In his recent article, “The College Calculation“, David Leonhardt chides the higher education sector for “..doing so little to measure what students learn between freshman and senior years.” He then goes on to cite an NPR segment “Is a College Education Worth the Debt?” where an economist noted that 12% of letter carriers had a BA. The implication is that they didn’t need the degree to get the job they held. He concludes that “Earnings may be a flawed measure of an education’s value, but they’re about the only tangible measure we have.” And he questions why, if we need more college success, do we accept low college success rates and why are we cutting funding in most states during this recession?

These are all good questions. And here are some answers.

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Two articles in today’s Chronicle (9/3/09) exemplify exactly how confused the academy is about online learning and the transformative impacts of the technological revolution on learning and higher education. First we read that professors are increasing their use of online learning even though they doubt its quality. The implication is that they are apparently reluctant participants driven by a necessity of someone else’s making. Then we are reminded that the University of Illinois is going to continue with the phase out of it Global Campus program, laying off the staff over the next 6-12 months and moving the currently independent structure back into the university in a more traditional relationship. continue reading