(From PopeCenter.org):
By George Leef
For as long as I’ve been working in the higher education policy world, people have been talking about the prospects for a breakout for distance learning (i.e., online courses) and how that would transform higher education. Although there have been many offerings and initiatives, both by existing universities and new platforms, so far there has been no dramatic change.
Yes, enrollment numbers have begun to decline and a tiny number of schools have had to close or merge, but at this point, college officials and faculty might conclude that the feared revolution is merely a hobgoblin.
No—it’s real and the U.S. (make that the world) is on the brink of the greatest educational change since Gutenberg invented printing. That is the argument Kevin Carey presents in his new book The End of College. Rapid improvements in information technology are already giving students far better learning opportunities than they’d get in the vast majority of “real” courses, and at almost no cost. CONTINUE READING HERE