Earthtalk

Sunday NY Times March 15, 2015   (And online)

        To the Editor: The problem with Kevin Carey's belief that online courses are the future of higher education is that few college‑age students ever finish them. The courses have had better success with adults like Mr. Carey, who are more disciplined and better suited to the task of self‑motivated, online learning.

        Online courses will never provide the total enrichment of a campus education and, at best, will provide a useful supplement. Colleges are responding to market demands, giving people what they think that they want.

         Change will come from within colleges only when parents and students are willing to give up the frills and stop swallowing the hype that universities peddle and actually investigate what is going on in the classrooms. Find out who is being hired and getting tenure and promoted: outstanding teachers or outstanding researchers. Colleges with a preponderance of average researchers who are good‑to‑excellent teachers is where you should invest your tuition dollars. Start doing this and the colleges will follow.

Sunday NY Times,  March 15, 2015