A few days ago, Columbia news, views & reviews carried the article about free online college courses. This is another article that shares the brand new vista of educational offerings. This article asks, “Why learn from the best in your country, when you can learn from the best in the world for a fraction of the cost? It’s no contest.”

The shift in the “education mold” is coming. Traditional boards of education, administrators and educators will be winnowed out and “purists” who believe in teaching-for-the-sake-of-learning and inspiring will become the new norm.

Physical attendance at lectures may become a thing of the past. Flickr/Matt From London

“Universities are traditionally seen as exclusive institutions for the few, not the many. But that is changing as a new wave of online courses throws open the doors of academia to all.

“Led by world renowned American institutions like MIT and Harvard, this push to democratise learning is being taken up in Australia too.

“A new way of learning

“In contrast to traditional higher education, which closes learning off from the world, open learning is transparent and accessible to anyone with internet access.

“Such openness could do a lot to improve standards at universities whose business models are driven by bums on seats, rather than mastery of a given subject.

“It might also lift the morale of academia. Academics who are in control of what they teach, and who teach students who seek them out, may regain their professional freedom.

“Around 7,000 online students recently earned the first certificates awarded by MIT and Harvard through their Edx partnership. That’s more than twice the number of degrees that MIT awarded at this year’s commencement.

“Another 147,596 observers signed up to marvel at what an MIT course is really like. Substantially greater numbers are expected for the spring course offerings.

“Their first MIT course, Circuits and Electronics, was tough. University level maths and physics were prerequisites, and the exam would give many nosebleeds.

“But the high standards mean graduates are justly proud of the MIT and Harvard brands on their certificates.

“New kinds of learning

“Sal Khan, founder of the non-profit education provider Khan Academy, said in his recent MIT commencement address:

‘The revolutions of our generation — in business, education, social structure and even politics — are not being catalysed by generals or politicians, but by highly empowered individuals like yourselves. [They] can see with clarity how the assumptions of previous generations no longer apply.’

“Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are in an experimentation phase. The spectrum ranges from the talking head, through to student centred learning, to the largest ones using best practice, research based instruction. Apart from being open and massive, MOOCs differ from traditional open university courses in the branding, and in the low cost, high flexibility delivery models.

“Key innovations of the new wave of American MOOCs include the Khan Style Video, and the simulation lab. The Khan Style Video creates a remarkable intimacy between teacher and student.” To continue reading this article from The Conversation, click here.