This is an interesting article about a group putting together social networking with open courseware to “global, tuition-free Internet university,” University of the People. They say they will apply for accreditation as soon as possible. Whether or not they are successful in getting it will speak volumes about the future of higher ed.
This kind of leveraging of open resources and collaboration is a subject we talked about a lot as a part of Dr. Wiley’s open ed course. What is the future of open education? How relevant is a traditional higher ed degree in the modern world?
I’m wondering if anyone’s looking at opening a charter/home/alternative K-12 school based on open resources? The new Open High School in Utah is one example. I hope that they will be successful and that they won’t be crushed by the forces of the educational-industrial complex.
as long as a University degree means something…
And until there is no replacement for a basic test of sticky-to-itiveness and basic discipline that a degree sort of proves, if nothing else. Yes, people can educate themselves, but will they be reliable? will they follow directions? especially the silly directives that keep things together? 17 years of staying inside sort of makes the case for that better than none.
Of course, we do need creativity, initiative, but when the #12 screw needs to be the one in the #12 hole, not the #13and certainly not the #16, we need people who follow orders. Same if we expect people to follow certain conventions, be it grammar, be it the way to greet and treat each other.
Anyway, academia is one of the hardest closed clubs to reform, worldwide, and they’ve been rather successful in proving themselves necessary, there are many, many jobs you are not allowed in unless you have a degree – no other proof of ability exists.