Just as the Internet has irrevocably changed the music, movie and travel industries (to name only a few), I feel strongly (and hope) that higher education will be the next time-honored tradition (industry?) to be transformed by the leveling agent that is technology. My wife and I are both teachers and we often wonder how much it will cost to send my 3 year old son to college fifteen years from now. I found a handy little calculator online to help me figure it out:
http://www.finaid.org/calculators/scripts/costprojector.cgi
According to its projections, sending my son to an in-state public university will cost us roughly $186,000! Yikes. His senior year alone will cost in excess of $50,000. Seriously? I can't justify an expense of that kind. Imagine if we sent him out of state to a private institution?! Don't get me wrong - I LOVE my son. I want him to have a great life, but I think there's a more sensible way to obtain it. One where that money is more wisely put to use for his benefit.
I don't think I'm alone in feeling this way. In fact, I know I'm not. I actually found an article that sums it all up pretty well. One of its predictions is that "The totally free online university that is stitched together from MIT-quality professors is going to happen very soon.” When you think about it, it's not much of a stretch. I put this blog together as a requirement for an NJCU grad course I am taking online. It's my fourth online class. I've never met my classmates or professors and my work is largely self-guided (albeit through course assignments assembled by NJCU). In fact, in the one month that I've been in my current course, I've had only one communication with my instructor and it was initiated by me via email. So, how would it be different if it was open source?
Of course, like with any new model, details will have to be hammered out. Who will recognize a degree from this type of institution? What body will provide accreditation? Who will ultimately contribute and validate the content? I'm sure there are a million more questions to be asked, but I'm certain it's coming. Here's the article:
http://www.csmonitor.com/Innovation/Tech-Culture/2009/1015/the-future-of-college-may-be-virtual
Enjoy!
Ahh, the fortunes we are going to end up paying. My husband and I started a college fund practically the moment my first child was born and probably will still be without the proper amount. (We haven't set up our 2nd child's college fund yet, but we need to get on that...she is 2 months old already!!!) ;-]
ReplyDeleteWell, it IS expensive... but nothing can really replace the experience of being at college. College is about education - but you gain SO much more than that in the time spent on your own away from your parents. Virginia tech is where I grew into an adult. I learned responsibility, communication, time management and know I was. Not to mention, met the best friends I've ever had. I think online courses are wonderful, though, for grad work (especially for someone like me, who has a job!) Good thoughts.
ReplyDeleteChristine, I am in agreement about those important aspects of the college experience (I had them myself - at Virginia Tech). I am not disputing the importance of those things in someone's personal development. I also feel that there are many things that can never be replaced by an online simulation.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I feel that this new, inevitable paradigm will make higher learning (in a large number of disciplines, not all of them) accessible to a broader socioeconomic cross-section. As the gulf between rich and poor widens in this country, these open source universities will offer opportunities to many.
As far as formative experiences go, I'd rather see my son travel on a "gap year" or (many years) and get a larger world view (he's going to need it), than have him - and his parents - indebted to an overpriced (and in many cases, outdated) university for years beyond his graduation date.