff. Like an investment disclaimer for individuals, past performance is no guarantee of future success. So to keep on your guard, ask yourself these questions:
- What would you do if your job was suddenly eliminated, outsourced, or relocated?
- How are you preparing yourself today to compete in tomorrow’s global economy?
- How can I reapply my skills to other areas if my industry no longer has opportunities?
You may not need answers to these types of questions today. But better to address them now — instead of the moment when you’re falling off the cliff.
On 03/29/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, disruption, entrepreneurship, global / globalization, innovation, new business models, online learning, online media, online tutoring, open courseware and systems, teaching online,
by Daniel Christian
On 03/25/2011,
in business, corporate / business world, disruption, leadership, strategy, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Disrupt – Think the Unthinkable: A Book Review — from Gartner by Mark McDonald
There are many books that say you need to ‘disrupt’ your business to remain competitive. There are almost no books that describe how you create disruption in a clear, concise and step-by-step manner. Luke Williams’s book Disrupt – think the unthinkable to spark transformation is exactly this type of book.
It’s rare that a book discusses a complex issue, one with such potential for consulting jargon and confusion, and produces a clear, concise and actionable set of advice. Rather than try to cloud the issue, Williams tackles it head on by giving you the tools and discussion how you think differently and turn that thought into action. In a way this approach is disruptive in itself and that is a good thing.
Highly recommended as a useful and valuable book that takes the idea of disruption and gives you a way to think through it and put it into practice. In less than 200 tightly written pages, Williams provides clear and compelling tools that you can use to help identify, classify, and find the opportunities for disruption in your products, services and organization.
On 03/23/2011,
in change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, digital learning, digital textbooks, disruption, e-books, e-readers, multimedia, new business models, publishing, textbooks,
by Daniel Christian
Pearson & McGraw-Hill make multi-million dollar investment in Inkling — from Kirsten Winkler
It seems as if the latest study from Xplana in which they predict that the tipping point for digital textbooks is as near as 2015 has opened up the wallets of two major publishers for an undisclosed “multi million Dollar” investment.
Inkling, the maker of the iPad application and platform which delivers enhanced and engaging textbooks, leaving the “flat, PDF-based digital textbooks” behind is the beneficiary and it could give the startup a competitive edge over the well funded competitor the Kno.
But as money is not everything Inkling, Pearson and McGraw-Hill also made some significant content commitments, boosting the number of titles available on the Inkling platform…
Also see:
- Publishers Invest in Inkling, Producer of Digital Textbooks — from The Chronicle by Josh Keller
- Digitizing an Industry
Matt MacInnis — Founder and CEO, Inkling
On 03/23/2011,
in 21st century, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, digital learning, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, leadership, new business models, online learning, pace of change, staying relevant, strategy, surviving, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Blockbuster’s largest shareholder calls Blockbuster worst investment ever made — from FastCompany.com by Austin Carr
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After years as Blockbuster’s largest shareholder, Carl Icahn, who at one point amassed some 17 million shares of the now-bankrupt company, has called Blockbuster “the worst investment I ever made.”
In a candid piece written for the Harvard Business Review, Icahn opens up about the rental giant’s struggles and failures in an ever-changing industry.
“[Blockbuster] failed because of too much debt and changes in the industry. It had too many stores, Netflix created a better business model, and then Redbox kiosks and the whole digital phenomenon eliminated the need for consumers to go to a separate DVD store,” Icahn wrote. “Maybe the board did make a mistake in picking Jim Keyes as [John] Antioco’s successor—Keyes knows retailing and did an excellent job with the stores, but he isn’t a digital guy.”
From DSC:
I write about Blockbuster — and I emphasize the items above — because Blockbuster did not respond to the changes that were occurring around them.
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What about those of us in higher education?
How’s our response(s) coming along?
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5/2/11 addendum:
4/7/11 addendum:
On 03/23/2011,
in business side of he, cost of getting a degree, disruption, future of higher education, game-changing environment, innovation, new business models, online learning, quality, strategy, United States, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
Christensen on disruptive innovation in higher education — from Lloyd Armstrong, University Professor and Provost Emeritus at the University of Southern California
Although the absence of an upwardly scalable technology driver has rendered higher education impossible to disrupt in its past, we believe that online learning constitutes such a technology driver and will indeed be capable of disruptively carrying the business model of low-cost universities up-market.
On 03/22/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accreditation, active learning, career development, change, changing business models, cost of getting a degree, dangers of the status quo, digital learning, disruption, education reform, education technology, engagement / engaging students, future of higher education, game-changing environment, generational differences, global / globalization, higher education, informal learning, innovation, learning, learning ecosystem, more voice more choice more control, motivation, new business models, participation, personalized/customized learning, presentations, professional development, relationships, social learning / networks, staying relevant, strategy, student teaching/teacher education, student-related, surviving, teaching & learning, technology (general), traditional / tradition, trends, web-based collaboration, workplace,
by Daniel Christian
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From DSC:
For those of us in more traditional institutions of higher education, if this is where things are heading — or even if pieces of Anya’s presentation come to fruition — what is our response? Strategy?
On 03/17/2011,
in business, disruption, innovation, leadership, reinvent, strategy, vision/possibilities,
by Daniel Christian
How Netflix innovates and wins — from Forbes.com by Chunka Mui
Excerpt (emphasis DSC):
Netflix illustrates a design principle that any company aspiring to succeed at disruptive innovation must adopt. It has four parts:
- Think Big
- Start Small
- Fail Quickly
- Scale Fast
…
Hastings pursued his big idea, streaming video, even though it would render obsolete his wonderfully successful, highly tuned, mail-based system for distributing DVDs.
On 03/11/2011,
in 21st century, digital learning, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies,
by Daniel Christian
Disrupting the learning dynamic with technology — from Cisco
So how can technology disrupt the academic learning dynamic as effectively as it has disrupted the process for becoming more adept with social engagements? A new PBS documentary, Digital Media: New Learners of the 21st Century, explores this subject in depth. View an excerpt from the documentary…
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On 03/03/2011,
in Apple, cost of getting a degree, Daniel S. Christian, disruption,
by Daniel Christian
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Joshua Kim at InsideHigherEd.com writes of an iPad 2 LMS Fantasy
- Integrated Speech-to-Text Authoring
- Integrated Video Authoring
- Voice-Over Presentation Capture and Sharing
- Synchronous Class Discussions and Virtual Office Hours
- Deep Integration with iTunesU
…and Joshua ends his Apple LMS fantasy in this manner:
“Speculation is that Apple will eventually move into producing full educational programs, offering undergraduate and graduate degrees through the new Apple University application.”
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From DSC:
Will Apple turn out to be the Forthcoming Walmart of Education? I’m not sure, but business models are morphing and a variety of pressures are at play within higher education that are causing massive changes and disruption…time will tell. In the meantime, fasten your seatbelts and keep all of your hands and arms inside the vehicle!
Also see:
Enhanced Facetime will be great for remote lectures or office hours, high-definition video editing will facilitate exploratory learning and reporting, and real-time image mirroring will stylize lectures in science, history, and geography. Additionally, mobile learning is made possible through the iOS 4.3 hotspot update, permitting Internet connectivity for apple phones, tablets, and laptops. This will be especially valuable for recession-hit school districts, such as Detroit, scrambling for ways to solve ballooning class sizes. Skeptical educators can be relieved that the iPad was deemed classroom ready by Reed College, and that remote learning can be just as effective as in-class lecturing.
On 03/03/2011,
in 21st century, 24x7x365 access, accessibility / UDL, Apple, convergence, digital audio, digital learning, digital photography, digital storytelling, digital textbooks, digital video, disruption, e-books, e-readers, education technology, educational games / serious games, elearning, emerging technologies, engagement / engaging students, mobile learning, mobile technologies, online learning, online media, tablets, transmedia, videoconferencing,
by Daniel Christian
