strategy

The world changed, colleges missed it — from edreformer.com by Tom Vander Ark

A bunch of colleges are going out of business, only they don’t know it. They pretend that trimming costs and jacking tuition is a solution. They haven’t come to terms with a world where anyone can learn anything almost anywhere for free or cheap. Art Levine, Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, sees three major change forces: new competition, a convergence of knowledge producers, and changing demographics.
…
To Art’s list of three big change forces, add shrinking government support, the press for more accountability, and emerging technology…the next few decades will be marked by a lumpy move to competency-based learning…instant information and the ability to learn anything anywhere.
…
The shift to personal digital learning is on. Some colleges get that. Others will seek bailouts until they go out of business. Working adults are getting smart on their own terms.

From DSC:
Time will tell if Tom’s assertions are too harsh here, but personally, I think he’s right.

I have it that:

There is a bubble in higher ed
There also exists a perfect storm that’s been forming for years within higher ed and the waves are cresting
.
Institutions of higher education need to check themselves before they become the next Blockbuster
.
We must not discount the disruptive powers of technology nor the trends taking place today (for a list of some of these trends, see the work of Gary Marx, as well as Yankelovish’s (2005) Ferment and Change: Higher Education in 2015)
Innovation is not an option for those who want to survive and thrive in the future.

Specifically, I have it that we should be experimenting with:

Significantly lowering the price of getting an education (by 50%+)
Providing greater access (worldwide)
Offering content in as many different ways as we can afford to produce
Seeking to provide interactive, multimedia-based content that is created by teams of specialists — for anytime, anywhere, on any-device type of learning (24x7x365) — at any pace!
“Breaking down the walls” of the physical classroom
Pooling resources and creating consortiums
Reflecting on what it will mean if online-based exchanges are setup to help folks develop competencies
Working to change our cultures to be more willing to innovate and change
Thinking about how to become more nimble as organizations
Turning more control over to individual learner and having them create the content
Creating and implementing more cross-disciplinary assignments

Tagged with: 24x7x365 • adult learners/learning • budgetary • business side of he • competency-based learning/education • consortiums • cost of getting an education • cross-disciplinary assignments • culture • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • disruption • educational technology • financial aid • game-changing environment • innovation • leadership • Lifelong learning • new business models in he • online learning • perfect storm • staying relevant • strategy • traditional • trends • United States • Using teams • Walmart of Education

This movie trailer gets at what I was trying to say the other day…

On 10/09/2010, in creativity, dangers of the status quo, Daniel S. Christian, education reform, education technology, educational games / serious games, engagement / engaging students, faith, multimedia, pedagogy, religion, strategy, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
The other day, I was lamenting that the love of learning gets lost waaayyy too quickly in our youth. With drop out rates in the 25-30% range nationwide, we must turn this around.

A piece of that turn-around picture involves the opportunity for students to collaboratively create things (in a cross-disciplinary sort of way). This is why I am a big fan of multimedia-based projects:

One student can write the script.
Another can do the filming.
Another can take pictures for still shots.
Another can do the film and/or image editing.
Others the acting or singing or playing music.
Others can create the artwork or use their knowledge to create props
Etc.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. The film below discusses the dark side of our culture as it involves schools and education. But the topic is not just related to schools, but to our society in general. That is, we’ve been sold a bill of goods. We believe that you must earn a lot of money to be successful and happy…and that whomever dies w/ the most toys wins.

This competitive streak is a worldly way of looking at things…but is a powerful current to fight. In fact, coming from a competitive background and being a Christian (in faith) myself, I’ve often asked myself whether I believe competition is a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t think I’ve arrived at the final answer to that question, as sometimes I think it can be good (as it can be helpful in developing characteristics of discipline, perseverance, character, integrity, etc.) and sometimes it can be bad. Check out the video/trainer here to see what I mean.

Tagged with: collaboration • cross-disciplinary assignments • Daniel S. Christian • education reform • educational technology • engaging students • faith • Keeping students engaged • multimedia • pedagogy • religion • the good and bad sides of competition

Reinventing management for a networked world (Educause)

On 10/07/2010, in change, changing business models, dangers of the status quo, disruption, education technology, emerging technologies, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, innovation, internet, leadership, new business models, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Reinventing management for a networked world — one of topics/presentations at Educause 2010

From DSC:
The following summary of this presentation is a powerful message that I’m looking forward to hearing (emphasis mine):

Over the past decade, the Internet has had a profound impact on just about every organization around the world. It has enabled dramatic efficiency gains in core processes and has radically changed service delivery in industries as diverse as education, financial services, publishing, and entertainment.

However, the greatest impact of the Internet is likely to come over the next decade as it starts to reshape the traditional management processes and structures that are used to run large-scale institutions. The management practices found in most organizations today trace their roots back to the Industrial Age or to medieval religious orders. While this model was well suited to a world requiring conformance and discipline, it is woefully inadequate and even toxic in today’s world of accelerating change.

To thrive in the years ahead, every organization must become as nimble as change itself—a challenge that will require a fundamental rewiring of our tradition-bound management principles and practices.

Unlike most organizations, the web is a cauldron of innovation; it is extraordinarily malleable and highly adaptable. In these respects, it already exhibits exactly those qualities that will be most critical to organizational success in the years to come.

That’s why the management model of every organization will need to be rebuilt on the fundamental values of the web: freedom, openness, transparency, collaboration, flexibility, and meritocracy. In this provocative and practical presentation, Gary Hamel will lay out a blueprint for “Management 2.0” and outline the steps you can take to help your organization to become as adaptable as the times demand.

Tagged with: change • dangers of the status quo • disruption • educational technology • emerging technologies • future of higher education • game-changing environment • higher education • innovation • internet • leadership • strategy

Tagged with: K-12 • music • pedagogy • strategy

Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education

On 09/30/2010, in Africa, education, education technology, pedagogy, strategy, student-related, by Daniel Christian

Sugata Mitra: The child-driven education — from Ted Talks <– from DSC: This is well worth your time!
My thanks to Dr. Kate Byerwalter at Grand Rapids Community College for this item

Education scientist Sugata Mitra tackles one of the greatest problems of education — the best teachers and schools don’t exist where they’re needed most. In a series of real-life experiments from New Delhi to South Africa to Italy, he gave kids self-supervised access to the web and saw results that could revolutionize how we think about teaching.

Sugata Mitra’s “Hole in the Wall” experiments have shown that, in the absence of supervision or formal teaching, children can teach themselves and each other, if they’re motivated by curiosity…

Tagged with: educational technology • pedagogy • strategy

Business Model Generation — may be a good book to check out for the times we are in

On 09/27/2010, in business, business side of he, dangers of the status quo, economics, future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, leadership, new business models, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: business side of he • dangers of the status quo • economics/business • future of higher education • game-changing environment • leadership • new business models • new business models in he • strategy

Watch out for the digital trees

On 09/20/2010, in education technology, pedagogy, relationships, strategy, teaching online, by Daniel Christian

Watch out for the digital trees — from odysseyware.com

For the first time ever, iNACOL (International Association for K-12 Online Learning) teamed up with the SREB (Southern Regional Education Board) to honor an “outstanding online teacher for exceptional contributions to online K-12 education as the nation’s K-12 Online Teacher of the Year.”

Teresa Dove, a Virginia math teacher, was chosen from more than 50 nominations of online educators in public schools and state virtual schools nationwide.

Dove said after receiving the award that teaching online allows her to spend much more time working individually with students than she did previously in a traditional classroom. Spending only a moment with students in a traditional classroom is “not enough, and our kids deserve better,” she said.

What struck me most about this award, was the advice Dove offered to online teachers as reported in an article from eClassroom News. When asked about her success, she didn’t talk about technology or the way to deliver information in an online format. She didn’t talk about how to create lessons that “translate” in the digital format.

She offered five lessons – practices – that make her effective. All of them were about relationships.

More here…

Tagged with: educational technology • pedagogy • relationships • strategy • teaching online

Cathy Davidson on Learning in a Digital Age

On 09/20/2010, in digital learning, education technology, multimedia, new media literacies, pedagogy, strategy, teaching & learning, writing, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:
Perspectives from an English professor at Duke University, who has also studied biology and neuroscience, and who has been working for years on a variety of items surrounding this topic.

Tagged with: cognitive psychology / computing • digital learning • educational technology • english • multimedia • new media literacies • pedagogy • strategy • teaching & learning

Four ‘business model’ scenarios for higher education: An introduction to strategic planning through storytelling

On 09/17/2010, in IT in HE, leadership, new business models, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Four ‘business model’ scenarios for higher education: An introduction to strategic planning through storytelling — from Gartner

This document and its related research has two purposes: (1) to equip higher education executives with a set of planning tools that enable actionable, institutionally aligned strategic planning through transparent communication and participation; and (2) to highlight several trends and technologies important in institutional strategic planning for the next 10 years.

Key Findings

According to Gartner experience, more than 60% of higher education IT strategic planning is isolated from the institutional strategic planning process, or the institution doesn’t have an institutional strategic plan, or strategic plans are not linked to the budget-planning process.

The technology of today is a disruptor of old business/institutional models as well as an enabler of new business/institutional models. Institution strategic planning cannot be done without considering the impact of IT.

Recommendations

Higher education CIOs who want to become the trusted business partner need to address the core mission of the institution in order to be able to make relevant contributions to the senior management and strategic planning.

Higher education CIOs should use scenario-planning methodology — strategic planning by storytelling — to involve, communicate with and align with institutional stakeholders.

Higher education CIOs should only use Gartner’s higher education “business model” scenarios as a context and guide in forming their own strategies, focusing as much on the collective journey as the end goal.

Tagged with: IT • leadership • new business models in he • strategy

Tagged with: 1:1 • 24x7x365 • budgetary • cost of getting an education • course redesign • curriculum • dangers of the status quo • Daniel S. Christian • disruption • education reform • educational technology • engaging students • future of higher education • game-changing environment • Global learning • higher education • information overload • Keeping students engaged • leadership • learning ecosystem • Mobile learning • multimedia • new business models in he • ocw • online learning • open • Open Learning Network (OLN) • perfect storm • strategy • student expectations • student-related • surviving • traditional • ubiquitous learning • United States • willingness

We have to turn this situation around…

On 09/09/2010, in community colleges, creativity, education, education reform, engagement / engaging students, passions, staying relevant, strategy, student-related, surviving, United States, by Daniel Christian

From DSC:

Here in the United States, the waste continues…

As I was reading the article mentioned below, I was reminded of a graphic I saw a while back after the April 20 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion:

This graphic reminds me of a very valuable resource that still isn’t being “realized” — and, as a result, the leakage continues to cause a mess. And that has to do with the amazing amount of talents, abilities, and gifts that are being wasted daily when students drop out of school or college.

So I appreciated hearing about what some of the community colleges are doing to try to “cap the spill” — to stop this waste of talent.

We must help students find and develop their passions. Should we look at changing some of the requirements/curriculums out there? If an emphasis on STEM isn’t working, is it time to try something else like arts, music, game design, shop/woodworking, automotive work, or something else that many of these same students might be more passionate about?

Addendum 4/5/11:

Great graphic that illustrates the COST to us when students drop out of school

Also see:

Community Colleges Get Creative With Remedial Education — from edweek.org by Caralee Adams

Record numbers of students are arriving on community college campuses this fall, but a majority of them—nearly 60 percent—aren’t academically prepared to handle the classwork.

Three out of every five community college students need at least one remedial course, and fewer than 25 percent of those students successfully earn a degree within eight years, according to the National Education Longitudinal Study.

“We really have to figure out how to get developmental education right, or any dream that we have of increasing the number of college graduates in this country or eliminating disparities across racial and ethnic groups—that dream is going to tank,” said Kay McClenney, the director of the Community College Survey of Student Engagement and an adjunct faculty member in the Community College Leadership Program at the University of Texas at Austin.

Pushed by federal expectations, tightening budgets, expanding enrollments, and what the foundation-supported Strong American Schools campaign estimatedRequires Adobe Acrobat Reader to be a $2 billion-and-rising annual cost for remedial education, community colleges have started experimenting with a range of strategies to address those numbers.

Tagged with: community college • creativity • education • education reform • engaging students • innovation • passions • staying relevant • strategy • student-related • surviving • United States

Campus technology leaders: Before and after — by Joshua Kim

On 09/02/2010, in cost of getting a degree, education technology, IT in HE, leadership, strategy, vision/possibilities, by Daniel Christian

Campus technology leaders: Before and after — from InsideHigherEd.com by Joshua Kim

Before	After
Implements Strategic Vision	Develops Strategic Vision
Reports to a Top Academic Official	Is a Top Academic Official
Background in Technology	Background in Education or Libraries
Focus is on Systems and Technology	Focus is on Learning
Supports Faculty Teaching	Enables Active Learning
Manages Local Technology Infrastructure	Manages Cloud Based Technology Infrastructure
Manages Enterprise Systems	Manages Integration of Enterprise with Consumer Systems
Technical and Managerial Intelligence	Social and Emotional Intelligence
Has To Do More with Less	Has To Do More with Even Less
Focus is on Implementation	Focus is on Implementation and Experimentation
Presides Over Expensive Services	Key Driver of New Revenues and Increased Productivity
Manages Technology Infrastructure	Evangelizes Potential of Technology for Educational Transformation

.
From DSC:
This caught my eye because I am a firm believer that all decision-making boards at each and every college and university (across the entire world) must now have a visionary, informed technology leader on them — as such technologists will be able to provide important strategic direction to their organizations. It’s not just about keeping the systems running anymore (which is a tough enough job by the way) — it’s also about setting strategic direction and using technology to increase the number of students one can assist/develop (while aiming to decrease the price of such offerings).

Tagged with: cost of getting an education • educational technology • IT • leadership • strategy • vision

Optimizing web media for mobile learning

On 09/02/2010, in mobile learning, mobile technologies, strategy, tools, vendors, web design and production, by Daniel Christian

Optimizing web media for mobile learning — from The Upside Learning Solutions Blog by Abhijit Kadle

We’ve recently been delivering simple content just-in-time for access through the websites that are designed to run on mobile devices. It was easier said than done, here are some lessons we picked up along the way.

From DSC:
Thanks Abhijit for sharing the lessons/learnings/advice/resources here!

Tagged with: Mobile learning • mobile technology • vendors • web design • web development

Susan Patrick: Why online learning is a smart solution

On 08/30/2010, in education technology, K-12 related, leadership, online learning, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Tagged with: educational technology • K-12 • leadership • online learning • strategy

Well…there goes another one who discounted the impact/value of technology…

On 08/27/2010, in disruption, education technology, game-changing environment, innovation, internet, leadership, staying relevant, strategy, by Daniel Christian

Blockbusted: A Netflix Knock-Out, Bad Metaphors on the Path to the Movie Monster’s Bankruptcy — from Fast Company – Technology by Austin Carr

The Blockbuster age is fading, and at last the company is preparing for bankruptcy. In the past two years, the shrinking video-rental store has struggled to stay afloat with $920 million in debt, drowning all the while in revenue losses of $1.1 billion. The LA Times reports that Blockbuster executives and senior debt holders have entered discussions with major movie studios for a “pre-planned” bankruptcy mid-September.

But for everyone other than Blockbuster’s sunny faced spin masters, bankruptcy was about as surprising as another Rocky comeback. Blockbuster’s brick-and-mortar business was unviable in the digital world, and competitors Netflix and Redbox took every advantage to pick apart the dinosaur’s carcass. The company’s numbers have signaled extinction, too, with value withering from $8.4 billion when Viacom purchased it in 1994 to total market value of $24 million today. Continuing the Mesozoic metaphor, here’s why bankruptcy hit Blockbuster like a surprise asteroid.

Netflix Who?

From DSC:
And I would add the questions:

“Who cares about the iPod?”
“What does Internet-related technology have to do with our business anyway?”

In a presentation I created last year (see Section II), I used Blockbuster as an example of an organization who completely discounted the disruptive impact of technology..and now they are paying the price (along with much of the newspaper industry).

There IS a lesson here for those of us in higher ed.

I’ll end this posting with the following quote/excerpt:

“This is a pattern we see over and over,” he said, of the many parallels he could draw to Blockbuster’s financial troubles. “If a company is not able to keep up with the changing needs of its customer, it will become irrelevant,” he said.

Ultimately, it was these words which may have saved the company. Blockbuster was not able to keep up with the changing needs of its customers.

Blockbuster has become irrelevant.

Relevant addendum:

I just ran across this posting on educationstormfront — What Blockbuster Can Teach Higher Ed

Tagged with: disruption • educational technology • game-changing environment • innovation • internet • leadership • staying relevant • strategy

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Learning Ecosystems

My fear for many institutions of higher education…