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The Social Life of The Social Life of InformationInformation
Chapter 8 – Re-EducationChapter 8 – Re-Education
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TopicsTopics
PressuresPressures SolutionsSolutions ResistanceResistance Competing by DegreesCompeting by Degrees Degrees of RepresentationDegrees of Representation
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TopicsTopics
MisrepresentationMisrepresentation Learning not LadingLearning not Lading Peer SupportPeer Support Degrees of DistanceDegrees of Distance A Distant ProspectA Distant Prospect
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TopicsTopics
A Sense of PlaceA Sense of Place RecomputingRecomputing Distance Distance ReorganizingReorganizing Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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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
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PressuresPressures
CompetitionCompetition– Schools becoming more business likeSchools becoming more business like– ConsideringConsidering
MarketsMarkets ProductsProducts ClientsClients CustomersCustomers
– Mega-UniversitiesMega-Universities
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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
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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
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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
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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
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ResistanceResistance
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
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ResistanceResistance
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
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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?
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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
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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?
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Degrees of RepresentationDegrees of Representation
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
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Degrees of RepresentationDegrees of Representation
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?
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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
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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
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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’
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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Unpicking the ThreadsUnpicking the Threads
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
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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
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Questions & DiscussionQuestions & Discussion