Strategies for innovating into the future:
Global futurist and author Jack Uldrich offers essential strategic information on nanotechnology, robotics, biotechnology, RFID and many other future technologies to help you prosper as exponential trends converge at this unique moment in history.
Subscribe to the Exponential Executive Newsletter Now!
Please enter your name and email:
Recent Blog Posts
Most Popular Posts
Articles Listed by Industry
Health CareManufacturing
Computer/Semiconductor
Telecommunications
Energy
Life Science/Pharmeceutical
Agriculture
Education
Robots
Internet/Information Tech
Finance
Nanotechnology
Retail/Marketing
Automobile/Aerospace
Defense
Aging Services
Other
Articles Listed by Chapter
Chapter 1: The Power of ZenzizenzizenzicChapter 2: Exponential Enablers
Chapter 3: Walk the Escalator
Chapter 4: The Power of Play
Chapter 5: The Spice of Life--Diversity
Chapter 6: Heads and Tails: It's Counterintuitive
Chapter 7: Get in Touch with Your Animal Instincts
Chapter 8: Back to the Future
Chapter 9: Learning to Unlearn
Chapter 10: Doing the Impossible
Other
Archives
November, 2008October, 2008
September, 2008
August, 2008
July, 2008
June, 2008
May, 2008
April, 2008
March, 2008
February, 2008
January, 2008
December, 2007
November, 2007
October, 2007
September, 2007
August, 2007
Future Technology Blog Recent Posts
The Future of College
In my hometown newspaper, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, the headline story in today’s paper highlights that tution at the University of Minnesota—a public institution—is expected to increase to over $10,000 next year. Undoubtedly, this will set off a great bout of handwringing by the elite twittering classes that education is falling out of the reach of middle-class and even upper middle-class families. Their future prognastications will grow even more dire as these pundits extrapolate out ten years (which is when my own kids will be attending college) using an ever escalating cost of tution.
Will things really that bad?
I don’t believe so because many people are failing to “jump the curve.” In the future, I not only believe college education will be lower—it might be dramatcially lower.
Impossible you say? MIT’s innovative open course ware program -- which allows anyone to access MIT’s college courses—is now available free on-line. Other schools such as the University of California at Berkeley are also joining the movement. And there is every reason to believe that more and more schools—especially those with huge endowments—will join.
If this happens, the number and quality of free college-level courses will soar. As it does, the economics underlying today’s existing colleges and universities could come crashing down.
In the future, I’m convinced that it will matter less where you received your college degree and, instead, more emphasis will be placed on the knowledge a person can demonstrate. (It will also be critical that they demonstrate an ability and willingness to engage in life-long learning). And the reality is that much of this knowledge can now be obtained free, on-line.
The question existing colleges and universities—as well as the politicians—who will all be clamouring for more money (to control rising costs) need to ask themselves is: Are they prepared to “unlearn” their reliance on money and “relearn” a new way of doing business?
Jack Uldrich is a writer, futurist, public speaker and host of jumpthecurve.net. He is the author of seven books, including Jump the Curve and The Next Big Thing is Really Small: How Nanotechnology Will Change the Future of Your Business. He is also a frequent speaker on future technology and future trends, nanotechnology, innovation, change management and executive leadership to a variety of businesses, industries and non-profit organizations and trade associations.
Enjoy this post? Bookmark at the following sites.
John,
I agree. I just saw today that Stanford is joining the ranks of those colleges offering free education (to those with incomes of $100,000 or lower). The education paradigm is changing—and that’s a good thing!
By jack uldrich on 2008 02 21
Nice article. I agree that the economics underpinning hte university system will experience serious disruption. Accelerating change transforms environment, information and human culture we’re going to need a system that teaches us to learn at a correspondingly quicker pace. The universities that spread their teachings wide through new comm tech will capture huge market share. The ones that choose not to follow quickly will see massive declines in revenue and attendance. My bet is this shake-out begins sometime around 2012-2013 as bandwidth widens computers can better process super-rich VWs.
By Alvis on 2008 03 04
If past is prologue, the rising cost of college is not sustainable IF there are cost effective alternatives to the “buyers.” Traditionally, higher education provided a library, science labs and classrooms where content was delivered to sitting students. With greatly improving technology, the world of education is indeed becoming flat thus greatly opening avenues of access to learners. The key may be “outcome” assessments rather than the current accreditation process based on inputs (number of books in the library, percentage of PHds, etc.).
By Tim Farnham on 2008 03 12
Tim,
I think your comment about “outcome assessments” is spot-on. In the future, it won’t matter where you learned something. What will matter is your ability to demonstrate what you know.
By jack uldrich on 2008 03 12
You may be correct, but not for the reasons you state. There is a misconception going about, also held by many teachers, that education is about knowledge of content. In actual fact it is a process of engaging with information, trying to do something with it, having your efforts commented on by an expert and finally having your grasp of the knowledge evaluated and accredited. This is where the colleges add value and MIT knows this (hence their willingness to give away content for nothing). However, whereas once this process had to take place on a face to face basis it can now take place remotely and asynchronously and still be quite effective. It is the quality of remote communications, not the ease of reproduction of information that may make this possible.
By Brian Mulligan on 2008 03 30
I don’t think that the future of college is that bright, we need the reorganize our educational system and find new challenging motivations for our youngsters. I think we need to focus more on flexibility and mobility.
http://www.nd-center.com/
By Larry on 2008 10 15
In regards to this and your latest post, I would say this is the one type of exponential growth you want to avoid: cost growth! In the long run, we only want supply of education to increase at these rates. The paradox is unfolding: the most “expensive” colleges are the ones offering free classes and generous financial aid for their students.
Brick & mortar schools are shutting down, but more colleges are going online. I don’t think governments “get it yet” because they keep pumping more money into the older business model, but I see the markets already moving in the direction that you’re suggesting.
By John on 2008 02 21