We have written about the eLearning revolution and we have written about technological disruption, but we have not yet explored these two subjects in the same context.  How does online learning affect the state of the university? Is the university immune to technological disruption? And what is online learning doing to the way in which we understand the concept of “knowledge”?

The university and its traditional methods of education face the biggest form of technological disruption, especially when it comes to the weak links in the higher education chain.

These are:

• The extremely high costs of studying,
• The physical limits and constraints,
• And the obstacles in keeping information current.

The Education Bubble

So what is the education bubble? The best way in which to describe the bubble is as an inflated and inflating denial, keeping institutions in refusal of disruption and out of the real evolving world.

The university has been side stepping the digital online learning disruption for a long time. When you realise that there are enough academic material available online – it is scary to think that one would pay tens of thousands to study, and that one would limit oneself to the physical boundaries of buildings and locations. Luckily, Glenn Reynolds tells us that “bubbles burst when people catch on, and there’s some evidence that people are beginning to catch on”.

Here’s a good example. Clayton Christensen, with this bold statement of his is enough to jerk people out of their denial…

He says: In 15 years from now half of US Universities may be in bankruptcy - Article by Mark Suster, 2013.

The Extremely High Cost of Studying

Reynolds describes the situation regarding student loan debt in America: Total student-loan debt in America has passed the trillion-dollar mark, more than total credit-card debt and more than total auto-loan debt. – Reynolds.

Student loans are being sold as the best investment you could possibly make into your own future. This is not hard to believe when we very well know that education is empowerment and even enlightenment. Yet, should it come at the price of plus minus R200 000?

In 2011 there was a South African TV advert that advertised some kind of competition targeting students – the prize was, not a car, not a Vegas holiday – but a lump sum payment towards student loan dept. This meant that the number of people with student loans make for a large enough target audience to run a national competition for them exclusively.

It’s a big problem, and more and more students and potential students are becoming aware of just how bad student debt can be. That’s causing them to change their behaviour… Some are pursuing their educations online... – Reynolds

The Physical Limits & Constraints

What is the point of going to class if you cannot find a seat, you cannot hear the lecturer, and the old projector slides are hazy under coffee stains?

A lecture theatre might take 300 to 400 students – but the online classroom, video stream lectures and other form of interactive learning platforms can accommodate 200 000 plus students.

Obstacles in Keeping Information Current

University institutions have a legacy of swearing by the printed text; the printed text has credibility, since publishers thought it profound enough to print and distribute. This might have been the case a couple of years ago, but new information is being generated and old information disputed and updated faster than it takes to print a textbook, never mind compiling it.

The inability to stay current is also hugely problematic when declining industries and rising industries are not being considered and included within curriculums.

Back to Mr. Christensen: We subsidize their education in fields for which there are no jobs” he said in referring to the fact that many courses at universities are still taught with skills that aren’t relevant to the 21st century needs of the US workforce. -  Mark Suster, 2013.

What Do Institutions Offer That Digital Can’t?

On the other hand, one might argue that the university as an institution offers things that online courses simply cannot replace. Is this true? Let’s discuss.

The University Experience

Universities sell the “campus experience” or the “student life”. Generally this means “one hell of a party”. But more than this, you are surrounded by like-minded people who can assist you with your work and who feel your pain when you complain about staying up until 4am studying for an exam. There is merit in this, undeniably.

Online studies may be an individual pursuit, but you are never isolated. Coursera.com courses encourage interaction between students. Here is an example of what a single course outline specifies:

• Essays will be read and reviewed by a small group of classmates online.
• Students are expected to offer and share opinions and ideas with other classmates in online discussions.
• Online discussions will be monitored by course facilitators.

The Right Papers

Knowledge & the Medium it is Delivered

Sugata Mitra said: The age of knowing stuff is over. Meaning? Piles of information locked in your memory makes for interesting conversation but information that matters in the world of today is the accessible information, no matter who you are, where you are or when you need it. In light of this, eLearning, Moocs, Flipped classrooms and any type of online training is changing the way we understand the concept of knowledge.

To further quote Mark Suster in his conversation with Clayton Christensen, he writes: [Clayton] talked about the need to have content delivered closer to those in the work force who could immediately apply what they’re taught and then immediately be back in the classroom to discuss the implementation - Mark Suster, 2013.

Marshall McLuhan said, in contex of the great eruption in multimedia some decades ago, the medium is the message. He meant that the form of a medium embeds itself in the message, creating a relationship by which the medium influences how the message is recieved and understood. Here, with online education, the medium has once again had a great effect on the message – and what is this message? Learning is about staying updated, accessing desired information as you need to practise that knowledge out in your daily life, and building your own opinions and beliefs on information that is current.

In Closing

Learning should be limitless – extending far beyond the 300 page textbook. Learning should be for everyone and, as a human right, it should be free – thereby, online learning is also disrupting the prestige or elite factor bestowed to university graduates for as long as we can remember. Considering the digital age that we are entering, if education is a human right, internet access should be a human right as well.

Sound Idea Digital specialises in Learning Management Systems and eLearning developments | soundidealearningmanagement.co.za
Carla van Straten is a writer for Sound Idea Digital | Carla@soundidea.co.za

This article was inspired by the book The Higher Education Bubble by Glen Reynolds, 2012. It was also inspired by the article “In 15 Years from Now Half of US Universities May Be in Bankruptcy.” My Surprise Discussion with @ClayChristensen by Mark Suster, 2013.03.13.