The long road to distance-learning. This is rather old (from 28 January), so I apologize if it's already been posted.
I remember distinctly it being strongly opined that, unlike for-profit schools, not-for-profits would keep a money-losing enterprise going. Yet NYU shut down its for-profit NYUOnline when it was unprofitable. I also remember criticisms laid to online for-profit schools for their heavy reliance on adjunct faculty, yet NYU did just that with NYUOnline. So students lost their degree programs and professors lost their (part-time?) jobs. All because NYU wasn't taking in enough. I have a copy of Noble's new book. It is a difficult read. Not because of his writing style; the guy's not that bright. Rather, it's because he's firmly stuck in the 1930's, convinced that the online movement is history repeating itself with fly-by-night hucksters. Well, the Economist article reveals Noble's true cause; it relates the strike Noble led against York University to prevent the school from requiring professors to include online content in their courses. I wonder if he also demands they not put a phone and electric lighting in his office? Rich Douglas, luddite stalker.
No, Rich, electricity and phone services are necessary utilities which do not threaten Noble's (and other anti-DL advocate's) faculty tenure.
Hi Rich, I liked the phrase - stalked any Luddites lately ? I hope that doesn't include me !!! I also liked (from the article): It may be that the current online courses, rather than being stretched too far from traditional academia, are not taking enough of an imaginative leap. The potential exists, for a small group of executives at a company to download materials and reading lists and put together their own informal, customised “course.” The same could be done with executives in several offices around the globe—an online version of the corporate university. For the student who wants a degree for his CV, however, the traditional offline approach remains best. .... I guess we have to leave it up to business to show the way if traditional academe won't. I understand that a 1-month residential development course for all IBM middle managers is now 3-weeks' content online in advance and 1 week residential. I wouldn't mind a "Suggestion Scheme" share of the savings on that one .... Cheers, Neil
The Boston Globe a few years ago (right after Columbine) published a very smug editorial stating that since the Second Amendment was written in the late-1700's, the only firearms that should be legal are muzzle-loading flintlock muskets. I wrote a response suggesting that the editor put his logic into practice by replacing his reporter's ballpoints with a quill and inkpot, notebooks with parchment, and install hand-cranked printing presses on Morrissey Boulevard. After all, the First Amendment was written in the late-1700's also. Not surprisingly, my letter was never published. Bruce
