Is the real value of a university degree the education? Or is it something else? This is important for universities and students to consider as the tectonic plates of global university education systems are shifting under our feet. With a lack of cash-cow international students plus a shift to online learning, universities are struggling to adapt.
COVID has accelerated some existing education trends including increased personalisation, changing teaching methods and use of new technologies. There will be winners and losers as this shift moves into reality over the next 5-10 years. While it is clear that education enabled by technology will ensure more people to have access to education at a very low cost or for free, the human experience should not be overlooked. Tech-enabled free education is already happening through some of the major universities.
Get a free MIT education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a world leading university, renowned for it’s educational quality. It is notoriously hard to get into. Once a student is accepted, it costs around US$73,000 per year to attend MIT at undergraduate level. A bachelor degree takes 4 years. For most students, MIT is not an option - so the university made much of their courseware available online. Over 2,500 classes are available. For free.
Image: MIT Open Courseware
If you want to take MIT’s Introduction to Psychology course, here it is.
If you want to learn Quantum Theory (good luck!), here it is.
This helps us consider – what do MIT believe is the most valuable part of their degree? It is clearly not the courseware. They are giving this away. What is left? The real value is the on campus experience plus the final accreditation. At MIT, students compete to pay US$292,000 for this.
Inside universities across the world, the student experience has been changing for some time. At undergraduate or bachelor degree level, classes have become enormous. Lecture theatres for some subjects resemble stadiums. There is normally no personal relationship with the professor or lecturer. Some classes are recordings delivered online. Tutorial classes are where the learning application happens, however they are run by low cost, less expert resources who report up to the professor. Tutors also grade assignments and exams. Tutors will become obsolete as technology is more able to fulfill this role.
Universities are relying on tech-based learning
Universities are investing heavily in technology as part of their student offer. For example, Singularity U predicts that within 5-10 years, AI tutors will become a fundamental part of education. They will be personalised to each student’s learning needs, and this will especially help those with learning challenges including ADHD and Dyslexia. An AI tutor will be available 24/7 and will never be in a bad mood. This will become a low cost addition to the learning experience for most university students. Add online only access, plus augmented and virtual reality to the mix and learning looks very different. Technology will no doubt improve overall access to education, increase the level of personalisation in learning, and potentially improve learning outcomes. These are great leaps forward in delivering quality education and should be applauded.
AI tutors will be chosen over traditional options as they provide 24/7 cheap, personalised instruction.
SingularityU
Right now, online learning is being implemented in universities at speed: most are rolling out online delivery platforms post-COVID. This is good news for current students. However it is hard for the same universities to compete for new students against organisations who are already experts in online or tech-based delivery, including SingularityU and the MIT/ Harvard/ Google EdX education powerhouse partnership. If the online price were similar - would you study at MIT/ Harvard or at your local university?
Image: QUT Home Page
Mark Ritson wrote an excellent article about virtual markets, where only the strongest brands survive. Ritson rightly believes: “Going online not only cuts costs, but also lowers competitive barriers and removes physical distance from the purchase decision, playing to the strengths of the biggest, strongest brands.” For universities without an existing online brand, relying on a virtual offer may not be the best way forward.
The human-to-human learning experience
I met my two PhD supervisors today on campus at Queensland University of Technology (QUT) for a final run through of my research proposal (Queensland is fortunate enough to be relatively COVID free). We sat in a sandstone courtyard café, near the city gardens, enjoying our lattes. The conversation was intelligent, convivial and positive. I always learn a lot in our meetings and go away feeling excited about my research.
Let me put this into context. I have personalised access to two exceptional academics at QUT who are guiding me through my degree. They behave as educational coaches, helping me to research a topic that was chosen by me as useful and interesting. I hope it will also have a positive impact on society. I chose QUT not for their brand (although in Australia, it is ranked highly), but for the people. I already knew one of my supervisors personally, the second I knew by reputation.
There is more. In Australia, provided you can fulfill the entry criteria, a PhD is funded by the government. I do not take this for granted.
Given some insider knowledge, I believe the style of learning that I’m experiencing right now will become even more rare and valuable. Indeed, it may not even last. COVID has made face to face learning impossible in some locations. Both of the professors I sat down with today have greater workloads than they did at this time last year. The university system may not be able to support this style of relationship for much longer.
As online education becomes more universal, learners will increasingly seek personalised instruction. In-person tutoring is already expensive and will become even pricier as demand for it goes up. Human interaction will become an even stronger symbol of status, affordable only to a subset of the population. It is telling that many Silicon Valley leaders prefer to send their children to schools that have no screens.
SingularityU
As university education becomes commoditised through technology, those that embrace human-to-human learning experiences will be able to differentiate based on status and prestige. This will impact the university’s accreditation brand. The shake up is coming and some universities may not make it through. Rather than focusing on technology as the only panacea, universities also need to consider how to adapt their business model to ensure the true value of their education offer is not lost. Their people are the asset that might save them.
Sarah Daly is undertaking a PhD at the Queensland University of Technology, investigating the role of trust in the adoption and diffusion of AI based innovation, particularly in the healthcare sector. She is also the Operations Director of CapFeather, a customer strategy and innovation consulting firm.