Will Universities Survive Social Software?
Clay Shirky's excellent new book has definitely gotten into my head.
With the rise of social software, isn't it possible to do the same things that universities have historically done, but without the physical plant to support it?
MIT already puts a slew of courses online. You could take one now, if you wanted to. For Free.
Rohit Bhargava argues (or at least proposes) that MBA's could be made irrelevant by social software.
Combine the tools and technology with the rising costs and you wonder...will you be able to get more (or the same) skills via virtual/social higher education as you do through a traditional program?
Just because institutions of higher learning have always meant a place where people could physically congregate, doesn't mean that it will always be that way, does it?
Disclaimer: The point of these series of posts is not to necessarily proclaim doom and gloom for every single industry out there, be it Associations or Photographers (and stay tuned for law firms), it's to get us all to think about what they mean for our industries and work/personal lives.
Comments
Niko Canner said on 11.17.2008 at 5:13 PM
From an educational standpoint, what universities do is to provide very high-intensity immersion experiences to peer groups that form strong and lasting bonds. While that COULD happen on-line, and probably does in some of the more intensely niched communities, it isn't necessarily easy to produce through on-line channels specifically developed for course-based learning. I think this is a fertile area, but the way to produce a university-like experience in virtual space might draw less on direct analogies to the current practice of universities than do the available models today.
jdub said on 11.25.2008 at 10:58 AM
while I'm a fan, in theory, of distant learning, it's just not the same as in-person interactions, and web-cams, instant chatting, Twittering, whatever just isn't the same. A good part of it is that I learned far more outside the classroom than I ever learned in the classroom.
Also, college is where I learned to drink beer. Drinking beer with friends is cool. Drinking beer by yourself in front of the computer is just sad.