navigating obstacles to innovation in digital higher ed
TRANSCRIPT
KEITH HAMPSON, PHD
ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION OBSTACLES TO INNOVATION
BIG PICTURE
FORECASTING HIGHER EDUCATION’S CAPACITY TO LEVERAGE INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA
2
AGENDA
1. SECTOR STATUS 2. IDENTIFY OBSTACLES 3. OBSTACLES: SYMPTOMS 4. SUCCESSFUL TACTICS
3
SECTOR SNAPSHOT ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
01SECTION
“REVOLUTION” “GAME CHANGER” “DISRUPTION” “TRANSFORMATION”
ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION AS A SOLUTION
400,000+ REGISTRATIONS 6,000+ ONLINE COURSES 600+ ONLINE PROGRAMS
ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION IN CANADA
ENROLMENT GROWTH
One out of three students take at least one online course each year (US figures) 1/3
0
75
150
225
300
1999 2004 2012 2015 (H1)
GLOBAL PRIVATE INVESTMENTS IN LEARNING TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
$ HUN
DRED
S OF T
HOUS
ANDS
PRIVATE INVESTMENT $2.45 BILLION
0
20
40
60
80
2002 2006 2010 2014
“ONLINE EDUCATION IS CRITICAL TO THE LONGTERM STRATEGY OF MY INSTITUTION”
AGREE
NEUTRAL
DISAGREE
INSTITUTIONAL STRATEGY
NEEDS
PLANS
REALITY
IMPACT
PROGRESS
PROGRESS: LIMITED & UNEVEN
▸ Reductions in costs of higher education?
▸ Universal access to the very best instructional activities?
▸ Development of new, highly sophisticated instructional activities that leverage the unique properties of networks and software?
▸ Personalization of learning through software?
▸ Simulations enabling students to “learn by doing” in risk-free environments?
▸ Rich media, drawing on the best in creative arts, to engage and illustrate?
VALU
E (CO
ST AN
D QU
ALITY
)
TIME
WE ARE HERE?
S-CURVE OF VALUE
IRON TRIANGLE
13
‣ COST
‣ QUALITY
‣ ACCESS
OBSTACLES ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
02SECTION
TECHNOLOGY PEDAGOGY ORGANIZATION
“LET’S NOT KID OURSELVES; ADMINISTRATORS AT THE CSU ARE BEGINNING A PROCESS OF REPLACING FACULTY WITH CHEAP ONLINE EDUCATION”
FACULTY AT SJSU
FOCUS ON ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES
MOOCS
RETREATING FROM HIGHER EDUCATION PROPER
OBSTACLESOBJECTIVES &
AMBITIOUS INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE & MEDIA
AMBITIOUS INSTRUCTIONAL
SOFTWARE & MEDIA
AMBITIOUS INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE & MEDIA
CLASSROOM ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL
CLASSROOM ORGANIZATIONAL MODEL
‣ LONE INSTRUCTOR ASSUMES BULK OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT
‣ BUDGET <20K
‣ PRODUCED IN 30 TO 120 HOURS
“NOW THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A SILLY (OR EVEN STUPID) THING TO SAY SO CAREFULLY. OF COURSE TWO VECTORS ARE EQUAL IF THEY ARE EQUAL FOR EACH CORRESPONDING ENTRY! WELL, THIS IS NOT AS SILLY AS IT APPEARS. WE WILL SEE A FEW OCCASIONS LATER WHERE THE OBVIOUS DEFINITION IS NOT THE RIGHT ONE. AND BESIDES, IN DOING MATHEMATICS WE NEED TO BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT MAKING ALL THE NECESSARY DEFINITIONS AND MAKING THEM UNAMBIGUOUS. AND WE’VE DONE THAT HERE.” TEXT/ONLINE MATH
HOME-MADE IMAGES/BIOLOGY
HOMEMADE VIDEO/ECONOMICS
MORE AMBITIOUS FORMS OF INSTRUCTIONAL SOFTWARE & MEDIA
‣ SOFTWARE INFORMS INSTRUCTION (E.G. ADAPTIVITY AND PERSONALIZATION)
‣ BUILT BY TEAMS, OVER LONGER PERIODS OF TIME, DRAWING ON A HIGHER LEVEL OF FUNDS
‣ FACULTY ROLE MODIFIED
” . . . FACULTY HAVE MUCH MORE IN COMMON WITH THE HISTORIC PLIGHT OF OTHER SKILLED WORKERS THAN THEY CARE TO ACKNOWLEDGE. LIKE THESE OTHERS, THEIR ACTIVITY IS BEING RESTRUCTURED, VIA THE TECHNOLOGY, IN ORDER TO REDUCE THEIR AUTONOMY, INDEPENDENCE, AND CONTROL OVER THEIR WORK AND TO PLACE WORKPLACE KNOWLEDGE AND CONTROL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE INTO THE HANDS OF THE ADMINISTRATION. AS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES, THE TECHNOLOGY IS BEING DEPLOYED BY MANAGEMENT PRIMARILY TO DISCIPLINE, DESKILL, AND DISPLACE LABOR.”
Dr. David Noble, 1997
CONCERNS ABOUT LOSS OF CONTROL, STATUS, AND LABOUR SECURITY
DOMINANT TECHNOLOGY (LMS) MAY REINFORCE ONE-PERSON MODEL
COST
PER
UNIT
TOTAL UNITS
ECONOMIES OF SCALE
“A SINGLE TEACHER CAN REACH HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS. THAT COMPLETELY CHANGES THE ECONOMICS OF EVERYTHING. THE MARGINAL COST OF AN EXTRA STUDENT REACHES ZERO.”
DR. DAPHNE KOLLER C0-FOUNDER, COURSERA
MOOC ECONOMICSMANY INSTITUTIONS WANT TO OFFER MOOCS, BUT FEW WANT TO ACCEPT THE CREDITS EARNED IN MOOCS FROM OTHER INSTITUTIONS
MOOC ECONOMICS
CONFLICTING OBJECTIVES AND INTERESTS
▸ Fear of loss of revenue
▸ Institutional difference based on institution’s knowledge (university origins: the production and dissemination of knowledge)
▸ Faculty’s source of value: subject-matter expertise (adopting content from other faculty and institutions reduces faculty role to that of “mere teacher”)
APPLYING SOCIAL MEDIA TO INSTRUCTION IN ONLINE LEARNING
CONFLICTING MODELS
USER-GENERATED V. TOP-DOWN
OPEN-ENDED V. PRESCRIBED
NETWORK EFFECT V. EXCLUSIVE
OBSTACLES: SYMPTOMS ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
03SECTION
SYMPTOMS
OESP GROWTH
▸ 40+ organizations help colleges and universities build and market online programs
▸ 1.1 billion industry as of Q1 2015
▸ Upfront capital in exchange for share of revenue
▸ Services
▸ Course development
▸ Faculty development
▸ Technology
▸ Marketing
▸ Student services
SYMPTOMS
RISE OF ALTERNATIVE PROVIDERS
▸ Non-credit education and training opportunities outside of higher education that are “digital born” and seek, to varying degrees, to challenge the natural dominance of formal higher education
▸ PMBA; “Uncollege" Movement; Peter Thiel’s “Scholarships”
▸ Marketing: Rebellious and belligerent
“YOU WASTED $150,000 ON AN EDUCATION YOU COULDA GOT FOR A BUCK FIFTY IN LATE CHARGES AT THE PUBLIC LIBRARY.”
Will Hunting, “Good Will Hunting”
SYMPTOMS
RISE OF ALTERNATIVE PROVIDERS: STAGE TWO
▸ Alternative Providers now forming partnerships with colleges and universities
▸ e.g. Kadenze and SFU and Emily Carr
▸ e.g. General Assembly and American University
▸ Department of Education now facilitating pilot partnerships to enable access to student loans
SUCCESSFUL TACTICS ONLINE HIGHER EDUCATION
04SECTION
FOCUS
LEAN ON COURSEWARE (CAREFULLY)
ALIGN EXPERTISE AND DECISION-MAKING AUTHORITY
STUDY, TRACK AND REPORT ON YOUR OWN SUCCESS
