Brad Rourke

Peer-To-Peer Higher Education

My friend Sutton Stokes drew my attention to this from Ars Technica:

Internet connection + English = college degree. The University of the People wants to bring online education to anyone who can speak English and access the Internet, and to do it for as little as $15 a course. The goal? A real college degree from an accredited school. Shai Reshef has a vision: soon, anyone with an Internet connection and some proficiency in English can take classes online at his new “University of the People.” And not just classes—the school will be accredited, offering actual degrees in subjects like computer science. Charges will be minimal, starting at just $15, and will be based on the student’s country. It sounds too good to be true, but Reshef is enough of a believer in the idea to pump a million dollars of his own into it, and he argues that it can be a self-sustaining nonprofit once it tops 10,000 worldwide students.

I’ve written before about for-profit and online higher education, in which I am generally in favor, but I am not sure what to make of this.

Done right, with people in charge who are dedicated and consistent on the mission (bringing higher education to impoverished people), it can be a real force for positive change. 

But, what to do about people who use it as a diploma mill? And how do you guarantee that the core management will keep that proper attitude?

And . . . the question that may make all this moot . . . can it really become self-sustaining?

What do you think?

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One response to “Peer-To-Peer Higher Education”

  1. Caryn Martinez

    The $15 per course price tag seems to assume a lot of volunteerism on the part of the professors. It also almost certainly seems to be a program of one-way information, teacher to student, with no discussion between student and teacher or between students.

    You really can’t get a well-rounded education in a vacuum. Even people who run computer-based programs acknowledge this. In Mesa, where we live, there is an alternative high school that presents its courses entirely on computer. The kids can take all their classes at home, or go to a center with banks of computers. Even at the center, the kids do not interact much with each other. This has been a great program for a few kids my daughter knows with special needs, such as a friend of hers who has Aspergers, and another kid who has so much turmoil in her life that public high school doesn’t serve her well. However, even counselors at this school encourage the kids to try courses at the community college or do things like join book clubs and math clubs.

    It’s definitely better than NO education, but I think employers will still find students from more traditional program more valuable, and I think that overall an entirely web-based college program won’t be a very enriching experience.

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