The Revolutionary Potential Of Technology
In The Wall Street Journal, Education Sector’s John Chubb, along with Stanford’s Terry Moe, write about the “revolutionary potential” of technology to transform teaching and learning in higher education and extend an elite-caliber education to the masses. They address concerns about sustainability, and whether online learning will “destroy the traditional college experience.” It won’t, they argue, because in time higher education will find a new balance in the way education is organized: A balance through “blended learning” where students still have face-to-face interactions with professors, but also do a portion of their work online. | Read Chubb’s Commentary
I read Chubb’s article. They say that less than stellar colleges will have their own professors teaching the courses that are better taught in small groups (e.g. labs). I believe that every course is better taught in small groups. So by having their students take online courses from Stanford or MIT, small colleges/universities will eventually not need their own professors. They will become extensions of Stanford, MIT or other competitive higher education institutions. But then, Stanford and MIT will have to treat their online students like they treat their local students. From the point of view of students, this is good because more students will have the opportunity to attend Stanford or MIT.
With the increasing costs of going through higher education, the use of technology can help reduce the overall cost to the student, thus making it accessible to potentially more people. But technology shouldn’t completely replace the face to face lectures, and indeed there are areas where the ‘hands-on’ learning will still play a vital part of the persons education.
Also higher education isn’t just about getting the grade, its a much wider experience – managing your own time and money, interacting with people of different backgrounds and experiences from all over the country and indeed all over the world!