I recently read a book by Jeffrey Selingo, who is an editor at the Chronicle of Higher Education, titled College Un:Bound. The book speaks about the current state of higher education in the United States and what it means for students and the higher education system in the future. Selingo’s main argument is that with the advent of technology and the increasing financial burden on students, higher education and the college experience will become un-bundled or unbound as Selingo refers to it. The un-bundling of higher education means that the path to obtaining a degree will become less concentrated to one campus; rather he believes that students will take a less direct route in obtaining their degrees and will be able to customize their education based on their budget. Institutions, such as community colleges, for-profits institutions and online education providers, will increasingly play a larger role in higher education because they can offer courses at a lower costs compared to a regular four-year institution.
Although, Selingo takes on American perspective, this trend of the un-bundling of higher education is also an international trend which is made clear in this week’s reading. From the “Bridges to the Future” excerpt, one of the topics it touches on is the ever-increasing role technology is playing in education. Under the heading of the diversification of higher education, the author talks about how online education providers such as Khan Academy, Udacity and edX are able to enroll thousands of student from all over the world and offers them a path towards obtaining a degree. One of the main issues of internationalizing higher education is the issue is the issue of access and that not every student has the opportunity to travel abroad. The expansion and internationalization of online education is a very viable solution to this access problem because it is the most cost effective for the student and the institution. Also, with the way many of these courses are created, they can be as interactive as a traditional face-to-face course. However, Wildavsky’s article about MOOC’s, are access issues with online education as well. Not every country has reliable internet connections and computers that support web-based education, such as parts of Africa that are not as developed. However, the internet has become a necessity in life and reliable internet and affordable computers will slowly be available everywhere. Online education has the most potential to be internationalized because it can solve the issue of access.
Thanks for bringing up the book College Un:Bound! I agree that in the future, higher education institutions will unbundle their services to allow students to mix and match their courses. The traditional student is no longer 18-22 years of age and non-traditional students need more flexibility. Although I believe MOOC’s will be influential in higher education, especially in internationalization, I don’t think it will be the main base for learning. You make a good point in addressing poor connectivity issues in less developed countries. However, there other factors that haven’t been mentioned. Yes, we are dependent on technology as a whole, but there will still be students that cannot afford to purchase their own computer or make it to a campus library to participate in online learning. What about face to face interaction and helping students that learn better that way?
Adia
I agree that online learning can definitely bridge the gaps and increase access to higher education learning. I think it would be a great addition for institutions to consider to compliment in-person classes, and would definitely make internationalization more accessible to students who may not be able to study abroad. But the issue of internet access or technology access is also a valid constraint that online learning faces, which is sometimes why institutions are hesitant to create online courses since the upfront costs can be a barrier even for US institutions that don’t need to worry about internet access or access to technology.