William H. Bowers – [email protected] The Social Life of Information Chapter 8 – Re-Education

William H. Bowers – [email protected] H. Bowers – [email protected]

The Social Life of The Social Life of InformationInformation

Chapter 8 – Re-EducationChapter 8 – Re-Education


TopicsTopics

PressuresPressures SolutionsSolutions ResistanceResistance Competing by DegreesCompeting by Degrees Degrees of RepresentationDegrees of Representation


TopicsTopics

MisrepresentationMisrepresentation Learning not LadingLearning not Lading Peer SupportPeer Support Degrees of DistanceDegrees of Distance A Distant ProspectA Distant Prospect


TopicsTopics

A Sense of PlaceA Sense of Place RecomputingRecomputing Distance Distance ReorganizingReorganizing Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads


PressuresPressures

Student population is changingStudent population is changing Previously typical student is Previously typical student is

becoming rarebecoming rare Students are generally becoming Students are generally becoming

olderolder Working adultsWorking adults Want more relevant education, Want more relevant education,

topicstopics


PressuresPressures

CompetitionCompetition– Schools becoming more business likeSchools becoming more business like– ConsideringConsidering

MarketsMarkets ProductsProducts ClientsClients CustomersCustomers

– Mega-UniversitiesMega-Universities


PressuresPressures

University of PhoenixUniversity of Phoenix– Accredited in 1978 Accredited in 1978 – Grown to Grown to

62,000 students62,000 students 77 campus centers77 campus centers 450,000 alumni450,000 alumni

– For profit institutionFor profit institution– Generally cheaper than traditional Generally cheaper than traditional

schoolsschools


PressuresPressures

Corporate research centers Corporate research centers (Xerox PARC, Microsoft) (Xerox PARC, Microsoft) competing for funds, projectscompeting for funds, projects

New technologies changing New technologies changing academiaacademia


SolutionsSolutions

6-D focus on disaggregation6-D focus on disaggregation Redefinition of education, Redefinition of education,

libraries, etc.libraries, etc. ‘‘Endism’Endism’ PSU’s World CampusPSU’s World Campus California’s Virtual UniversityCalifornia’s Virtual University


ResistanceResistance

Overcoming distance limitationsOvercoming distance limitations– Medieval traveling scholarsMedieval traveling scholars– Correspondence coursesCorrespondence courses– Radio, TV, video coursesRadio, TV, video courses– Early ’70s – PLATO U of IllinoisEarly ’70s – PLATO U of Illinois– Net, ftp, emailNet, ftp, email– Early ’80s – USC online coursesEarly ’80s – USC online courses



California Virtual UniversityCalifornia Virtual University– Not a replacement for bricks and Not a replacement for bricks and

mortarmortar– Not degree or certificate grantingNot degree or certificate granting– Offers information about CA based Offers information about CA based

distance learningdistance learning– Essentially an online catalogEssentially an online catalog



IBM Indiana University Library adIBM Indiana University Library ad– Fictional, not reflection of factFictional, not reflection of fact– May not happen in granddaughter’s May not happen in granddaughter’s

lifetimelifetime– Online Ph.D. is rare in USOnline Ph.D. is rare in US– Mostly in educationMostly in education– Not highly regarded or acceptedNot highly regarded or accepted


Competing by DegreesCompeting by Degrees

US system of higher education is US system of higher education is self-organizedself-organized

11,000 institutions, 4,000 11,000 institutions, 4,000 accreditedaccredited

About 14.6 million studentsAbout 14.6 million students Is the degree their objective?Is the degree their objective? Is credentialing the objective?Is credentialing the objective?


Competing by DegreesCompeting by Degrees

Granting degrees is not the only Granting degrees is not the only thing universities dothing universities do

Credentialing is not simpleCredentialing is not simple Degrees are not equalDegrees are not equal


Degrees of RepresentationDegrees of Representation

““Marketplace of ideas”Marketplace of ideas” ““Knowledge markets”Knowledge markets” ““Knowledge exchanges”Knowledge exchanges” Is knowledge becoming a Is knowledge becoming a

commodity?commodity? Can’t it just be bought and sold?Can’t it just be bought and sold?



Knowledge doesn’t circulate easilyKnowledge doesn’t circulate easily It is hard to detach (Chapter 5)It is hard to detach (Chapter 5) Difficult for buyers to assessDifficult for buyers to assess If you can evaluate it, you don’t If you can evaluate it, you don’t

need itneed it If you need it, you can’t evaluate itIf you need it, you can’t evaluate it



You hire experts because you lack You hire experts because you lack their knowledgetheir knowledge

How do you evaluate them?How do you evaluate them? Education is a similar dilemmaEducation is a similar dilemma We rely on independent reviewsWe rely on independent reviews How do you determine Professor’s How do you determine Professor’s

worth in teaching a course?worth in teaching a course?


MisrepresentationMisrepresentation

Not deliberate degree millsNot deliberate degree mills Hidden details of degreesHidden details of degrees Socially, but not business valued Socially, but not business valued

activitiesactivities Analogous to legislative “omnibus Analogous to legislative “omnibus

package” which hides detailspackage” which hides details Behind scenes work is hiddenBehind scenes work is hidden


MisrepresentationMisrepresentation

Relies on ‘institutional trust’Relies on ‘institutional trust’ Avoids micromanagement of Avoids micromanagement of

degreedegree Allows for a certain amount of Allows for a certain amount of

slackslack Permits elective courses & Permits elective courses &

serendipityserendipity


Learning not LadingLearning not Lading

Degrees sometimes viewed as Degrees sometimes viewed as ‘intellectual bill of lading’‘intellectual bill of lading’

‘‘Teaching is a delivery service’Teaching is a delivery service’ Schools are ‘loading sites’Schools are ‘loading sites’ Knowledge delivery rather than Knowledge delivery rather than

‘learning to be’‘learning to be’


Learning not LadingLearning not Lading

Teaching involves engaging in Teaching involves engaging in communities of practicecommunities of practice

Lower level and some technical Lower level and some technical courses are prime targets of courses are prime targets of deliverydelivery

Progress from learning about to Progress from learning about to learning to belearning to be


Peer SupportPeer Support

Apprenticeship puts learners in Apprenticeship puts learners in contact with the leaders in their contact with the leaders in their fieldsfields

Peers can be equally valuable Peers can be equally valuable resourcesresources

Early attempt at distance learningEarly attempt at distance learning– Stanford engineering class taped and Stanford engineering class taped and

delivered to HPdelivered to HP


Peer SupportPeer Support

Early attempt at distance learningEarly attempt at distance learning– Engineers would watch as a groupEngineers would watch as a group– Regularly stopped tape and discussRegularly stopped tape and discuss– Engineers outperformed classroom Engineers outperformed classroom

studentsstudents– Why?Why?– Individual (distance) learning loses Individual (distance) learning loses

this benefitthis benefit


Degrees of DistanceDegrees of Distance

Access to communities is different Access to communities is different than access to informationthan access to information

Worldwide demand for education is Worldwide demand for education is growinggrowing

Geographic distance can be Geographic distance can be minimized by ITminimized by IT

Social distance is not overcome by Social distance is not overcome by ITIT


A Distant ProspectA Distant Prospect

IT can minimize time and space IT can minimize time and space limitations of traditional educationlimitations of traditional education

Best as extension, not replacementBest as extension, not replacement Difficult to form suitably dense Difficult to form suitably dense

communities virtuallycommunities virtually Better at maintaining communities Better at maintaining communities

than creating themthan creating them


A Distant ProspectA Distant Prospect

Providing laptops to all students Providing laptops to all students may exacerbate social distancemay exacerbate social distance

Conventional campuses not likely Conventional campuses not likely to disappearto disappear

Online activities complement offlineOnline activities complement offline IT may keep students from IT may keep students from

traditional campusestraditional campuses


A Sense of PlaceA Sense of Place

For-profit schools centralize For-profit schools centralize course designcourse design

No or limited local inputNo or limited local input Most learning is localMost learning is local Knowledge ecologies are localKnowledge ecologies are local Centralization pulls against thisCentralization pulls against this


Recomputing DistanceRecomputing Distance

1919thth century University of London century University of London allowed for external degreesallowed for external degrees

Localized specializationLocalized specialization Centralized support and resourcesCentralized support and resources


ReorganizingReorganizing

Pressure to change higher educationPressure to change higher education Change may be instructive elsewhereChange may be instructive elsewhere IBM ad shows idealistic view but IBM ad shows idealistic view but

ignores social contextignores social context Optimal reorganization will be blend Optimal reorganization will be blend

that uses IT for supportthat uses IT for support Balance centralized and localBalance centralized and local


Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads

What seemed ridiculous ten years ago What seemed ridiculous ten years ago may be commonplace todaymay be commonplace today

Learners require three things from Learners require three things from higher educationhigher education– Access to communities of learning and Access to communities of learning and

knowledgeknowledge– Resources to work within distant and local Resources to work within distant and local

communitiescommunities– Widely accepted representations for Widely accepted representations for

learning and worklearning and work



Conventional universities have met Conventional universities have met these through students, faculty, these through students, faculty, research, facilities and the institutionresearch, facilities and the institution

New technologies may loosen the New technologies may loosen the configurationconfiguration

New forms of higher education are New forms of higher education are tending to ignore at least one factortending to ignore at least one factor



StudentsStudents– Changing demands on university in Changing demands on university in

response to demands on themresponse to demands on them– Need to address short-term, long-Need to address short-term, long-

term and lifelong needsterm and lifelong needs– Require good credentialsRequire good credentials



Degree-Granting BodiesDegree-Granting Bodies– Distributed education systemDistributed education system– Must provide adequate credentialsMust provide adequate credentials– Requires public trustRequires public trust– Allows for flexible matricesAllows for flexible matrices– Require degrees balanced between Require degrees balanced between

focus and breadthfocus and breadth



FacultyFaculty– Might have teaching methods Might have teaching methods

sanctionedsanctioned– Sanction could allow students to work Sanction could allow students to work

with different faculty (at different with different faculty (at different Universities) for credit towards degreeUniversities) for credit towards degree

ResearchResearch– Important for students to have access Important for students to have access

to practitioners in their fieldto practitioners in their field



ResearchResearch– Important to have faculty keep Important to have faculty keep

currentcurrent– Research depends on student laborResearch depends on student labor– May be performed privatelyMay be performed privately– Might be too expensive for private Might be too expensive for private

supportsupport



FacilitiesFacilities– Could be provided by individual facultyCould be provided by individual faculty– May be more cost effective for groupsMay be more cost effective for groups– Good facilities attract good faculty and Good facilities attract good faculty and

studentsstudents Looking beyond the campusLooking beyond the campus

– Reconfiguration expands student Reconfiguration expands student choiceschoices



Looking beyond the campusLooking beyond the campus– Students choose by different factorsStudents choose by different factors

Campus locationCampus location Specific faculty membersSpecific faculty members Faculty in multiple regionsFaculty in multiple regions

– Allows access to working communitiesAllows access to working communities– Requires information organization, Requires information organization,

search and retrievalsearch and retrieval


Devolving ImplicationsDevolving Implications

This is a catalyst, not a road mapThis is a catalyst, not a road map Predictions may not be accuratePredictions may not be accurate Change will most likely be Change will most likely be

requiredrequired Change will be evolutionary, not Change will be evolutionary, not

revolutionaryrevolutionary


Questions & DiscussionQuestions & Discussion

Documents

William H. Bowers – [email protected] The Social Life of Information Chapter 8 – Re-Education