Going Beyond Brick and Mortar Universities February 10th, 2009
Tom Amontree

While ivy-covered campuses will be a mainstay of higher education, broadband has brought to life dynamic virtual classrooms that conveniently transcend distance and offer working adults the flexibility to learn from home.  Gone are the days when brick and mortar institutions were the only credible place to take a class or earn a degree.  Today, everyone from small-town colleges to elite universities are offering distance-learning courses and degrees ranging from Bachelors to PhD programs.  As broadband applications become more sophisticated, online classrooms are stepping up their level of interactivity, featuring 3D learning spaces, wikis, blogs, peer discussion groups, and more.  Now, online degree seekers may even be eligible for financial aid, as more experts underscore the value and legitimacy of online learning.

With the cost of attending a four-year public college exceeding $50,000, there’s no doubt that online options will become a cornerstone of ensuring affordable access to higher education.  With the goal of making college degrees even more accessible, a recent Ars Technica article highlighted a proposed, accredited online college called the “University of the People.”  With tuition starting at just $15, the non-profit college plans to begin by offering degrees in subjects such as computer science.

But how can a worldwide college operate on such small fees?  The University of the People intends to draw on the widely accessible course lectures and materials from top-ranking universities that are available on the Internet free of charge.  To keep costs low, the teaching structure will call on a combination of peer instruction, volunteers, and paid professionals.  Students, grouped in virtual classes of 20, will interact via an online forum where they can download lectures, discuss topics, and ask questions.  The founder’s ultimate goal?  To provide low-cost global higher education, and become a self-sustaining nonprofit once the school enrolls 10,000 students worldwide.

While this college has not yet come to fruition, its conception provides a glimpse of the creative and innovative ways online learning will increase affordable higher education options in the years to come.  And, given the substantial difference education makes in our lives, the progress of broadband learning is no small matter.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 at 5:04 pm and is filed under Benefits of Broadband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.