Why spend four years in college when you could finish in weeks? A new report says U.S. schools are experimenting with ultra-fast online degrees to cut costs and get students into jobs quicker. The trend is booming as learners look to dodge debt and enter the workforce fast. But educators are sounding the alarm: Can a degree earned in weeks carry the same weight? The debate over speed vs quality in higher ed is heating up.


Why Spend Years When You Can Graduate In Weeks?

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other Indian academia have to make a major contribution in emerging countries by focusing on providing free education and low-cost certification in technical courses, said representatives of academia and research groups.

They were referring to the&nbsp;National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), which&nbsp;has the world's largest online repository of courses in basic sciences, engineering, humanities, and social sciences subjects.

Created by seven IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, the NPTEL has over 56,000 hours of video content and is said to be the most accessed library of peer-reviewed educational content in the world.&nbsp;Since 2014,&nbsp;NPTEL has been offering open online courses, along with certificates from the IITs/IISc for those who successfully complete the course. The courses are free for enrolment and learning, however,&nbsp; the certification examination conducted upon course completion is optional and has a fee.

Prof. Subash S,&nbsp;faculty&nbsp;of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, explained to WION that the massively open online courses (MOOC) model can be replicated in the global south. "Open platforms built by academia can enhance the skill of the aspirants who haven't been able to make it to top institutions or afford an education there. It not only up-skills the youth, but also makes them future-ready," he said.&nbsp;

Dr&nbsp;Seshadri Chari, member of&nbsp;Governing Board and Governing Council, RIS, told WION that India has missed the bus during the first, second, and third iterations of the Industrial Revolution and that the country is better poised to handle the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He attributed this statement to the changes in academic curricula, emphasis on research than mere theory, and the scaling up of institutions focused on technology, life sciences, medical research etc.&nbsp;

He reasoned that the startups and Micro Small &amp; Medium Industries are getting strengthened and growing in numbers, and openng&nbsp;up vast opportunities for those graduating from IITs and academia. Regarding India's ability to contribute to emerging nations, he said that India promotes the idea of development partnership (as opposed to development aid) and is a participant in the growth of other countries, and can help create a combination of skill and wealth.

As part of the 'G20 University Connect' Lecture Series, members of the academia and researchers had addressed school and college students from across backgrounds&nbsp;at the IIT-Madras campus in Chennai. They had explained the significance of India having assumed the presidency of the G20 this year and the impact that it would have. The students were also sensitised about the processes involved and how youth could contribute to the larger efforts.&nbsp;

WATCH WION LIVE HERE: 

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe>

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other Indian academia have to make a major contribution in emerging countries by focusing on providing free education and low-cost certification in technical courses, said representatives of academia and research groups.

The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and other Indian academia have to make a major contribution in emerging countries by focusing on providing free education and low-cost certification in technical courses, said representatives of academia and research groups. They were referring to the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning (NPTEL), which has the world's largest online repository of courses in basic sciences, engineering, humanities, and social sciences subjects. Created by seven IITs and the Indian Institute of Science, the NPTEL has over 56,000 hours of video content and is said to be the most accessed library of peer-reviewed educational content in the world. Since 2014, NPTEL has been offering open online courses, along with certificates from the IITs/IISc for those who successfully complete the course. The courses are free for enrolment and learning, however, the certification examination conducted upon course completion is optional and has a fee. Prof. Subash S, faculty of Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, explained to WION that the massively open online courses (MOOC) model can be replicated in the global south. "Open platforms built by academia can enhance the skill of the aspirants who haven't been able to make it to top institutions or afford an education there. It not only up-skills the youth, but also makes them future-ready," he said. Dr Seshadri Chari, member of Governing Board and Governing Council, RIS, told WION that India has missed the bus during the first, second, and third iterations of the Industrial Revolution and that the country is better poised to handle the Fourth Industrial Revolution. He attributed this statement to the changes in academic curricula, emphasis on research than mere theory, and the scaling up of institutions focused on technology, life sciences, medical research etc. He reasoned that the startups and Micro Small & Medium Industries are getting strengthened and growing in numbers, and openng up vast opportunities for those graduating from IITs and academia. Regarding India's ability to contribute to emerging nations, he said that India promotes the idea of development partnership (as opposed to development aid) and is a participant in the growth of other countries, and can help create a combination of skill and wealth. As part of the 'G20 University Connect' Lecture Series, members of the academia and researchers had addressed school and college students from across backgrounds at the IIT-Madras campus in Chennai. They had explained the significance of India having assumed the presidency of the G20 this year and the impact that it would have. The students were also sensitised about the processes involved and how youth could contribute to the larger efforts. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

IITs, Indian academia can offer open-source online education to G20 emerging nations, say experts

Online education especially even during the time of the pandemic in India has not reached a very large majority of children. In fact according to a new report, nearly about 70 percent of the children were deprived of access to online education so HOW serious is this a problem especially at a time when schools have been shot due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our next report gets you all the details.

No online education for 70% Indian kids amid Covid-19 pandemic

During the COVID-19 lockdown around the country, online classes for schools and universities became a necessity.&nbsp;

But according to recent research, online schooling remains "woefully insufficient" across the country, with 40-70 percent of children living without access to a gadget.&nbsp;

According to research published by Boston Consulting Group, over 80% of teachers said it was "impossible" to maintain an emotional connection in the online mode of education.

According to the study, India should adopt a mentality of "last to close, first to open," rather than the other way around, and focus on four critical areas.

According to the study, 90% of children have lost at least one language ability.A student who has missed a year of school will only be able to catch up in 9–14 years.&nbsp; 
 
Watch | Online Education: Challenges and Opportunities

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/online-education-challenges-and-opportunities-385840/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Other drawbacks to online education: 490% increase reported in child rescue requests during school closures. Globally, 9 million extra children are in danger of child labour.

Nutrition/middle-of-the-day meals: During school closures, 35% of children did not receive midday meals, perhaps leading to an increase in the number of underweight children.Since the beginning of the pandemic, 39 billion in-school meals have been missed due to school closures around the world.

Social and emotional problems: Since May 2020, one-third of elementary children and half of secondary students have had poor mental and socio-emotional health.&nbsp;

For the past two years, India has seen pandemic-related school closures.

From March 2020 to the end of the year, schools were primarily closed, with minor periods of reopening in 2021.

While secondary schools were open for 40-50 percent of the time in 2021, elementary schools were mostly closed in 12 of India's 22 major states.&nbsp;

(With inputs from agencies)

During the COVID-19 lockdown around the country, online classes for schools and universities became a necessity. But according to recent research, online schooling remains "woefully insufficient" across the country, with 40-70 percent of children living without access to a gadget.

During the COVID-19 lockdown around the country, online classes for schools and universities became a necessity. But according to recent research, online schooling remains "woefully insufficient" across the country, with 40-70 percent of children living without access to a gadget. According to research published by Boston Consulting Group, over 80% of teachers said it was "impossible" to maintain an emotional connection in the online mode of education. According to the study, India should adopt a mentality of "last to close, first to open," rather than the other way around, and focus on four critical areas. According to the study, 90% of children have lost at least one language ability.A student who has missed a year of school will only be able to catch up in 9–14 years. Watch | Online Education: Challenges and Opportunities Other drawbacks to online education: 490% increase reported in child rescue requests during school closures. Globally, 9 million extra children are in danger of child labour. Nutrition/middle-of-the-day meals: During school closures, 35% of children did not receive midday meals, perhaps leading to an increase in the number of underweight children.Since the beginning of the pandemic, 39 billion in-school meals have been missed due to school closures around the world. Social and emotional problems: Since May 2020, one-third of elementary children and half of secondary students have had poor mental and socio-emotional health. For the past two years, India has seen pandemic-related school closures. From March 2020 to the end of the year, schools were primarily closed, with minor periods of reopening in 2021. While secondary schools were open for 40-50 percent of the time in 2021, elementary schools were mostly closed in 12 of India's 22 major states. (With inputs from agencies)

Online education 'woefully inadequate', teachers fail to make emotional connect: Study

According to a UNICEF report, at least a third of the world’s schoolchildren were unable to access remote learning when COVID-19 shuttered their schools and nearly 1.5 billion schoolchildren were affected by school closures during the lockdown period.

UNICEF: Globally, 463 million schoolchildren unable to access online learning during school closures

The rich get smart while the poor fall behind. That is the concern in Bolivia as the pandemic takes classes online and exposes the country's digital divide, sharpening stark socio-economic divisions in one of Latin America's poorest countries.

Online education deepens digital divide in impoverished Bolivia

As schools are shut in around 190 countries due to Coronavirus pandemic, more than 1.6 Billion student have been affected. In this video of session 3 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed that when should schools reopen?

WION Education Summit: When should schools reopen?

In this video of session 3 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed that How high is the risk of COVID-19 transmission among children?

WION Education Summit: How high is the risk of COVID-19 transmission among children?

In this video of session 3 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed that can online learning be a fully substitute to person teaching? It comes with multiple challenges, how can one tackle these?

WION Education Summit: Can online learning be a fully substitute to person teaching?

In this video of session 2 of 'WION Education Summit', we compared digital learning with traditional schooling. Watch this video to know what we get!

WION Education Summit: Comparison of digital learning with traditional schooling

In this video of session 2 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed that How digital learning can be improved with technological advancement?

WION Education Summit: Roles of technological advancement in improvement of digital learning

In this video of session 2 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed possible solutions for difficulties related to virtual learning, specifically in India with our experts.

WION Education Summit: Discussed possible solutions for difficulties related to virtual learning

In this video of session 2 of 'WION Education Summit', we discussed types of security threats and tips for safety during e-learning or online education.

WION Education Summit: Types of security threats and tips for safety during e-learning

Monday sneaks up with painful regularity. Chaos disguised as excitement knocks a book off the side table. The son was trying to “borrow” a pen. I’m given to believe that my only surviving pen is the distance between him and Shakespearean glory. And so it is consumed in the spirit of motherly sacrifice. Online classes resume today, why am I still asleep? Parce que.&nbsp;

Thankfully my role is largely of compulsory observation, not to be undermined one bit, since it takes a special quality to observe a mess at close quarters with equanimity. The children trust Alexa with the morning alarm and the help with their breakfast. I must play the audience, the indefatigable spammer of critique and the reluctant provider of stationery.&nbsp;

The commotion reaches a crescendo by 9 am. The receipt of a class code is a seismic event on WhatsApp. Parents who have spent the weekend in punishing anticipation flood the timeline with the same message. They’ve been able to log in. Hallelujah! The children, who until then, were getting ready as if going for the Olympic games, suddenly turn into the very pictures of disinterest.&nbsp;

One pushes his luck with a new extortion plan.&nbsp;

“Why don’t I have a new school bag?"

“Because you don’t need one right now.”

I’m reminded of the bags sitting in my cupboard and how need has little to do with it. The flip side of encouraging free thinking and expression is that it’s practised and perfected on parents.&nbsp;

The next task is conquering the mute button. Children are the very opposite of fish. They come programmed with a default unmute setting. After 30 excruciating seconds of sitting still, they start revealing their true colours. They want to wave, make faces, swing the chair, smile, yawn, do everything right now.&nbsp;

“Good morning children, please put yourselves on mute,” the teacher intonates. This is to be the most repeated phrase for the next few hours. Mute yourselves. The sentiment by the end of it will be more like - suit yourselves.&nbsp;

They begin with place value and face value. What more scintillating subject could one think of for a Monday morning! The first class is a most distressing reacquaintance with Mathematics, the serial crusher of spirit. The teacher gets a boy’s name wrong. Other boys snigger. I look daggers at mine and drown back into my phone.&nbsp;

Tiny popping sounds emerge. Amid a serious discussion on healthy eating, the son is popping the bubble wrap still clinging to a leg of his chair. By some acrobatic miracle, I tear it out from under the table, evading his swinging legs.&nbsp;

“Is river a proper noun or a common noun?”

A pair of wide open eyes, framed by raised eyebrows, is trained on me over the laptop screen. If a hopeful question mark had a face, this would be it. I’m not helping you, I whisper. The smile crumbles, and the eyes exude betrayal. The teacher has moved to the next child, leaving behind a trail of sulk that only a Kinder Joy will erase.&nbsp;

“May I go to the toilet ma’am,” chimes a classmate.&nbsp;

Mute yourselves.&nbsp;

Hehe haha.&nbsp;

Mute yourselves.&nbsp;

Grrrr.

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Monday sneaks up with painful regularity. Chaos disguised as excitement knocks a book off the side table. The son was trying to “borrow” a pen. I’m given to believe that my only surviving pen is the distance between him and Shakespearean glory.

Monday sneaks up with painful regularity. Chaos disguised as excitement knocks a book off the side table. The son was trying to “borrow” a pen. I’m given to believe that my only surviving pen is the distance between him and Shakespearean glory. And so it is consumed in the spirit of motherly sacrifice. Online classes resume today, why am I still asleep? Parce que. Thankfully my role is largely of compulsory observation, not to be undermined one bit, since it takes a special quality to observe a mess at close quarters with equanimity. The children trust Alexa with the morning alarm and the help with their breakfast. I must play the audience, the indefatigable spammer of critique and the reluctant provider of stationery. The commotion reaches a crescendo by 9 am. The receipt of a class code is a seismic event on WhatsApp. Parents who have spent the weekend in punishing anticipation flood the timeline with the same message. They’ve been able to log in. Hallelujah! The children, who until then, were getting ready as if going for the Olympic games, suddenly turn into the very pictures of disinterest. One pushes his luck with a new extortion plan. “Why don’t I have a new school bag?" “Because you don’t need one right now.” I’m reminded of the bags sitting in my cupboard and how need has little to do with it. The flip side of encouraging free thinking and expression is that it’s practised and perfected on parents. The next task is conquering the mute button. Children are the very opposite of fish. They come programmed with a default unmute setting. After 30 excruciating seconds of sitting still, they start revealing their true colours. They want to wave, make faces, swing the chair, smile, yawn, do everything right now. “Good morning children, please put yourselves on mute,” the teacher intonates. This is to be the most repeated phrase for the next few hours. Mute yourselves. The sentiment by the end of it will be more like - suit yourselves. They begin with place value and face value. What more scintillating subject could one think of for a Monday morning! The first class is a most distressing reacquaintance with Mathematics, the serial crusher of spirit. The teacher gets a boy’s name wrong. Other boys snigger. I look daggers at mine and drown back into my phone. Tiny popping sounds emerge. Amid a serious discussion on healthy eating, the son is popping the bubble wrap still clinging to a leg of his chair. By some acrobatic miracle, I tear it out from under the table, evading his swinging legs. “Is river a proper noun or a common noun?” A pair of wide open eyes, framed by raised eyebrows, is trained on me over the laptop screen. If a hopeful question mark had a face, this would be it. I’m not helping you, I whisper. The smile crumbles, and the eyes exude betrayal. The teacher has moved to the next child, leaving behind a trail of sulk that only a Kinder Joy will erase. “May I go to the toilet ma’am,” chimes a classmate. Mute yourselves. Hehe haha. Mute yourselves. Grrrr. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Online learning - the new school of hard knocks

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday.

"I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programmes in Augmented Reality for teachers and Digital Safety and online-wellbeing for students. I encourage the teachers and students to apply for the programmes commencing on July 6," Mr. Nishank wrote on Twitter.

According to CBSE officials, the comprehensive curriculum is aimed at ensuring online well-being of students and preparing them for the future of work.

"The modules are for secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website. This partnership is led by Facebook for Education, a global initiative by Facebook, to build diverse learning communities and bring the world closer together,” a senior board official said.

“As more and more young users get online, it becomes important to educate young adults, and students on making well informed choices online and also help them develop skills they need to safely navigate the internet,” the official explained.

The curriculum will cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits.

The module has been designed to guide students become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation.

At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training which will be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR), the officials said.

"Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce Artificial Reality (AR) as a curriculum. In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase. The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook’s software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences,” the official said.

“The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences. The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy. The teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase," the official added.

According to Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia, “the current global pandemic is the most severe health and humanitarian crisis that the country has seen, with far-reaching impact on our lives. We recognise the disruption it has caused to traditional pedagogical methods, necessitating a shift to virtual modes of learning the most."

"Through our Facebook for Education programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences, addressing online well-being as well as sharing easy toolkit for parents, educators and students to promote resilience and learning in the current environment," Ms. Das said.

“Besides, the AR curriculum offers an opportunity for young learners to explore emerging technology for the first time as part of their curriculum,” Ms. Das added.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday.

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and Facebook have partnered to launch curriculum on digital safety and online well-being and Augmented Reality for students and educators, Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ announced on Sunday. "I congratulate CBSE and Facebook on its partnership to introduce certified programmes in Augmented Reality for teachers and Digital Safety and online-wellbeing for students. I encourage the teachers and students to apply for the programmes commencing on July 6," Mr. Nishank wrote on Twitter. According to CBSE officials, the comprehensive curriculum is aimed at ensuring online well-being of students and preparing them for the future of work. "The modules are for secondary school students. The curriculum is now available on the CBSE website. This partnership is led by Facebook for Education, a global initiative by Facebook, to build diverse learning communities and bring the world closer together,” a senior board official said. “As more and more young users get online, it becomes important to educate young adults, and students on making well informed choices online and also help them develop skills they need to safely navigate the internet,” the official explained. The curriculum will cover aspects such as safety, privacy, mental health and Instagram’s guide for building healthy digital habits. The module has been designed to guide students become responsible digital users, identify and report threats and harassment as well as report misinformation. At least 10,000 students will be covered in the training which will be imparted by the Centre for Social Research (CSR), the officials said. "Also, as part of the collaboration, Facebook will support CBSE in its first-ever initiative to introduce Artificial Reality (AR) as a curriculum. In the first phase, 10,000 teachers will be trained while 30,000 students will undergo the same in the second phase. The three-week training, to be conducted in batches, will cover fundamentals of AR and ways to utilise Facebook’s software, Spark AR Studio in order to create augmented reality experiences,” the official said. “The objective is to give the learners an opportunity and platform to conceptualise, create and brand their own AR experiences. The hands-on learning experience of AR will help in preparing the students for a career in the digital economy. The teachers who successfully complete the training in the first phase will train 30,000 students in the second phase," the official added. According to Ankhi Das, Director, Public Policy, India, South and Central Asia, “the current global pandemic is the most severe health and humanitarian crisis that the country has seen, with far-reaching impact on our lives. We recognise the disruption it has caused to traditional pedagogical methods, necessitating a shift to virtual modes of learning the most." "Through our Facebook for Education programme in India, we wish to support the educational agencies in the country in enabling lessons on fostering safe online experiences, addressing online well-being as well as sharing easy toolkit for parents, educators and students to promote resilience and learning in the current environment," Ms. Das said. “Besides, the AR curriculum offers an opportunity for young learners to explore emerging technology for the first time as part of their curriculum,” Ms. Das added.

CBSE partners with Facebook for curriculum on digital safety

Automation and artificial intelligence technologies are <a href="https://theconversation.com/introducing-operator-4-0-a-tech-augmented-human-worker-74117">transforming manufacturing</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-industrial-revolution-really-tells-us-about-the-future-of-automation-and-work-82051">corporate work</a> and the <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2017/04/retail-meltdown-of-2017/522384/">retail business</a>, providing new opportunities for companies to explore and posing major threats to those that don&rsquo;t adapt to the times. Equally daunting challenges confront colleges and universities, but they&rsquo;ve been slower to acknowledge them.

At present, colleges and universities are most worried about competition from schools or training systems using <a href="https://campustechnology.com/articles/2017/03/01/technology-and-the-future-of-online-learning.aspx">online learning technology</a>. But that is just one aspect of the technological changes already under way. For example, some companies are moving toward requiring workers have <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/impatient-with-colleges-employers-design-their-own-courses/">specific skills trainings and certifications</a> &ndash; as opposed to college degrees.

As a professor who researches artificial intelligence and offers distance learning courses, I can say that online education is a disruptive challenge for which colleges are ill-prepared. Lack of student demand is already closing <a href="http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/800-engineering-colleges-to-shut-down-aicte/1/1040312.html">800 out of roughly 10,000 engineering colleges</a> in India. And online learning has put as many as half the colleges and universities in the U.S. at risk of <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2017/04/28/clay-christensen-sticks-predictions-massive-college-closures">shutting down in the next couple decades</a> as remote students get comparable educations over the internet &ndash; without living on campus or taking classes in person. Unless universities move quickly to transform themselves into educational institutions for a technology-assisted future, they risk becoming obsolete.

Existing alternatives to traditional higher ed

Enormous amounts of information are now available online for free, ready for watching, listening or reading at any time, by anyone who&rsquo;s connected. For more than a decade, private companies, nonprofits and universities alike have been experimenting with online courses, often offered for free or at low cost to <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-online-courses-can-bring-the-world-into-africas-classrooms-63773">large numbers of students around the world</a>. Research has shown that it&rsquo;s as effective for students to use a <a href="https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol9/iss2/19/">combination of online courses and traditional in-classroom</a> instruction as it is to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276119100_Innovative_blended_delivery_and_learning_Exploring_student_choice_experience_and_level_of_satisfaction_in_a_hyflex_course">just have classes in person</a>.

<figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200752/original/file-20180103-26163-1brho2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/200752/original/file-20180103-26163-1brho2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" /></a>

<figcaption>
Is this the future of a college education? <a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/student-learning-on-line-headphones-laptop-549162715">PR Image Factory/Shutterstock.com</a>

<a href="https://www.class-central.com/report/mooc-providers-list/">Providers of massive open</a> online courses (often called &ldquo;<a href="http://mooc.org/">MOOCs</a>&rdquo;) are refining ways for people who complete the classes to present their accomplishments in ways employers can understand easily. For example, students in certain classes from major MOOC provider <a href="https://www.edx.org/">edX</a> can get an <a href="https://www.edx.org/gfa">official Arizona State University transcript</a> listing their courses and grades. An employer would never know the person studied online. (There&rsquo;s another threat to universities&rsquo; business model, too: Students can take the classes and get their grades for free; they only need to <a href="https://www.edx.org/gfa">pay if they are happy with their grades</a>, and if they want official college credit.)
</figcaption>
</figure>

This is a period of rapid change unlike what universities have dealt with for centuries.

The evolution of the university

Medieval European universities trained would-be clergy members in canonical law, theological discussion and <a href="http://doi.org/10.3386/w17979">religious administration</a>. These institutions amassed huge repositories of knowledge, storing and indexing them in libraries, which became the focal point of the campus.

As European countries explored the world and established overseas colonies <a href="http://www.whoi.edu/page.do?pid=66617">starting in the 15th and 16th centuries</a>, universities evolved to train officers to manage those territories, study navigation across the oceans and look after colonists&rsquo; health. <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-industrial-revolution-really-tells-us-about-the-future-of-automation-and-work-82051">After the Industrial Revolution</a>, colleges changed again, teaching workers how to use new scientific and technological methods and tools.

In the 21st century, the workplace is transforming once more; what businesses, governments and society need from education is shifting, and technology has made the brick-and-mortar library obsolete. It used to be that users of a technology needed to know how it works. In the early days of driving, for instance, it was important for a driver to be able to fix a car that broke down on the side of the road, perhaps far from any expert mechanic.

But in the current <a href="https://www.thoughtco.com/post-industrial-society-3026457">post-industrial economy</a>, that has changed: Even a car mechanic uses a computer to connect to car systems to <a href="https://www.solopcms.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Solo-PCMS-automotive-computer-mechanic-768x512.jpg">identify what is not working properly</a>. Very few people need to know how these internal computer systems work; they just need to be able to interpret <a href="https://qz.com/1054261/the-connected-car-of-the-future-could-kill-off-the-local-auto-repair-shop/">sensor readings and error messages</a>.

A changing job market

Now, the number of jobs mostly involving routine skills &ndash; both physical and cognitive &ndash; is <a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2016/january/jobs-involving-routine-tasks-arent-growing">shrinking over time</a>. Increasing automation at factories is rapidly replacing workers at factories, <a href="https://www.zmescience.com/other/economics/china-factory-robots-03022017/">even in low-wage countries like China</a>. Artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and computer vision are permanently <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/26/technology-is-killing-jobs-and-only-technology-can-save-them/">eliminating high-skill jobs</a> in offices, too. Many world economies &ndash; including in the U.S. &ndash; are turning from manufacturing to service, in which most new jobs do not require advanced education.

The remaining jobs <a href="https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2017/may/growing-skill-divide-us-labor-market">will involve fewer routine tasks</a>. The people doing that work will still need some education beyond high school. But they may not have as much need to attend classes at, or even live on, a physical university campus. Colleges that are outside the very top tier of quality and name recognition &ndash; and those that have taken on large amounts of <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/07/the-paradox-of-new-buildings-on-campus/492398/">debt to build physical facilities</a> &ndash; will suffer as demand for their services lessens.

Competition between colleges

Another factor challenging universities&rsquo; existence is the <a href="https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/average-published-undergraduate-charges-sector-2017-18">rapidly rising cost</a> of a traditional college education. So far, in the U.S. demand for degrees from residential colleges has remained high because government-backed <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/the-for-profit-college-trap_us_5814edb7e4b09b190529c588">loans are easy to get</a>. But student loan debt in the <a href="https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g19/current/default.htm/">U.S. has reached US$1.45 trillion</a> &ndash; and as many as <a href="https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/interactives/householdcredit/data/pdf/HHDC_2017Q3.pdf">20 percent of borrowers</a> may not be earning enough to pay them back.

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Universities might highlight intangible values of in-person learning, like personal contact and nonverbal communication, but the costs are becoming a larger factor. Parents and students in the U.S. are increasingly asking whether it&rsquo;s worth spending <a href="https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/tuition-fees-room-board-over-time">around $30,000</a> &ndash; or even <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/harvard-glance">more than $60,000</a> &ndash; for <a href="https://handbook.fas.harvard.edu/book/calendar-academic-year">less than 240 days of school</a> in an elite private residential college &ndash; more than $250 a night.

Private colleges&rsquo; main competition at the moment comes from public universities. Their <a href="https://trends.collegeboard.org/college-pricing/figures-tables/average-published-undergraduate-charges-sector-2017-18">prices are two-thirds lower</a>, but studying still involves taking many courses that are just as easily taught online.

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Soon students will want to take a variety of courses from different universities, choosing each class and school for its particular merits and benefits. That will stiffen competition between institutions, lowering students&rsquo; costs &ndash; and universities&rsquo; revenues.

Courses will become shared experiences for online learning communities. Some colleges might seek to charge students for special in-person learning experiences, but these will be extras for those who can afford them, not the higher education norm they are today.

Finding a new way to teach

Some universities &ndash; those at the top, with the most money and expertise &ndash; are responding to the coming changes to higher education. Some are forming partnerships with international universities and online teaching companies, or building remote-learning programs on their own. Some of these, like the <a href="https://www.extension.harvard.edu">Harvard Extension School</a>, are high-tech adaptations of correspondence courses people used to take by mail.

Harvard Extension School enrolls nearly <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/did-i-really-go-to-harvard-if-i-got-my-degree-taking-online-classes/279644/">2,000 degree candidates and over 13,000 non-degree students</a>, who <a href="https://www.extension.harvard.edu/registration-admissions">take classes online, on campus or a mix of both</a>. Students can earn a <a href="https://www.extension.harvard.edu/academics/undergraduate-degrees/bachelor-liberal-arts-degree">Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in extension studies</a>. At an <a href="https://www.extension.harvard.edu/registration-admissions">estimated cost of $49,500</a>, a four-year degree is cheaper than a <a href="https://www.harvard.edu/about-harvard/harvard-glance">single year on campus</a> at Harvard.

But the vast majority of people who take its classes <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2013/09/did-i-really-go-to-harvard-if-i-got-my-degree-taking-online-classes/279644/">never get a degree</a> at all. They&rsquo;re just looking for one particular course, or maybe a few, <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2016/09/25/495188445/shaken-by-economic-change-non-traditional-students-are-becoming-the-new-normal">customizing their own education</a>.

<img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89354/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />Employers will soon take advantage of options like this, too: Universities will find themselves asked to build specific programs for particular companies. And universities will find themselves needing to explore other ways artificial intelligence technologies can help reduce the cost of education.

&nbsp;

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/universities-must-prepare-for-a-technology-enabled-future-89354" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Online education is a disruptive challenge for which colleges are ill-prepared. Lack of student demand is already closing 800 out of roughly 10,000 engineering colleges in India

Automation and artificial intelligence technologies are transforming manufacturing, corporate work and the retail business, providing new opportunities for companies to explore and posing major threats to those that don’t adapt to the times. Equally daunting challenges confront colleges and universities, but they’ve been slower to acknowledge them. At present, colleges and universities are most worried about competition from schools or training systems using online learning technology. But that is just one aspect of the technological changes already under way. For example, some companies are moving toward requiring workers have specific skills trainings and certifications – as opposed to college degrees. As a professor who researches artificial intelligence and offers distance learning courses, I can say that online education is a disruptive challenge for which colleges are ill-prepared. Lack of student demand is already closing 800 out of roughly 10,000 engineering colleges in India. And online learning has put as many as half the colleges and universities in the U.S. at risk of shutting down in the next couple decades as remote students get comparable educations over the internet – without living on campus or taking classes in person. Unless universities move quickly to transform themselves into educational institutions for a technology-assisted future, they risk becoming obsolete. Existing alternatives to traditional higher ed Enormous amounts of information are now available online for free, ready for watching, listening or reading at any time, by anyone who’s connected. For more than a decade, private companies, nonprofits and universities alike have been experimenting with online courses, often offered for free or at low cost to large numbers of students around the world. Research has shown that it’s as effective for students to use a combination of online courses and traditional in-classroom instruction as it is to just have classes in person. Is this the future of a college education? PR Image Factory/Shutterstock.com Providers of massive open online courses (often called “MOOCs”) are refining ways for people who complete the classes to present their accomplishments in ways employers can understand easily. For example, students in certain classes from major MOOC provider edX can get an official Arizona State University transcript listing their courses and grades. An employer would never know the person studied online. (There’s another threat to universities’ business model, too: Students can take the classes and get their grades for free; they only need to pay if they are happy with their grades, and if they want official college credit.) This is a period of rapid change unlike what universities have dealt with for centuries. The evolution of the university Medieval European universities trained would-be clergy members in canonical law, theological discussion and religious administration. These institutions amassed huge repositories of knowledge, storing and indexing them in libraries, which became the focal point of the campus. As European countries explored the world and established overseas colonies starting in the 15th and 16th centuries, universities evolved to train officers to manage those territories, study navigation across the oceans and look after colonists’ health. After the Industrial Revolution, colleges changed again, teaching workers how to use new scientific and technological methods and tools. In the 21st century, the workplace is transforming once more; what businesses, governments and society need from education is shifting, and technology has made the brick-and-mortar library obsolete. It used to be that users of a technology needed to know how it works. In the early days of driving, for instance, it was important for a driver to be able to fix a car that broke down on the side of the road, perhaps far from any expert mechanic. But in the current post-industrial economy, that has changed: Even a car mechanic uses a computer to connect to car systems to identify what is not working properly. Very few people need to know how these internal computer systems work; they just need to be able to interpret sensor readings and error messages. A changing job market Now, the number of jobs mostly involving routine skills – both physical and cognitive – is shrinking over time. Increasing automation at factories is rapidly replacing workers at factories, even in low-wage countries like China. Artificial intelligence technologies like machine learning and computer vision are permanently eliminating high-skill jobs in offices, too. Many world economies – including in the U.S. – are turning from manufacturing to service, in which most new jobs do not require advanced education. The remaining jobs will involve fewer routine tasks. The people doing that work will still need some education beyond high school. But they may not have as much need to attend classes at, or even live on, a physical university campus. Colleges that are outside the very top tier of quality and name recognition – and those that have taken on large amounts of debt to build physical facilities – will suffer as demand for their services lessens. Competition between colleges Another factor challenging universities’ existence is the rapidly rising cost of a traditional college education. So far, in the U.S. demand for degrees from residential colleges has remained high because government-backed loans are easy to get. But student loan debt in the U.S. has reached US$1.45 trillion – and as many as 20 percent of borrowers may not be earning enough to pay them back. Universities might highlight intangible values of in-person learning, like personal contact and nonverbal communication, but the costs are becoming a larger factor. Parents and students in the U.S. are increasingly asking whether it’s worth spending around $30,000 – or even more than $60,000 – for less than 240 days of school in an elite private residential college – more than $250 a night. Private colleges’ main competition at the moment comes from public universities. Their prices are two-thirds lower, but studying still involves taking many courses that are just as easily taught online. Soon students will want to take a variety of courses from different universities, choosing each class and school for its particular merits and benefits. That will stiffen competition between institutions, lowering students’ costs – and universities’ revenues. Courses will become shared experiences for online learning communities. Some colleges might seek to charge students for special in-person learning experiences, but these will be extras for those who can afford them, not the higher education norm they are today. Finding a new way to teach Some universities – those at the top, with the most money and expertise – are responding to the coming changes to higher education. Some are forming partnerships with international universities and online teaching companies, or building remote-learning programs on their own. Some of these, like the Harvard Extension School, are high-tech adaptations of correspondence courses people used to take by mail. Harvard Extension School enrolls nearly 2,000 degree candidates and over 13,000 non-degree students, who take classes online, on campus or a mix of both. Students can earn a Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in extension studies. At an estimated cost of $49,500, a four-year degree is cheaper than a single year on campus at Harvard. But the vast majority of people who take its classes never get a degree at all. They’re just looking for one particular course, or maybe a few, customizing their own education. Employers will soon take advantage of options like this, too: Universities will find themselves asked to build specific programs for particular companies. And universities will find themselves needing to explore other ways artificial intelligence technologies can help reduce the cost of education. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL).

Opinion: Online learning is the next crucial thing in Indian universities

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