iCollege iDiocy
As the Chronicle of Higher Education points out today in "'iCollege' Idea Gets Chuckle on 'Daily Show,' but Online Viewers Aren't Laughing," this pitch for distance learning from Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty raised the hackles of educators and students who are wary of seeing education as a download rather than a more spontaneous and participatory experience.
Labels: distance learning, higher education
posted by Liz Losh at 8:09 PM
1 Comments:
The real issue for Universities is sustainability. Unless traditional universities can prove value for the money then they will lose students to better priced alternatives. The price of state u's and private u's has gone up and up and up since the advent of guaranteed student loans started pushing outward the demand curve for higher ed back in the sixties. The output, qualitatively, of graduates, has changed not at all. In other words, everyone is paying more; the students, the taxpayers but society is not receiving a better graduate for the extra money.
At a certain price point people start to question the value and efficacy of a traditional higher education and will make substitutions. Trade schools, community colleges and distance learning become viable alternatives. No, "iCollege" is not the same as being in a classroom. So what? In some ways it is superior, some ways it is inferior.
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