The landscape of universities and colleges are understood has seen some steady change over the last ten years and a great deal of this is because of the advances made in technology. While students now have access to professors unlike any other time before and can find information they need in faster and more efficient ways, the approaches that are being taken to classes has also changed a great deal. This has led many people to wonder if the time is steadily arriving where the advent of online technology is going to kill the traditional college setting as it is known and change the educational landscape.
Too Fast to Keep Up
For many of the colleges and universities around the world today, particularly those without the large endowments that schools such as Harvard or Princeton may have, the ability for schools to keep up with the latest information, trends and courses has altered the way a college approaches new students. Technology and the world are changing faster than many schools can keep up and the demand for the latest information is growing at a faster rate. Courses that may have typically been offered at a variety of colleges have quickly become obsolete as professors and instructors that may not have been in on the latest technology in the last few years while teaching are not offering the latest available anymore. The changes in the world, in these cases, have occurred too quickly for college classes to keep up, making it easier for students to learn the skills and information they want elsewhere, either through technical classes and skill courses or on their own.
Online Offerings Change the Landscape
Many schools, including Harvard, Stanford and MIT, have begun to offer a wide array of their courses online to students at no cost. While students cannot earn a degree in this manner, there are some online courses that can earn certificates and college credit to go towards a degree. What this has done is provide access to higher education levels to many that may never have had the opportunity before, but it has also altered the approach to college that many students have today. More students want the availability of online technology and courses to get a degree because they have other responsibilities outside of school that prevent them from following the traditional student model. This growing trend in technology allows them to work towards getting a degree at their own pace and schedule while still getting the quality education they need.
While online technology has certainly changed the way higher education approaches the world today, it is not likely to see a total replacement of the teacher-student classroom dynamic anytime soon. Students still benefit greatly from the interaction that occurs in a classroom and the access to instructors that it can provide. However, there is a fast-growing trend to have more and more offerings of courses and technology available to students to provide opportunities all over the world for students that may never have had the chance for a college education before.