Full Description
Two of the most visible and important trends in higher education today are its exploding costs and the rapid expansion of online learning. Could the growth in online courses slow the rising cost of college and help solve the crisis of affordability? In this short and incisive book, William G. Bowen, one of the foremost experts on the intersection of education and economics, explains why, despite his earlier skepticism, he now believes technology has the potential to help rein in costs without negatively affecting student learning. As a former president of Princeton University, an economist, and author of many books on education, including the acclaimed bestseller The Shape of the River, Bowen speaks with unique expertise on the subject. Surveying the dizzying array of new technology-based teaching and learning initiatives, including the highly publicized emergence of "massive open online courses" (MOOCs), Bowen argues that such technologies could transform traditional higher education--allowing it at last to curb rising costs by increasing productivity, while preserving quality and protecting core values.
But the challenges, which are organizational and philosophical as much as technological, are daunting. They include providing hard evidence of whether online education is cost-effective in various settings, rethinking the governance and decision-making structures of higher education, and developing customizable technological platforms. Yet, Bowen remains optimistic that the potential payoff is great. Based on the 2012 Tanner Lectures on Human Values, delivered at Stanford University, the book includes responses from Stanford president John Hennessy, Harvard University psychologist Howard Gardner, Columbia University literature professor Andrew Delbanco, and Coursera cofounder Daphne Koller.
Contents
PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ix FOREWORD TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION xvii CONTRIBUTORS xxv Part 1. Costs and Productivity in Higher Education 1 Cost Trends, the "Cost Disease," and Productivity in Higher Education 2 Factors Other Than the Cost Disease Pushing Up Educational Costs 9 Affordability 18 Is There a Serious Problem--Even a Crisis? 24 Notes 27 Part 2. Prospects for an Online Fix 43 Background 44 The Lack of Hard Evidence 46 The Need for Customizable, Sustainable Platforms (or Tool Kits) 55 The Need for New Mindsets--and Fresh Thinking about Decision-Making 62 What Must We Retain? 67 Appendix: The Online Learning Landscape 72 Notes 77 Discussion by Howard Gardner 97 Discussion by John Hennessy 109 William G. Bowen's Responses to Discussion Session Comments by Howard Gardner and John Hennessy 123 Discussion by Andrew Delbanco 129 Discussion by Daphne Koller 145 William G. Bowen's Responses to Discussion Session Comments by Andrew Delbanco and Daphne Koller 157 APPENDIX TO THE PAPERBACK EDITION 163 INDEX 191
