Higher Education
Thomas Friedman gets it right in his op ed article The Professor’s Big Stage. Higher education is in the midst of disruptive change. A key point is that new modes of course delivery – such as MOOCs (massive open online courses) are revolutionizing higher education worldwide. MOOCs delivery modes prove to broaden access to education. However, MOOCs are most successful when blended with an in person discussion forum (here’s another great article about MOOCs and how in person peer study groups influence successful outcomes). At this point, higher education institutions are not equipped to scale support of in person discussion forums for a MOOC.
Where to begin? Here are two possible questions to get the conversation started for higher education leaders.
1. How can student services be restructured to support successful learning outcomes in blended learning environments?
2. What support or incentives are required for faculty to reinvent pedagogy for next generation learning models?
The call to action is to think differently and innovate the entire education ecosystem. My favorite line in Thomas Friedman’s article is “average is over.” Brilliant.
Are you interested in having a conversation about how your institution responds to disruptive change? Contact me at [email protected].
photo credit: giulia.forsythe via photopin cc
