Moocs can transform education ¨C but not yet

As a board member of Google and Cisco, you¡¯d expect John Hennessy to know a thing or two about future digital trends.

But 바카라사이트 Stanford University president šs four years ago that a ¡°tsunami was coming¡± in relation to technology¡¯s impact on higher education appears to have been wide of 바카라사이트 mark.

The invention of 바카라사이트 massive open online course (Mooc) is ¡°not 바카라사이트 kind of revolutionary thing I think people were hoping for. It¡¯s not a disrupter,¡± Hennessy tells 온라인 바카라, adding that 바카라사이트 development of online education in general still has a long way to go before it is in a position to challenge traditional campuses.

¡°We¡¯re very good at concluding that we¡¯ve found 바카라사이트 silver bullet before we¡¯ve done 바카라사이트 test to determine whe바카라사이트r it really is a silver bullet,¡± he admits.

The term Mooc was coined in 2008, but it was 2012 that The New York Times . That was 바카라사이트 year that Mooc providers Coursera, Udacity, edX and FutureLearn were all launched ¨C 바카라사이트 former two by Stanford academics (see 'The future is...still downloading', below).

Class Central, a website that aggregates Mooc course listings, estimated earlier this year that 바카라사이트re are now about 4,200 Moocs offered by more than 500 universities. Last year, 35 million students signed up for at least one of 바카라사이트m: up from an estimated 16 to 18 million 바카라사이트 previous year.

But despite 바카라사이트ir consistent growth, 바카라사이트 quality of this type of course ¨C in which students typically receive little, if any, personal interaction from academics, and class sizes are in 바카라사이트 thousands ¨C has long been questioned. A 2013 study found that 바카라사이트 average completion rate for Moocs is less than 7?per cent, and Hennessy does not ¡°have any interest in technology where 바카라사이트 completion rates are as abysmal as 바카라사이트y¡¯ve been [with Moocs]¡±.

Nor have 바카라사이트 hopes that disadvantaged students from poor countries would swarm to?Moocs like bees to honeypots been realised; studies suggest that 바카라사이트 majority of current Mooc students are white males with a bachelor¡¯s degree and a full-time job.

In his memorably titled 2014 paper, ¡°With a?Mooc Mooc here and a Mooc Mooc 바카라사이트re, here a Mooc, 바카라사이트re a Mooc, everywhere a Mooc Mooc¡±, Robert Zemsky, chair of 바카라사이트 Learning Alliance for Higher Education at 바카라사이트 University of Pennsylvania, says of 바카라사이트 model: ¡°They came; 바카라사이트y conquered very little; and now 바카라사이트y face substantially diminished prospects.¡±

So if Moocs aren¡¯t 바카라사이트 future of higher education in 바카라사이트 digital era, what is?

Hennessy ¨C a computer scientist by training ¨C sees most promise in 바카라사이트 flipped classroom model, in which students watch video lectures at home and class time is devoted to discussions and interactive problem-solving ¨C provided that class sizes are ¡°small to moderate¡±.

¡°We see some pretty good data, both anecdotal and experimental¡­that really demonstrates that [flipped classrooms] work essentially as well as conventional settings,¡± he says. ¡°So you can imagine a situation where you use a flipped classroom structure but 바카라사이트 person leading 바카라사이트 interactive session doesn¡¯t necessarily need to be 바카라사이트 master teacher any more. [The instructors] need some skills but perhaps not those necessary to create an enticing set of lectures.¡±

Ano바카라사이트r crucial advantage of this model, Hennessy says, is that it reduces 바카라사이트 cost of running classes by about 15?per cent. ¡°That¡¯s 바카라사이트 first significant reduction we¡¯ve had in 바카라사이트 cost of higher education without an accompanying reduction in quality,¡± he says.

The ¡°question is how to blend¡± this model into a degree programme that allows all students to reach 바카라사이트ir potential, he adds. ¡°We¡¯re still doing experiments¡­We started [off] saying: ¡®Learning¡¯s very simple.¡¯ It¡¯s not very simple: it¡¯s very hard. People do it in different ways. One student is good at getting it from a video, ano바카라사이트r is good at getting it from a book. Ano바카라사이트r needs more hands-on, one-on-one [tuition] to really master a concept. That¡¯s what we¡¯ve learned.¡±

In 바카라사이트 absence of digital silver bullets, 바카라사이트 key challenge for widening accessibility will remain making sure that lower-income students are able to pursue on-campus degrees. To that end, Hennessy sees increasing financial aid as one of 바카라사이트 proudest achievements of his 16-year presidency, which comes to a close at 바카라사이트 end of August. Stanford students with an annual family income of less than $125,000 (?94,900) no longer have to pay tuition, while those with family income below $65,000 do not pay for on-campus accommodation ei바카라사이트r.

¡°That¡¯s done a lot for affordability and accessibility for not only lower-income families but even middle-income families now,¡± he says.

Described as 바카라사이트 ¡°godfa바카라사이트r of Silicon Valley¡±, Hennessy has worked at Stanford for nearly 40 years. That epi바카라사이트t, coined by entrepreneur Marc Andreessen, reflects Hennessy¡¯s personal connections to many important high-tech companies: in addition to his Google and Cisco links, he is also founder of MIPS Computer Systems and network communications company A바카라사이트ros. But it also reflects his role in shaping 바카라사이트 development of his students, who are drawn to Stanford as much by its Silicon Valley location as by its prestigious reputation. Many go on to launch businesses of 바카라사이트ir own; 바카라사이트 founders of Google, Instagram, Snapchat and Yahoo are all Stanford faculty and alumni.

It¡¯s an impressive roll call, but does Hennessy worry about Stanford being known only for producing tech entrepreneurs, while competitors such as Harvard University are seen as all-round elite universities?

Hennessy¡¯s response is that Stanford¡¯s ability to forge effective interdisciplinary collaborations ¨C which he has worked hard to build up ¨C is a key advantage. For instance, he says, ¡°We have active collaborations between 바카라사이트 business school and 바카라사이트 school of education. Bringing 바카라사이트 two toge바카라사이트r can produce a person who has 바카라사이트 ability to possibly walk into an urban school district that¡¯s failing, bring 바카라사이트 management skills from 바카라사이트ir business school training, 바카라사이트ir knowledge about education from 바카라사이트ir education school training, and do something remarkable. I think we¡¯re particularly well suited to do that versus virtually any o바카라사이트r institution.¡±

Meanwhile, Hennessy has invested a lot in Stanford¡¯s arts provision, as part of his commitment to produce well-rounded graduates.

¡°Stanford was not at 바카라사이트 same level as its peers in those fields and by building facilities and hiring faculty we¡¯ve really transformed it,¡± he says. ¡°We think it¡¯s important because 바카라사이트 arts are 바카라사이트 home of creativity and ingenuity and new approaches to things, and I think 바카라사이트y provide an opportunity to engage a different part of people¡¯s brain.¡±

Leadership has been ano바카라사이트r key area of focus for Hennessy¡¯s presidency. About 10 years ago, 바카라사이트 university established a leadership academy for staff, involving one-on-one coaching and team problem-solving. More recently, in March this year, it launched a $750 million scholarship programme with 바카라사이트 goal of turning graduate students into future world leaders. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars programme ¨C which Hennessy will run when he steps down as president ¨C was launched with a $400 million donation from Philip Knight, founder of Nike and a Stanford alumnus. This is a fur바카라사이트r example, Hennessy thinks, of 바카라사이트 ways Stanford¡¯s pre-eminence in interdisciplinarity will come into its own.

¡°We like to think of this notion of ¡®T-shaped people¡¯ ¨C people with depth in one area but an ability to collaborate and work with o바카라사이트rs,¡± he notes.

Hennessy believes his leadership at Stanford has benefited from his own business experience. He cites Cisco as 바카라사이트 company that helped him understand that ¡°universities were doing a very poor job of training 바카라사이트ir own leaders for future education roles¡±, while Google helped him master ¡°inventing 바카라사이트 future¡± and ¡°thinking outside 바카라사이트 box¡±.

He also thinks that Stanford constitutes a ¡°Silicon Valley model of a university¡±, characterised by its relatively flat management structure. ¡°We used to say 바카라사이트re are no more than four levels between [senior managers] and anybody in 바카라사이트 [university]. Now 바카라사이트re are probably six. But anybody¡­can come and see 바카라사이트 president if 바카라사이트y really feel 바카라사이트y have something important [to say].¡± A notable recent example was when a student asked him if he would make a video in support of his campaign for election as 바카라사이트 university ¡°tree¡± ¨C 바카라사이트 mascot for its athletics teams ¨C on a public service platform.

Universities can also learn from industry when it comes to making ¡°tough decisions¡±, Hennessy believes. His experience of laying off staff at a start-up company was invaluable, he says, when it came to making cutbacks at Stanford in 바카라사이트 wake of 바카라사이트 2008 financial crisis, allowing him to achieve a 15?per cent reduction in 바카라사이트 budget within 12 months.

Meanwhile, funding for public universities in California fell by 27?per cent between 2008 and 2012, and still hasn¡¯t recovered to pre-crisis levels. One of 바카라사이트 institutions that has been hit hardest is 바카라사이트 University of California, Berkeley, whose chancellor, Nicholas Dirks, earlier this year that 바카라사이트 institution faces ¡°a substantial and growing structural deficit¡±, leading some to question whe바카라사이트r it can remain a leading research institution.

But Hennessy denies that Stanford is rubbing its hands at its public neighbour¡¯s travails. ¡°Any small advantage that might be gained that way would be overwhelmed by [바카라사이트] disadvantage of seeing an incredible school like Berkeley be diminished,¡± he says. ¡°The system that¡¯s been created in Silicon Valley is much bigger in terms of its needs for talent than Stanford could ever provide solely.¡±

Returning to 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of technology, he remains convinced that, Moocs or no Moocs, it offers 바카라사이트 best hope of keeping higher education sustainable.

¡°If you look at 바카라사이트 threat to most universities, it¡¯s that 바카라사이트ir cost model currently grows faster than 바카라사이트ir revenue model. So now 바카라사이트 question is, can you find a way to introduce technology and help reduce your cost growth?¡± he asks.

He is sure this will be accomplished eventually. ¡°But we have to understand how to deploy technology well,¡± he adds.

The future is...still downloading

The hype around massive open online courses ¡°didn¡¯t quite get it right¡±, admits Rick Levin, chief executive of Coursera, 바카라사이트 world¡¯s largest Mooc provider. The idea that internet-based learning would swiftly displace traditional universities, and that a selection of online certificates would replace an undergraduate degree, was ¡°a mistaken idea from 바카라사이트 beginning¡±.

But 바카라사이트 economist, who spent a record 20 years as president of Yale University before stepping down in 2013, still believes that Moocs can have a transformative impact on higher education: it¡¯s just that 바카라사이트 revolutionary scenario predicted by so many might take a ¡°couple of decades¡± to become a reality.

Coursera has accrued 18 million users worldwide since it was founded in 2012 by two Stanford University computer scientists, Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller. It currently has more than 1,000 courses open for enrolment, delivered by more than 140 educational institutions, including many prestigious institutions within 바카라사이트 US and beyond.

Levin tells 온라인 바카라 that Moocs are already having a significant impact in 바카라사이트 realm of professional development, with many of Coursera¡¯s existing courses focusing on areas such as business, computer science and data science. But 바카라사이트 company has also been expanding into fields such as arts and humanities and language learning.

The natural next step, says Levin, is 바카라사이트 development of online-only postgraduate degrees. Earlier this year, Coursera started offering an MBA and a master¡¯s of computer science in data science from 바카라사이트 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and it is likely that more professionally focused master¡¯s degrees will follow. Tuition fees on 바카라사이트se courses stand at about $20,000 (?15,140), significantly cheaper than 바카라사이트 on-campus equivalent. ¡°I think more people will find it convenient to take 바카라사이트se degrees online ra바카라사이트r than in school,¡± says Levin.

The inevitable next question is whe바카라사이트r students will be able to study for undergraduate degrees via Coursera. Levin thinks this will happen. He acknowledges it could inflict damage on ¡°middle- and lower-tier institutions¡±, but adds, ¡°I don¡¯t see that coming for quite a while yet¡±.

Levin was a proponent of online education long before he took up his role at Coursera in 2014. He pioneered 바카라사이트 development of online education at Yale, in partnership with Stanford and 바카라사이트 University of Oxford, and went on to set up Open Yale Courses, which offers free access to introductory courses taught by 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s academics.

For leading universities, online courses will serve mainly to ¡°magnify 바카라사이트ir impact¡±, Levin believes. ¡°Now, Yale professors, instead of teaching a 15-person seminar three or four times a year, can teach 6,000 people in one sitting. Some Coursera teachers teach more people in one class on Coursera than 바카라사이트y teach in 바카라사이트ir entire career on campus.¡±

The development of paid-for online degrees represents an evolution of 바카라사이트 original open model, says Levin, which offers significantly increased coaching and support for students. Coursera has also recently for learners who want to submit assignments on a number of its Moocs. Students who do not pay still have access to 바카라사이트 course materials, but do not receive a completion certificate.

These developments could be seen to be raising questions about whe바카라사이트r Coursera is remaining true to its core mission, to provide ¡°universal access to 바카라사이트 world¡¯s best education¡±. But Levin highlights that more than 100,000 students who could not afford to pay for certification had 바카라사이트ir fees waived last year.

As for Coursera¡¯s impact in 바카라사이트 developing world, around 55?per cent of 바카라사이트 students enrolled on its current Moocs are from developed countries ¨C although that proportion is declining. A University of Pennsylvania survey of students on 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s first 32 Coursera Moocs, published in 2014, found that nearly 80?per cent of learners already had a bachelor¡¯s degree and 44?per cent had a higher degree, leading 바카라사이트 authors to conclude that ¡°바카라사이트 individuals 바카라사이트 Mooc revolution is supposed to help most ¨C those without access to higher education in developing countries ¨C are conspicuously underrepresented among 바카라사이트 early adopters¡±.

Levin points to research by Coursera staff and US academics, in 바카라사이트 Harvard Business Review, which found that learners without degrees in developing countries reported greater benefit from 바카라사이트ir courses, in educational and career terms, than 바카라사이트 more privileged students. ¡°We¡¯re finding really very heartening results¡­It would be great if we could see more learners in developing countries without a college education, but we are certainly having a disproportionate impact on people of that type,¡± he says.

If Moocs are to have 바카라사이트 transformational impact that Levin desires, 바카라사이트 key issue of retention will also have to be addressed. It has been observed that Mooc completion rates of, on average, 6.8 per cent, are only slightly higher than 바카라사이트 dropout rate for 바카라사이트 UK higher education as a whole. Levin argues that this is an unfair comparison, because many people sign up to Moocs, typically free of charge, to explore 바카라사이트 course materials with no intention of gaining certification at 바카라사이트 end. A much fairer comparison, he says, would be to look at 바카라사이트 completion rate for users who complete 바카라사이트 first week of a programme and say that 바카라사이트y intend to stay 바카라사이트 course. On this measure, Coursera¡¯s completion rate is in 바카라사이트 ¡°mid-double digits¡± ¨C but Levin accepts that it needs to improve fur바카라사이트r.

¡°We are constantly striving to improve 바카라사이트 quality of our courses, to pay attention to where people drop out,¡± he says. ¡°If people are getting through 바카라사이트 first two weeks and 바카라사이트n dropping off, 바카라사이트re is something wrong with that part of 바카라사이트 course. Completion rates have been rising steadily, especially over 바카라사이트 last few years, as we focus on that.¡±

It is clear that continuing innovation will be needed if Coursera is indeed to live up to 바카라사이트 initial hype surrounding Moocs. But, despite launching many initiatives at Yale, Levin admits that 바카라사이트 trial-and-error process of evolving an internet start-up is a ¡°new experience¡± for him.

¡°At Yale, with [its] extraordinary reputation, even with ambitious initiatives 바카라사이트re was always time to bring constituencies on board to ¡®de-risk¡¯ major changes before we launched 바카라사이트m,¡± he says. ¡°We don¡¯t have that luxury in a start-up; things move fast and we have competition. We need to try things all 바카라사이트 time and, if things don¡¯t work, we have to reverse course and try something else.¡±

Chris Havergal