For the last few years, it has become clear to me that the current model of teaching and learning at Boise State, or any other public university for that matter, is simply not sustainable into the future. It’s easy to show how the declining state appropriation cannot, dollar for dollar, be replaced by our annual feat of increasing tuition unless we want to close our doors to large numbers of students from underrepresented groups. There is even some evidence that students from the vast middle class are making decisions to pass on a college education. This may be the dreaded “higher education bubble” some have been predicting.
The next question is how does higher education deal with the fiscal realities of our future by changing the delivery model. Although no expert on the use of technology, I have read enough from the trailblazers to know that we have work to do in Idaho and here at Boise State if we intend to remain a comprehensive university with a strong undergraduate program and a robust graduate and research enterprise as well.
The Twilight of the Lecture
How many of us can remember the lecture as the critical ingredient of our undergraduate learning experience? OK, so maybe it wasn’t the critical ingredient, but it sure was important to pay enough attention to get a passing grade on the test! The question is whether that is the only way or the best way to learn. A professor of physics at MIT sees things differently these days and has embarked on a new strategy that will define the nature of teaching and learning in the years to come. I hope you enjoy his presentation. He can also be found on YouTube if you are interested in seeing him in action.
Click to read article: The Twilight of the Lecture
Technology’s Role in Higher Education
A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education helps show what is possible by highlighting the work of tech innovators from some of this nation’s finest universities. I am providing links below to two of the articles from the Chronicle and I hope you find them helpful in understanding what is happening on the frontier of higher education today.
I hope you find the articles helpful as we redefine how we learn and teach at Boise State.
Click to Read Article: A Digtal Humanist Puts New Tools in the Hands of Scholars
Click to Read Article: Treating Higher Ed’s ‘Cost Disease’ with Supersize Online Courses