Online Learning; made possible by broadband
One of the most rewarding things about working in the Internet industry is seeing all the ways improved connectivity improves lives. It's easy to look at high-tech innovation as something that changes consumer behavior, but the technologies that really take off often succeed because the old model just isn't working well anymore.
Take education. Last week The Boston Globe wrote about the growing popularity of online learning that was enabling thousands of people to earn diplomas without ever setting food on a college campus. The report cited many of the most cliché reasons that a student might want to earn a degree this way, such as being able to attend a morning lecture in pajamas rather than shuffling bleary eyed across campus. But it did not delve so much into what I suspect are the real reasons, such as the soaring costs of higher education that are growing faster than inflation.
Most colleges do not offer a discount for their online classes, but just by giving students some flexibility in when they will "attend" class, they expand their options significantly, making it more possible to hold down a part-time, or even a full-time job while taking courses, and, like the Boston Globe noted, earn a degree without paying hefty room and board costs.
This same month, career counselor Marty Nemko published a controversial piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education that called the Bachelor's Degree America's most overrated product. Nemko argued that the costs - and too often the debt - incurred in pursuit of a college degree had gotten so exorbitant that students could no longer expect to get back all those costs in higher-paying jobs.
This blog is not the forum to debate his startling assertion that a lot of people would be better off not going to college. But it's fair to say that the combination of poor academic preparation and limited financial resources does make college a risky proposal for many students. If online learning can alleviate some of the financial strain associated with the traditional on-campus model, it will make it more likely that students will see a real return on their investment, rather than just a mountain of debt.
Take education. Last week The Boston Globe wrote about the growing popularity of online learning that was enabling thousands of people to earn diplomas without ever setting food on a college campus. The report cited many of the most cliché reasons that a student might want to earn a degree this way, such as being able to attend a morning lecture in pajamas rather than shuffling bleary eyed across campus. But it did not delve so much into what I suspect are the real reasons, such as the soaring costs of higher education that are growing faster than inflation.
Most colleges do not offer a discount for their online classes, but just by giving students some flexibility in when they will "attend" class, they expand their options significantly, making it more possible to hold down a part-time, or even a full-time job while taking courses, and, like the Boston Globe noted, earn a degree without paying hefty room and board costs.
This same month, career counselor Marty Nemko published a controversial piece for The Chronicle of Higher Education that called the Bachelor's Degree America's most overrated product. Nemko argued that the costs - and too often the debt - incurred in pursuit of a college degree had gotten so exorbitant that students could no longer expect to get back all those costs in higher-paying jobs.
This blog is not the forum to debate his startling assertion that a lot of people would be better off not going to college. But it's fair to say that the combination of poor academic preparation and limited financial resources does make college a risky proposal for many students. If online learning can alleviate some of the financial strain associated with the traditional on-campus model, it will make it more likely that students will see a real return on their investment, rather than just a mountain of debt.
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