Evolution of Learning

The evolution or learning over the past 7 weeks has been tremendous.  Going into this class I was optimistic about the content we might cover.  Although heavily resistant to creating yet another form of social media with the blog it turned out to be an exciting experience.  I dabbled with a new presentation format that makes PowerPoint seem dull and boring.  I stated in one assignment “[a]ttending an online degree program has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities that technology offers for added educational value.  My son’s school posts grades, shares notes, and other relevant information weekly through progress e-mails that keep us informed about most everything.  Each day I grow in my knowledge, skills, and abilities and completely embrace technology to enhance my capabilities in the teaching world.  Being tech savvy and having an aptitude for computers helps increase my confidence.”  This is still true and further enhanced by this class. The three topics that were significant to me during this class are; disruptive innovation, digital native/immigrant, and college accreditation.

Disruptive Innovation

Studying disruptive innovation within the higher education landscape piqued my interest and how it applies to my business and looking at trends in other business models.  Living in a free market society allows for any industry, especially education to be disrupted and enhanced with free ideas and new technologies.  Online learning has disrupted the status quo of education and as Christensen, et al. (2011) stated, “A disruptive innovation has a couple key elements or enablers that are particularly salient to the future of higher education. The first is a technology enabler. This allows the innovation, which starts in a simple application and competes first against nonconsummation—by serving people who were not able to be served or were not desirable to serve—to be “upwardly scalable” and improve year over year without replicating the cost structure of the old products and services it gradually replaces” (para. 7). Additionally, after researching this topic it became clearer than ever that while technology can be a disruptive innovation it does not always replace the learning that happens face-to-face.

Digital Native/Digital Immigrant

The term digital native and digital immigrant was new to me this term and expanded my understanding of how different it is to teach a digital native that has grown up with technology all around them.   According to Presnsky (2012), “[t]oday’s average college grads have spent less than 5,000 hours of their lives reading, but over 10,000 hours playing video games (not to mention 20,000 hours watching TV). Computer games, email, the Internet, cell phones, and instant messaging are integral parts of their lives” (p. 68).  This versus a digital immigrant that does not possess the same fast-paced multitasking skills and thus are more reliant on step-by-step instruction and prefer to complete tasks one at a time.  Additionally, these terms have enhanced my understanding of my own son who would be classified as a digital native.  He is far better at multitasking than either my wife or myself at the same age and continues to expand his learning with games, apps, and his own educational journey.  Lastly, on the professional side, I encounter patients of all ages and when I introduce the digital native to the technology in my practice they embrace it, however, the digital immigrant is reluctant to take part in the online forms, or even log into their records via the internet.

College Accreditation

Accreditation is an important factor in higher education and was established to ensure there are basic guidelines for colleges and universities to follow when granting degrees.  There is a thought however, that accreditation stifles innovation and this poses a problem for new models of higher education that fall outside of the norm.  Based on Manning (2014) and her “chicken or the egg” stance there is a reason to believe accreditation does stifle innovation.  A school cannot get accredited without students and cannot qualify for student loans.  Students that cannot afford school without loans will likely not attend a non-accredited school.  “If you want to start a new college or university, you may have an insurmountable problem: You have enough capital to cover startup costs, but once you begin enrolling students, they will have to pay tuition. There is no business plan that can manage without that source of revenue. The tuition will be fair, but it will also be beyond what most students can afford unless they have access to federal student grants and loans” (para. 11). 

 Having witnessed a chiropractic college lose its accreditation, which is required by every state licensing board, it is critical to follow the guidelines of the accrediting bodies and take the necessary steps to petition them to allow for more innovative teaching techniques and technology.  Professionally my desire to become the president of my alma matter places this topic square on my shoulders and will garner more attention from me in the years to come.

References

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., Caldera, L., & Soares, L. (2011). Disrupting college: How disruptive innovation can deliver quality and affordability to postsecondary education. Washington, DC and Mountain View, CA: Center for American Progress and Innosight Institute.

Manning, S. (2014, October).Launching new institutions: Solving the chicken-or-egg problem in American higher education. [PDF file]. American Enterprise Institute. Retrieved from http://www.aei.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Launching-New-Institutions-3.pdf

Prensky, M. (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom: Hopeful Essays for 21st-century learning. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

How do MOOCs fit into the general higher education landscape? Or are they more suited to the “fringe?”

            Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) fit into general higher education by expanding and broadening the learning environment to include the non-traditional student.  Society has ingrained in ourselves the belief that education without a degree is not an education.  This could not be further from the truth.  Selingo (2014) stated that many educators feel as though MOOC’s have failed to meet their promises based on the fact that they lack completion rates and the prestige of attending a traditional college.  What they fail to see is the business owner that needs to learn how to prepare a business plan for financing, or the mechanic that wants to learn more about diesel engines, or any number of topics.  The non-traditional student is not necessarily worried about hanging a diploma on a wall or walking across a stage.  MOOC’s offer real tangible education that can be applied directly to one’s field tomorrow.

            Expanding on MOOC’s and integrating them into degree-seeking students is something that is gaining steam and appeals to working professionals and others.  It has always interested me that society seems to be bellowing for diversity and equity within the walls of higher education and yet has the question been asked whether many of the disadvantaged people or lower socioeconomic people want to attain a degree?  We have the most open an available higher education system in the world and yet our diversity numbers remain about the same.  Population sizes of each group must also be factored into the possible lack of diversity.  It is not for the fringe, MOOC’s are here and only going to grow in breadth and depth of knowledge. 

What can traditional higher education institutions learn from MOOCs to use them effectively as a learning tool?

            Traditional higher education institutions can learn from the way MOOC’s focus more on content than time, on benchmarks/mastery more than checking boxes on a to-do list, increasing quality of education, and decreasing cost according to Christensen, et al. (2011).  Further, there is an untapped potential for meeting continuing education requirements, professional training, and module-specific tracks that appeal to a broader student base.

How can institutions measure the quality of MOOC design, delivery, and outcomes such that they can be included in a student’s transcript and graduation requirements? Discuss the likelihood of that occurrence.

            The measurement of quality in an MOOC would have to show some standard that must be met and demonstrate the content to meet that standard.  This would be like attempting to transfer credit hours from one university to another.  The course content is evaluated to see if it meets the same standard for credit.  Additionally, there would have to be an examination or proficiency test to ensure students actually learned the material.  Lastly, there would need to be a way to discourage cheating, for example having someone else take the test for you.  Biometrics could help solve this dilemma and offer credibility to an MOOC.  The likelihood of this occurring is great and attainable.  National standards are already making their way through our education system.

References

Christensen, C. M., Horn, M. B., Caldera, L., & Soares, L. (2011). Disrupting college: How disruptive innovation can deliver quality and affordability to postsecondary education. Washington, DC and Mountain View, CA: Center for American Progress and Innosight Institute.

Selingo, J. J. (2014, October 29). Demystifying the MOOC. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/education/edlife/demystifying-the-mooc.html

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton