AUB is shyly experimenting with hybrid formats of learning at a time when the global universities have formally embraced online learning. Despite some continued resistance, including liberal arts technophobia, it is official this year because Stanford University President John Hennessy has proclaimed in a
Wall Street Journal interview that a “tsunami” is approaching and that his goal is “not to just stand there” but to “try to surf it”, along with the other US elite universities. Some of the criticism aimed at this trend revolves around standards, superficiality versus depth of learning, the relevance of online formats to some subjects, such as philosophy, and the applicability of distance education to young undergraduate populations that may need more guidance than the more mature “continuing education” type of students. Still, it seems, there is no stopping this wave. Rather, efforts are now directed at preparing for it.
The World Economic Forum brought together a diverse group of university stakeholders this summer in order to discuss this online “tsunami” that everyone is talking about, as reported by Ivarsson and Petochi. One of the issues that were debated was the central role of students; as student expectations change, who should decide on the best forms of teaching and learning? Academic institutions or students? Another issue of debate was that of certificates versus degrees, where “Certification and degrees may have to be aligned”. The participants agreed that, in any case, online learning would be an inevitable part of future universities – it is already here (“
What Will the University of the Future Look Like?”).
Will some institutions continue to babble while others sing at the top of their voice? Time will tell.
