The arrival of COVID-19, to coincide with Spring Break at US Colleges and Universities forced the issue on moving to on-line classes. The reaction on campus has been to double down on technology. Not just on-line capabilities, but in-class technologies as well. This technology might be important, but colleges are learning that only if the technology is coupled with changes in the teaching methods is value achieved. Even the best in-class pedagogy fails to deliver and differs from the best of on-line. Delivering effective education will mean not only changing or adding the technology, but also the teaching methods and often the most prized teaching talents. And then there is the cost of all the technology and teaching changes.
We, at Prometheus, have seen that such dramatic seismic shifts take decades, if not generations, to consider and master. Colleges are being forced to immediately adapt to these disruptions, one triggered by COVID-19, and others independent of the pandemic. How and if they can adapt will determine whether many survive, struggle, or prosper.
Today’s Colleges and Universities are capable knowledge factories but have weak, single-channel delivery systems. They serve two basic roles, that of creating and codifying knowledge, and secondly of dissemination of that knowledge. Both of these roles today are somewhat and tangentially dependent on the application of information technology.
The methods of delivery, conveyance and dissemination of knowledge have been under pressure for their historic costs and effectiveness within broadened, more diverse populations. College cost inflation has averaged over 6% per annum since 1977. While in recent years, improved fiscal discipline has reduced that rate to around 2%, it is still above the general rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index. These costs reflect both physical investments in campus facilities, and costs associated with instruction. Pressure to reduce tuitions and fees will continue as the cost of the residential college experience becomes increasingly unaffordable to the middle class.
There have been efforts since the beginning of the century to increase the use of technology in the knowledge dissemination process. Blackboards gave way to white boards, projected PowerPoint presentations, and now interactive smart boards. Classrooms that once had only movable desk/chairs and no available WIFI or power, now have built-in audio-visual capabilities, connectivity, power, and interactivity. Faculties just converted their existing material to use the new technology while maintaining the same in-class teaching delivery paradigm.
There have been institutions that have dabbled with alternative conveyance and delivery approaches. Some universities, notably the University of Phoenix (for profit) and Southern New Hampshire University (non-profit), were born on-line and have almost all classes on-line. But the classroom lecture and recitation paradigm has remained the dominant vehicle for knowledge dissemination, even in the on-line space. At the end of the day it is about student performance and grades in ENGLISH 101.
Universities of Michigan in Medicine and Wisconsin in Public Health (one of 19 schools or colleges) have competency-based degree programs where students can master a number of competencies to earn a degree. In a sense, the competencies equate to credits, but with more flexibility to mix, match, and test out. They fit well into the on-line asynchronous teaching environment as well.
Western Governors University (born on-line and competency-based) charges students a flat tuition for a six month “all you can eat” period. This sounds like the food court in the campus dining hall. The difference is they are consuming competency and knowledge, not putting on the “freshman 15”. The students can master all the competencies (or test out of them) to achieve the full complement required for a degree. Teaching becomes individualized as well as asynchronous and breaks the lecture and recitation models of the past. Clearly, this approach demands a different syllabus, pedagogy, grading, and delivery technology.
The truth is that we are in a period of instructional and delivery discontinuity. Backing the dump truck up and dumping technology into colleges and students is not the answer. Technology is an aspect of the transformational endeavor but is not the objective. We have a diverse set of stakeholders whose needs must be considered. Colleges themselves are facing an existential crisis.
WHAT TO THINK ABOUT IN THIS CRISIS
Despite what is most prevalent in the literature, technology alone is not going to save the Colleges and Universities. The technologies will help, but only if used in the context of the other considerations of an overall endeavor. Institutions going through this crisis, and who is not, should be asking themselves these Prometheus Endeavor* questions:
- What is your Endeavor?
- What are you trying to accomplish with the investments?
- Is it better education, lower costs, increased distribution, increased volume of students, or satisfying state, society and local mandates?
- What are the expectations, scope, context and realistic timeframe for the endeavor?
- Who are your Stakeholders?
- What are the varieties of stakeholders?
- What do the students want or need?
- What are the expectations of their parents or guardians?
- How do the professors view the change?
- Are they enthusiastic about the changes?
- Will the administration embrace the change?
- Can alumni, foundation or corporate funds be raised to do the endeavor properly?
- What are your Resources?
- Where is the investment coming from?
- What technologies will be needed?
- How mature and sustainable are the technologies, the vendors and providers?
- Will there be a cost benefit?
- Do you have the skills, to make the transition and to support/update the technology over a 5-10-20 year life cycle?
- How will this fit your College Governance model?
- How will you make decisions – initially, during implementation and over time?
- Will the tenured faculty agree?
- Will the unions that represent the faculty, and administrative staff agree?
- Will the University Senate, the Faculty Senate, etc., agree?
- What will they want?
- How will you learn from the experience of the early adopters?
- Who has been successful in their attempts to change?
- Who has struggled with the process?
- What can you learn from their experience?
- How can you implement the learning from their success and failures?
SEIZE THE DAY
Universities are attempting to make the technology transition, but few have done much to change the dominant teaching paradigm. The disruption of COVID-19 offers the forcing function to not just alter the technology for delivering knowledge, it provides the opportunity to move to a new instruction paradigm as well. The technology change offers the opportunity to take a bold step toward a more effective paradigm in the conveyance and delivery of college value. Feel free to contact us at Prometheus Endeavor if you wish to explore what we see as the key enabling considerations.
About The Prometheus Endeavor
Our mission is to apply our knowledge and management experience to further the IT and Digital Endeavors of society, its institutions, and businesses. The Prometheus Endeavor does not do consulting or represent vendors. For over 30 years, members have advised and managed some of the most successful deployments of IT.
