Lets talk about what the future of university education looks like and the broader issues that encompass this info-lution. If the recent explosion of MOOCs are anything to go by, online distributed education seems to be where its headed. Lets take a step back- What are MOOC’s in the first place? They are Massive Open Online Courses open to anyone wiling to devote a few hours each week- usual upwards of 3 hours. Coursera and Udacity are the famous platforms that host courses from top -notch public and private universities either for free or for a small fee.
While there is a lot of debate over the efficacy of these online courses, this seems like a great new way to learn new a new subject. Some schools have gone as far as to offer a legitimate degree at the end of the course- Georgia Tech in particular was the first university to offer its Computer Science course for a fee of $6,600, compared to its on-campus fee price of $45,000. Many others have joined the band wagon.
So why are universities looking at this space so seriously. One reason is cost. “It costs 3 times as much to educate an undergrad than what they receive from net tuitions” says MIT President, Rafael Rief. MOOC’s are a great way to reach thousands, sometimes even a few hundred thousand people at once- a few courses have even attracted more people to that one course than the entire living alumni of a particular department. Thats a pretty massive stat right there.
One could enroll in Wharton’s first year online MBA courses for free. For a fee of $49, you could receive a certificate of approval, validating your completion of the course. Interestingly enough, professors in Wharton assign these MOOC sessions to their enrolled batch, and use the time in class to have deep discussions about the topics. This “flipping” tactic is a great move indeed adding a lot more dimension to the material and ample time for some in-class analysis.
But does this do away with the most essential face-to-face interaction is the question of the hour. Having done a course of this style, I am convinced this isn’t the case. Course specific online communities and forums make for an amazing place to meet and problem solve with some like- minded people. These communities exist in a surprising number of cities spanning the globe and few groups hold regular meet-ups to discuss material and solving homework. You could even find online mentors and tutors to help. If anything, MOOC’s will create a deeper community around the courses offered and greatly increase collaboration.
In addition to this, the structure of the courses are such that you could immerse in them at your leisure. Work all day and study all night, maybe, maybe not. What’s interesting is how recruiters will eventually look upon these courses if one is looking to get an internship/ job off these MOOC’s.
Though the future of MOOC’s seem extremely bright, only time will tell how effective these platforms will be in an all- round integrative learning experience.
While there is a lot of debate over the efficacy of these online courses, this seems like a great new way to learn new a new subject. Some schools have gone as far as to offer a legitimate degree at the end of the course- Georgia Tech in particular was the first university to offer its Computer Science course for a fee of $6,600, compared to its on-campus fee price of $45,000. Many others have joined the band wagon.
So why are universities looking at this space so seriously. One reason is cost. “It costs 3 times as much to educate an undergrad than what they receive from net tuitions” says MIT President, Rafael Rief. MOOC’s are a great way to reach thousands, sometimes even a few hundred thousand people at once- a few courses have even attracted more people to that one course than the entire living alumni of a particular department. Thats a pretty massive stat right there.
One could enroll in Wharton’s first year online MBA courses for free. For a fee of $49, you could receive a certificate of approval, validating your completion of the course. Interestingly enough, professors in Wharton assign these MOOC sessions to their enrolled batch, and use the time in class to have deep discussions about the topics. This “flipping” tactic is a great move indeed adding a lot more dimension to the material and ample time for some in-class analysis.
But does this do away with the most essential face-to-face interaction is the question of the hour. Having done a course of this style, I am convinced this isn’t the case. Course specific online communities and forums make for an amazing place to meet and problem solve with some like- minded people. These communities exist in a surprising number of cities spanning the globe and few groups hold regular meet-ups to discuss material and solving homework. You could even find online mentors and tutors to help. If anything, MOOC’s will create a deeper community around the courses offered and greatly increase collaboration.
In addition to this, the structure of the courses are such that you could immerse in them at your leisure. Work all day and study all night, maybe, maybe not. What’s interesting is how recruiters will eventually look upon these courses if one is looking to get an internship/ job off these MOOC’s.
Though the future of MOOC’s seem extremely bright, only time will tell how effective these platforms will be in an all- round integrative learning experience.
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