Well, not really. But……
According to a Washington Post article Monday, December 31, 2007, more and more educators are using YouTube to reach people. The list of universities doing this reads like a Who’s Who: Berkeley, MIT, Johns Hopkins, George Mason, American University, to name only a few from the Post article.
The trick here is that anything posted to YouTube is free. So why are these institutions doing something that does not get into students’ pockets? The altruistic reason cited is in keeping with the mission of higher education — to offer knowledge to everyone.
But for free? A university? What sinister and deceptive motive lies at the heart of this?
The Post says they do it to lure applicants, spread the university’s name, impress donors, and to keep alumni engaged.
Institutions have offered distance education courses for years now, at a price. I am studying how to develop and administer distance education courses as part of my doctoral studies at Towson.
Distance education is institution-based, formal education in which the learning group is separated from the instructor and a traditional classroom and in many cases, each other. Interactive telecommunication systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors. You can typically do the course work any time, 24/7, without having to meet in a regular classroom setting. It is great for working professionals seeking to gain knowledge and/or degrees within career time constraints.
But YouTube? Yea, why not. It gives a university the opportunity to post for free a popular or provocative lecture or lecturer to generate awareness and interest in its programs. There is so much of value that universities can share with the world — research, timely and relevant information on many wide-ranging topics, news people can use — and the greater good is served by offering it up for free.
Mr. Potter,
I am so glad you talked about this topic. Who expects for students to enroll in classes if education is offered online for free? Watching YouTube classroom lectures will not get me that lovely B.S. that I worked so hard for. Personally, I liked interaction with the professors so I got the best learning experience I could. This might motivate prospective students to look up schools and apply or to even see what a collegiate education is about but I don’t think it is going to be as effective as mentioned.
Ashley, you make good points. As an instructor, I love every minute of the classroom interaction. I never want to give that up. But I do see a place for distance education. It is the best of all worlds for some at certain times.
I miss having you in class. But now that you have graduated and are actively seeking your first job post-college, you are entering an exciting and stimulating time in your life. You worked hard for four years to prepare yourself for this moment. Now, relax and let it happen. Do not worry, for you will find the right opportunity, and it will find you.
Ms. Keene brings up a very valid challenge: why pay for something, if you can get it for free. That can be blogged about until our keyboards wear out!
But I see so much value for distance learning:
+ Parents who want to further their education, but cannot get/afford a babysitter.
+ People with disabilities that make it difficult to attend “live” classes regularly.
+ People who cannot find an offering locally and who cannot relocate for the sake of the school.
+ People who just can’t get enough learning!
These are just a few examples.
As for the quality, check out http://www.open.ac.uk/. This is, to me, one of the most famous examples of a distance learning school with all sorts of offerings.
Distance learning isn’t necessarily cheap. The classes may have good teachers, but the schools cannot afford the superstars. Having videos with sample lectures or whatever they put together is a nice little appetizer. Maybe you think you want to go in such-and-such a direction, but then you see a few videos and find that there is a far more exciting tangent for you that you were previously unaware of.
This is an excellent opportunity for me to plug this inspiring video of Carnegie Mellon professor Randy Pausch in a lecture from Sept. 2007 entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=362421849901825950&hl=en
How many people can such a video reach out and inspire? Perhaps well-produced and well-thought-out (those definitions can be the topic of a different blog!) videos can provide a positive tipping point for someone on the fence about further education or a particular education track. Or, they can keep them on their toes, long after they have left the hallowed halls of academia.
Another option is podcasting. I listen regularly to educational-type podcasts in my daily commute to work. Some are easily digested, many send me googling for more information to satisfy my curiosity, others get listened to once more because I find them so thought-provoking and I want to make sure I digested them properly. There is no quiz, so the knowledge can slowly drain away. I find that when I share the info, either through passing along the link or discussing the topic with colleagues or friends, it helps settled the knowledge a bit more comfortably in the corners of my brain.
All of these instant and free communication channels, like YouTube, blogs and podcasts, certainly do beg the question: why pay for something I can get free?
I actually see their potential more as a loss leader. The questions I would add to the debate would be:
Does MIT’s freely offered online courseware negatively affect enrolment?
Why do authors offer one or more free chapters of their books online?
Do folks pass on attending a conference because they can potentially read posts from live bloggers?
I laud the altruistic reasons you cite for sharing info and content, but I’m not so sure it hurts the bottom line of an organization. I suspect we’ll see growing proof that it can help.
That’s a good point about treating free offerings as a loss leader, Gary. It makes good marketing sense to offer bits and pieces — coherent, helpful bits and pieces — to gain awareness and interest. I definitely see the value in that.
Your last point about altruism rings true and prophetic. I’ll bet that the way things are going, there will be a greater merging of the free and paid in order to meet peoples’ needs and desires.