OK, looks more like we are at least reading from the same book even if we aren't exactly on the same page. The problem is that universities are powerful institutions with hoards of influential ( and often rich ) alums. Its like Luxembourg going up against the Third Reich, if you will, or more benignly, against Napoleon. To succeed everything possible has to go right and little or nothing can go wrong. That is, if your goal is de-legitimization of higher ed. But suppose your goal was less comprehensive, like "radical reform" ? In that case you might even get some people inside academia who would be willing to be allies. Then you've got a better shot at toppling the Empire. Better still, suppose you could create a university --entire ed system-- of your own. Apple might well be able to do that. Jerry Falwell did something like this, and so has Pat Robertson. Not to mention the ( electronic , mostly ) University of Phoenix. For sure, so far none of these new institutions has really done what you suggest, dramatically change the system so that it actually produces well-educated graduates. So that the system is genuinely accountable. What is your model ? What, exactly, do you have in mind ? Well, try it out, see if it works. If it works as good as you think it should, then you have a "product" you can sell nationwide. But, first, what is the future model you would like to achieve ? Let's see the blueprints, or at least some thought-through sketches. I think that a major selling point might be your critique, which is --IMHO-- mostly right on the money. I have some disagreements, but what else is new ? You make a number of valid points. Indeed, I wish I had thought of some of your arguments first ; you are onto something important. But I don't see where you have come up with the "last word," or are all that close. Still, you are on the right track and are ahead of most others, in cases far ahead. If you want a "consultant" on this, just ask. Keep, in mind that I'm always at work on one or another project and have about 10 projects on deck in various stages of completion, so there are limits on my available time, but this definitely is something that interests me --and I don't mean peripherally. Plus, with not quite an Ed D, maybe there are ideas that I can contribute that simply would not occur to anyone else. I'd say that Chris' experience could be put to good use if he was willing to make comments and offer criticisms. He recently went through a professional level program featuring a number of electronic alternatives and would have a really good idea of what works and what does not and where improvements are most needed. Others in the group might also have relevant experience, like Mike and Lennart and some of our lurkers who, I know, have this kind of interest themselves. Norman also comes to mind, and David is a grad of A & M, which is a top drawer institution, plus he knows the computer biz. In other words, maybe a promising direction for RC is education --in the sense you are using the term. For the foreseeable I don't see us making much difference in terms of practical politics. Do you ? But where we do have some genuine capabilities might well be in the realm of education. In fact I have given thought a number of times to starting up an online "school." Realistically, however, the idea has always had to be abandoned. There is WAAAAAY too much for one man to do. But we just might have enough brainpower and people to pull off something like this. We would need some sort of resource pool eventually but we could start on a strictly volunteer basis. Thoughts ? ----------------------------------------------------- Hi Billy, You also overlook the fact that most of the cost structure of a university is not course delivery. They can't adopt cost- effective methods for full- time students because entry-level rote courses subsidize everything else. That's why the whole business model needs to be challenged. Yes, there is real value in live residential education. But most schools don't actually deliver that value, and will collapse under the new economic reality. I'm just trying to hurry that up. :-) The schools of the future will all have to actually earn their keep, not just fake it. E ------------------------------ > Ernie was saying > about future complete replacement of in-person education by online learning. > I don't see that happening at all. Of course not. I didn't say eliminate college. I said de-legitimize it. Right now there is an assumption that college = education. Both sides are false. Yes, there are great college educations : I fully expect to send my daughter to a four-year college. But many universities deliver a lousy or useless education (see: occupy wall street protesters ). And many non- traditional forms are superior in many ways to the typical college experience ( though still below the best). My goal is to break that assumption so colleges have to compete as one of several socially-acceptable forms of post-secondary education, experience and credentialing. E= -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
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