One approach to assessing the nature and degree impact of technology on higher ed involves thoughtfully identifying the unique benefits that accrue to those who participate in the residential academy. First, I don't believe most schools actually provide these things and, second, I don't think that the consumers of higher ed would believe that these benefits are worth the doubling or trebling of the costs associated with participating in these traditional delivery systems. Another approach is to examine the needs and wants of the future consumers of higher education to determine whether what we provide exceeds the expectations of tomorrow's consumers. If the cynics are correct, a growing percentage of students and parents of students no longer highly value college as a broadening experience or even as a rite of passage. At best, these folks see higher ed as a means of gaining the basic skills and knowledge to work, and at worst, as an onerous series of hurdles to be endured to gain the credentials that increase the probability of gainful employment.
Employers send mixed signals to the academy.
Recruiters continue to emphasize advanced technical competency in rather narrow areas, while corporate leaders and advisory groups long for graduates that can write, reason, and get along with other people. The academy, itself, can't seem to come to terms with this ambivalence and struggles to pack more and more into the curricula. A final approach to understanding the likely impact of technology on higher education might be to speculate on what would be missing from an educational delivery system based on technology. We'll try that next week.