Online Learning and the Internet
There is little question that the Information Age has lead to changes in all aspects of society, the field of higher education is no different. Nearly every source the researchers identified included the Internet, Online Courses, and Web-Supported Instruction as a major change over the past 20 years.
As an example, Hershkovitz and Nachmias (2011) discuss in their paper Online Persistence in Higher Education Web-Supported Courses, the Internet is being widely used in higher education. They state, “instructors, researchers, university leaders and policy-makers are aware of the pedagogical and economical benefits of using advanced technologies” (p. 179). They reinforce this fact by citing from Allen and Seaman’s Learning on Demand that over 4.6 million students took at least one online course, defined as a course in which 80% or more of the course is delivered online with no face-to-face interaction, during the Fall 2008 term (as cited in Hershkovitz and Nachmias, 2011, p. 179). The teaching and learning capabilities of the online classroom are not the only reasons colleges and universities are investing in this technology.
There is little question that the Information Age has lead to changes in all aspects of society, the field of higher education is no different. Nearly every source the researchers identified included the Internet, Online Courses, and Web-Supported Instruction as a major change over the past 20 years.
As an example, Hershkovitz and Nachmias (2011) discuss in their paper Online Persistence in Higher Education Web-Supported Courses, the Internet is being widely used in higher education. They state, “instructors, researchers, university leaders and policy-makers are aware of the pedagogical and economical benefits of using advanced technologies” (p. 179). They reinforce this fact by citing from Allen and Seaman’s Learning on Demand that over 4.6 million students took at least one online course, defined as a course in which 80% or more of the course is delivered online with no face-to-face interaction, during the Fall 2008 term (as cited in Hershkovitz and Nachmias, 2011, p. 179). The teaching and learning capabilities of the online classroom are not the only reasons colleges and universities are investing in this technology.
Cost and Competition
The researchers would be remiss if not to discuss overwhelming change in costs associated with earning a degree from an institution of higher learning. According to CNN Money’s Annalyn Censky, “In 1988, the average tuition and fees for a four-year public university rang in at about $2,800, adjusted for inflation. By 2008, that number had climbed about 130% to roughly $6,500 a year -- and that doesn't include books or room and board” (2011). Cost goes beyond that of the learner however.
Competition with businesses providing their own training is causing colleges and universities to behave less like institutions of higher learning and more like corporations. In his paper Online Higher Education Commodity, Chau (2010) describes how corporation are blurring the lines between education and training causing colleges and universities to “become less like institutions for higher learning and more like corporations” (p. 184). He goes on to explain, “Online classrooms allow institutions the possibility of reducing cost through the reduction in the fees associated with maintaining facilities, hiring more staff, money for extra hours associated with extra teaching loads or extra office hours, and so on” (Chau, p. 184). As is evidenced above, the cost of education to the learner, as well as to the institution is not only a change, but also a catalyst to further change.
This video published by encounterbooks (2012) will provide further insight into the cost of higher education and how all stakeholders
The researchers would be remiss if not to discuss overwhelming change in costs associated with earning a degree from an institution of higher learning. According to CNN Money’s Annalyn Censky, “In 1988, the average tuition and fees for a four-year public university rang in at about $2,800, adjusted for inflation. By 2008, that number had climbed about 130% to roughly $6,500 a year -- and that doesn't include books or room and board” (2011). Cost goes beyond that of the learner however.
Competition with businesses providing their own training is causing colleges and universities to behave less like institutions of higher learning and more like corporations. In his paper Online Higher Education Commodity, Chau (2010) describes how corporation are blurring the lines between education and training causing colleges and universities to “become less like institutions for higher learning and more like corporations” (p. 184). He goes on to explain, “Online classrooms allow institutions the possibility of reducing cost through the reduction in the fees associated with maintaining facilities, hiring more staff, money for extra hours associated with extra teaching loads or extra office hours, and so on” (Chau, p. 184). As is evidenced above, the cost of education to the learner, as well as to the institution is not only a change, but also a catalyst to further change.
This video published by encounterbooks (2012) will provide further insight into the cost of higher education and how all stakeholders
Other Significant Changes
The number and nature of changes that have occurred in the past two decades in the field of higher education are numerous and varied. Staley and Trinkle (2011) in their paper The Changing Landscape of Higher Education highlight many significant changes in colleges and universities. Below is a listing and brief description of the ten changes they identify:
1. The Increasing Differentiation of Higher Education – the increasingly varied industry offers significantly more options; from public school to private institutions, community colleges to for-profits, the industry has diversified significantly.
2. The Transformation of the General Education Curriculum – historically, and for good reason, colleges and universities required a core curriculum to be taken by all students; more common today are electives allowing students to select job specific courses.
3. The Faculty Faces of the Future – tenure track positions are becoming a thing of the past; adjunct instructors are the new norm, and students appear to be satisfied with this new style of teacher
4. The Surge in Global Faculty and Student Mobility – education used to be a key import for the US economy; today US students are seeking educational opportunities abroad.
5. The New “Invisible College” – technology is allowing researchers to collaborate internationally and to solve the problems they are researching from afar.
6. The Changing “Traditional” Student – more than 60% of students engaged in higher education are already in the workforce and over the age of 25.
7. The Mounting Pressure to Demonstrate the Value Added of a College Degree – for-profit colleges, and increasingly non-for-profit institutions, in the United States have received government mandates to prove the value of the degree through graduates’ gainful employment.
8. The Revaluation of “Middle Skill” Jobs – jobs which require more education than a high school diploma but less than a 4-year degree are on the rise creating a need for improved practical skills causing colleges and universities to reevaluate curricula.
9. Higher Education as a Private Rather Than a Public Good – reduced state funding is playing a role in the trend towards privatization in higher education.
10. Lifelong Partnerships with Students – earning a degree is no longer signifying the end of the student-college relationship, it now signifies a new phase, as the student remains a part of the institutions network of professional relationships (Staley & Trickle, 2011).
The number and nature of changes that have occurred in the past two decades in the field of higher education are numerous and varied. Staley and Trinkle (2011) in their paper The Changing Landscape of Higher Education highlight many significant changes in colleges and universities. Below is a listing and brief description of the ten changes they identify:
1. The Increasing Differentiation of Higher Education – the increasingly varied industry offers significantly more options; from public school to private institutions, community colleges to for-profits, the industry has diversified significantly.
2. The Transformation of the General Education Curriculum – historically, and for good reason, colleges and universities required a core curriculum to be taken by all students; more common today are electives allowing students to select job specific courses.
3. The Faculty Faces of the Future – tenure track positions are becoming a thing of the past; adjunct instructors are the new norm, and students appear to be satisfied with this new style of teacher
4. The Surge in Global Faculty and Student Mobility – education used to be a key import for the US economy; today US students are seeking educational opportunities abroad.
5. The New “Invisible College” – technology is allowing researchers to collaborate internationally and to solve the problems they are researching from afar.
6. The Changing “Traditional” Student – more than 60% of students engaged in higher education are already in the workforce and over the age of 25.
7. The Mounting Pressure to Demonstrate the Value Added of a College Degree – for-profit colleges, and increasingly non-for-profit institutions, in the United States have received government mandates to prove the value of the degree through graduates’ gainful employment.
8. The Revaluation of “Middle Skill” Jobs – jobs which require more education than a high school diploma but less than a 4-year degree are on the rise creating a need for improved practical skills causing colleges and universities to reevaluate curricula.
9. Higher Education as a Private Rather Than a Public Good – reduced state funding is playing a role in the trend towards privatization in higher education.
10. Lifelong Partnerships with Students – earning a degree is no longer signifying the end of the student-college relationship, it now signifies a new phase, as the student remains a part of the institutions network of professional relationships (Staley & Trickle, 2011).
The Need for Additional Change
Function and Role
Evidenced above are several examples of changes that have taken place over the past two decades in the field of higher education. The researchers feel there is a need for continued change in order for higher education to be a sustainable industry. Consider the following.
In Managing Innovation in Higher Education Scotte and Scotte (2012) discuss the traditional role of colleges and universities. Specifically they state, “since the advent of the industrial age universities have largely been viewed from a functionalist viewpoint; as a means to conserve and transmit knowledge to the next generation of students with the intent of producing graduates who will contribute to the economy” (p. 17). Although slow to change, Scotte and Scotte identify significant research indicating the need for institutions of higher learning to develop programing that brings them into alignment with the Information Age.
Bennis and O’Toole (2005) agree there is a need for change in higher education, specifically in how they measure success. They explain how business colleges are “Too focused on ‘scientific’ research, business schools are hiring professors with limited real-world experience and graduating students who are ill equipped to wrangle with complex, unquantifiable issues” (p. 1).
As has been evidenced, it is clear that colleges and universities can change. Although institutions of higher learning are rich with history and tradition, they must be mindful of their own research and prepare themselves for the present.
Function and Role
Evidenced above are several examples of changes that have taken place over the past two decades in the field of higher education. The researchers feel there is a need for continued change in order for higher education to be a sustainable industry. Consider the following.
In Managing Innovation in Higher Education Scotte and Scotte (2012) discuss the traditional role of colleges and universities. Specifically they state, “since the advent of the industrial age universities have largely been viewed from a functionalist viewpoint; as a means to conserve and transmit knowledge to the next generation of students with the intent of producing graduates who will contribute to the economy” (p. 17). Although slow to change, Scotte and Scotte identify significant research indicating the need for institutions of higher learning to develop programing that brings them into alignment with the Information Age.
Bennis and O’Toole (2005) agree there is a need for change in higher education, specifically in how they measure success. They explain how business colleges are “Too focused on ‘scientific’ research, business schools are hiring professors with limited real-world experience and graduating students who are ill equipped to wrangle with complex, unquantifiable issues” (p. 1).
As has been evidenced, it is clear that colleges and universities can change. Although institutions of higher learning are rich with history and tradition, they must be mindful of their own research and prepare themselves for the present.