Beginning in the Spring of 2014, I began to blog on a regular basis. At the time, I was coming off the publication of my last book, Harnessing America’s Wasted Talent: A New Ecology of Learning (Jossey-Bass, 2010), the publication of several articles, and then intense developmental activity focused on using the new ecology to develop innovative practices. The blogging began as my attempt to … Continue reading It’s a Wrap

I have written several blogs and articles on the concept of a “networked” institution. The core argument is that, as we move forward into an increasingly complex and fast-paced world and technology and data analytics, colleges and institutions are being forced to a decision point. What services can they invest in and excel at to promote their brand?  And for what services should they join … Continue reading When the Whole is Greater than the Sum of Its Parts

As I have stipulated in the previous blogs, the specifics of organizational structure will “depend” on the function and program characteristics chosen by the college. In a very real sense, all of these elements – academic and support functions, staffing, and organizational structure – operate as the DNA of the college of the future. They must all support and reference each other. Regardless of the … Continue reading The College of the Future: Organizational Characteristics

These learning teams described in the previous blog will be working in an academic environment that has changed dramatically. First, learning resources will be free and electronically referenced to the subject being studied or project being implemented. So, upon the request of the learner, sequenced learning resources in multiple modalities will emerge with a keystroke to support the next steps of learning. These will include … Continue reading The College of the Future: The Academic Environment

Regardless of the specific model, the college of the future will operate through its professional and support staff very differently. Although the phrases are somewhat old and hackneyed, shifting roles for faculty will move them from “sage on the stage” to “guide on the side.” That, however, is just the tip of the iceberg. Why? Because the technology and data analytics which will be supporting … Continue reading The College of the Future: The Learning Team

The deeper purposes of college, the learning mission, and all that it implies, will be significantly changed and improved at the college of the future. What follows is a short list that collectively describes the core function of the college of the future, sense-making. In an information-rich world, the ability of people to organize pertinent information to serve their own learning purposes will be of … Continue reading The College of the Future: Core Function

Looking forward, the one certain thing I see is that there will be no single model for the “college of the future.” Just as Oxford and Cambridge have maintained their traditions while the British Open University has blossomed around them, the higher education space will be populated by an ever-expanding variety of diverse models. I believe these models will include technologically-infused campuses where full-time students … Continue reading The College of the Future: Overview

There is, quite possibly, no more contentious issue, nor one less settled, than quality assurance in the new universe of learning. And, as institutions develop their programs in the new universe, keeping an eye on external quality assurance is a critical factor in the price v. quality equation. I see four sources of responsibility for quality assurance currently vying for quality assurance space in the … Continue reading Design Issues in The New Universe: Quality Assurance: Cost v. Quality: Part IV

As you identify your learner target population and work to perfect “one stroke” administrative and support services, another critical question concerns the core of the academic enterprise: what model will you employ? Before the advent of technology, the choices were fairly simple: low residency vs. campus-based and instruction-based vs. a more student-directed approach like those adopted by Bennington, Goddard, Antioch, and Marlboro. Now, however, the … Continue reading Design Issues in The New Universe: What is Your Academic Model? Cost v. Quality: Part III

What services are you offering? As we discussed previously, an institution’s target population of learners is a critical determinant for which services are offered as mandatory and which services are optional, beyond the core academic program. Historically, traditional colleges have not paid a great deal of attention to providing user-friendly non-academic services. Students have largely been left to their own devices when it comes to … Continue reading Design Issues in The New Universe: What Services are You Offering? Cost v. Quality: Part II