I found an interesting article about how MOOCs (massive open online course) can help a wide variety of students on an International level. Countries such as Egypt have students that are not able to take college-level courses if it wasn't for professors willing to give of themselves to provide an education to those that truly need it in order to obtain a better life for themselves or their family. The missing piece of the solution is setting up the location for the students to participate in the course. United States foreign aid could be used to rent a small building, install computers, and set up satellite Internet connections to turn this dream into reality. In the future there could be credible credentials to show their employers that they have knowledge about the subject that they studied (Friedman, 2013).
Reference:
Friedman, Thomas (2013). Revolution Hits the Universities. Referenced from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/27/opinion/sunday/friedman-revolution-hits-the-universities.html?hp&_r=1&pagewanted=all&.
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Interesting article though I think we should all be cautious in assuming that simply subtitling first world sensibilities and educational models is enough. What of other cultures that have unique and perfectly functional societies without Thomas Friedman's knowledge (and likely approval)? There's also the detail that the currently popular objects known as MOOCs are not related in any way to the original exploratory MOOCs that sought to increase understandings in the delivery and content of education in a digital world. And purely on the practical side, why would duplicated courses based on past methods of teaching be seen as advancing any cause? The West is experiencing rough economic times even while it is extensively served by an education model that appears to fail at promoting innovation, is hugely expensive and is contracting to fewer and fewer new voices in the name of one-version-of-each-topic-is-enough efficiencies. It isn't progress to repeat failed models and it is criminal to impose them on others.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment Scott, I agree that other countries or cultures might not react the same logical way that I presented it. It seems like a great, straightforward idea to introduce this type of learning structure into an environment that does not have it, however the local population may not react favorably to it. I think that one of the major problems of Western higher education is the huge debt that it produces for the majority of it's graduates.
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