Why MITx may herald the dawn of disruption for higher education
Is this the year of the game changer for higher education? Let’s look at some recent developments which, taken together, [...]
Posted on January 30th, 2012 by Steven Schwartz
Is this the year of the game changer for higher education? Let’s look at some recent developments which, taken together, may give us the answer “yes”.
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) recently announced it is to launch an online interactive learning platform called MITx.
According to the university, MITx will organise and present course material to enable students to learn at their own pace; feature interactivity, online laboratories and student-to-student communication; be open-source, and readily available to other educational institutions.
However, what may be of most significance is that MIT will
“allow for the individual assessment of any student’s work and allow students who demonstrate their mastery of subjects to earn a certificate of completion awarded by MITx”
MIT plans to create a not-for-profit body that will offer certification for online learners of MIT coursework. In other words, with MITx there will be structured study leading to a credential.
Writing in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Jeff Selingo says the MITx announcement is part of a broader “disruption” within higher education which includes:
StraighterLine announcing it would give students access to the Collegiate Learning Assessment and other similar tests, allowing them to take results to employers or colleges to demonstrate their proficiency in certain academic areas;
Apple introducing software that allow students to download or create textbooks, and that permit instructors to create a digital curriculum in iTunesU;
Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun, who teaches an online artificial-intelligence course, announcing he has he given up his tenured position to focus on his start-up, Udacity, which offers low-cost online courses;
The innovative Khan Academy, a not-for-profit “with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere”.
Professor Bill Fischer, writing in Forbes, says “disruption is coming, there is no doubt of it”:
“What is also clear, however, is that the technology revolution taking place means that when disruption does come, it will be more than mere operational rearrangements; it will be profound and revitalizing.
“At the moment, America is the envy of the world with its big-branded, well-endowed, research universities, with their cultures of academic curiosity and youthful questioning. Given the changes that we are about to see, not all of these attributes are sustainable advantages. The challenge of administrators in the US, and around the world will be to move fast, take big gambles, and preserve the very best of the heritages of the institutions that they lead.”
While little will change in Australia in the near term, it is only a matter of time before we will have to embrace new ways of doing things.
Steven Schwartz
Comments
This is a great idea, and there should be more of it - but it seems MIT won't fund the assessment side of the delivery, leaving that to computers or to students to peer assess.
Annabelle Lukin - January 31, 2012
Nice summary of a very active market. Annabelle - the assessment side is where Universities have an opportunity to charge and fund the development of the teaching material. The better the brand the stronger the position for charging a higher price. There is also an opportunity for universities to position themselves on the basis of convenience when it comes to assessment. For me, the assessment side is where it will get really interesting.
Jason Howard - February 2, 2012
Disruption is fine as long as you can figure out what's good and what's bad about it. Learning like this is all very well but it's no substitute for the real campus experience.
Little Boots - February 2, 2012
Its definitely a great idea. I think there is a need for this type of education. However, I dont think we will ever see the extinction of the traditional university campus. There are a number of professional bodies as well as certain areas (such as science) that require the more hands on face to face type learning. Meaning that the traditional university learning of being on campus will be required. I think it will most likely lead to a situation where there will be institutions dedicated solely to this type of learning. Whilst institutions such as Macquarie (presumably) will go for both online only as well as on campus learning. Definitely a game changer though.
Josh Don - February 14, 2012
Re: Little Boots I've done both, and would opt for the online experience from MIT and/or Stanford in a heartbeat. Much easier to fit into my life (part or full time work). Quality is as good if not better. The only thing I can think of that happens on campus but not online is networking. And networking is what I hated the most about "the campus experience".
Other Boots - February 14, 2012