XplanaZine

Jay Cross has a great presentation on learing and leading through collaboration. The advantages of the collaborative model is that it is embedded within a community, does not rely on constant contact with the expert, and is not event-driven but, rather, can be omnipresent.

His discussion of collaboration made me think further about why online learning is an uncomfortable fit for traditional universities while for-profit institutions find it to be a natural evolution. First, consider that traditional universities are modeled on a centripetal-learning model that means non-embedded, expert-driven, and event-based learning. They are places where students gather in an artificial environment (a classroom in an arbitrary location) to learn about something that is only real outside of that environment. This “learning” at traditional universities occurs during specially designated events called class sessions and lasts an arbitrary amount. Learning is also available, generally, only under the guidance of an expert who is available on a limited basis during the class session or scheduled office hours.>/p>

With this model of learning — people pulled to arbitrary geographical encounters with experts at arbitrarily scheduled times — the traditional university is an unnatural fit, at best, for collaborative learning. It is also an unnatural fit, for these same reasons, for online learning in general. Successful online learning is centrifugal in nature, pushing students beyond the boundaries of a class session to real contexts in the world beyond via the Internet. Online learning is also omnipresent and always-on as there is a diminished emphasis on scheduled learning events or moments. Finally, in a successful online environment, the concept of the expert that serves as the conduit for learning is contradictory to the environment. Online learning is about providing students with greater experiences and resources, and merely facilitating where necessary to keep the self-reflection and self-guided learning going.

For-profit universities, on the other hand, have found themselves more open to and more successful with the concept of collaborative learning. First, their emphasis on “flexible schedules” is greater so the idea of location-specific learning is less important. Also, the for-profit model is based on a more centrally controlled curriculum so the presence of experts at the individual course level is less of a requisite. This means less individualization of the course curriculum by the instructors but it also means greater collaborative involvement for the students since the institution is not relying on the instructor to be the final arbiter of all knowledge. Finally, for-profit universities are a better fit for collaborative and online learning because they are less tied to event-specific learning and offer a more flexible and open schedule for the learner.

Does this mean that for-profit universities are currently offering better educations that traditional universities? No. But it does mean that for-profit universities are poised to evolve more successfully as educational institutions with the development of technology and online experiences.