With standardized tests in the spotlight again, I’ve found myself reminiscing about my own high school days (they weren’t that long ago).
I actually had a blast in high school, mainly because I didn’t take it too seriously (to be honest, I wasn’t the most regular attendee either).
But from the perspective of learning, I think this is a pretty apt reflection of what it was like:
...me!
Sadly, it seems that things have only gotten worse since then.
If you’ve been following our latest series here at the Rukuku blog (or even if you just happen to be a living, breathing person), you probably know that the cost of education is too high.
But think about this:
If these questions sound hypothetical to you, they shouldn’t.
To learn more, please sign up for a chance at our exclusive, invitation-only launch. It’s coming on April Fools’ Day, but it’s no joke.
Why is the real cost of higher education so much higher for today’s students than it was for their parents or grandparents? Why does it continue to skyrocket, far outpacing official inflation figures?
Demand. These days, it seems you can’t get anywhere without higher education. Inexplicably, many jobs that do not use the skill set provided by a college education still require a bachelor’s degree. For this and many other reasons, demand for higher education is at an all-time high. The supply, on the other hand, has not kept pace. This translates to rising prices. As selectivity goes up due to an ever-broader pool of qualified applicants, costs go up.
Student loans and federal aid. It may be odd to hear, but federal student aid has been shown to drive up tuition fees. Universities feel much more comfortable charging exorbitant fees when the government is willing to guarantee that students will pay them (and then spend half a lifetime paying off the debt). The extent to which this is a factor is a topic of heated debate, but the paradoxical fact remains: before student loans came into existence, it was possible for most people to afford college without them.
Rising spending by institutions. This may be a consequence of higher revenue rather than a cause, but it’s worth mentioning nonetheless. Universities are paying their professors and staff more than ever before, and they’re also hiring more people than ever before. They’re also spending record amounts of money on their real estate: nice gyms, activity centers, recreational facilities, and so on.
Resistance to change. There are many cost-cutting measures available to universities. For example, York College in Pennsylvania has proven that, with minor adjustments in administrative culture and smarter allocation of resources, it’s possible to provide students with a private, four-year education for about half the cost of its competitors. This being a tech blog, it’s also meaningful to point out that there are many ways in which technology can help institutions to cut costs and lower their prices. The problem is that most universities are quite happy with what they have. And who can blame them when they’re rolling in cash?
What do you think about the exorbitant costs of college education? Leave us your thoughts in the comments section, and check back in a few days for an overview of some exciting technological solutions to the cost problem.
So, you want to go to college. I don’t blame you: college is basically four years of fun (with a side of class for about three hours a day), and when you’re done, you get a big, lavishly framed, magical piece of paper that helps you make money. It’s like there are no downsides!
Well, actually, there is one. The average cost of a college education in the United States is currently about $140,000 for a private institution and $56,000 for a public one. This is quite a hefty price tag for a four year party and a piece of paper – and that’s before you pile on a generous smattering of extra tens of thousands for room, board, and books. Given that the median American household earns just under $45,000 per year, these numbers are very perplexing.
When I talk to people who attended college 40 or 50 years ago, I notice a common theme: many were able to pay for it themselves with part-time side jobs, like working at a restaurant or delivering newspapers. In 2012, the income from such employment would barely be enough to buy books for the semester, let alone cover tuition. The vast majority of today’s students are unable to pay for any kind of college education without sinking into the abyssal chasm of student loan debt.
What changed? Somehow, I doubt that part-time waiters in the old days got the 2012 equivalent of $30,000 a year. The culprit must be tuition.
Why is education so expensive, and how can technology help bring that cost down? This week we’ll be discussing this topic in depth and attempting to find some answers. Stay tuned, Rukuku readers!
While the rapid introduction of new technology into the world of education brings many obvious benefits, it’s worth noting that it creates a host of new problems. An overview of some of the most discussed issues follows.
Cost and socioeconomic disparity. As alluded to in the previous post, the cost of adopting new technologies can be prohibitively high, especially for economically disadvantaged students and locales. The ubiquitous iPad, for example, will set you back at least $500. The fear, then, is that technology could widen the socioeconomic education gap because the quality of education for students of affluent backgrounds, or those that attend cash-rich schools and universities, will skyrocket ahead, while that of their poorer counterparts languishes in mediocrity.
Resistance to the adoption of tech by educators. This problem stems from a very simple set of circumstances. Much of the faculty, both at schools and at universities, is not technologically savvy. The primary reason for this is pretty obvious: the only kind of Blackboard your 60-year old history professor knew when he was growing up was the kind that gave him chalk allergies and occasionally made dreadful screeching noises. Without ever having seen the benefits of new advances convincingly demonstrated, many educators either ignore or actively resist introducing technology into the classroom.
Red tape and institutional resistance. Resistance from bureaucracy is nothing new. Smaller and more autonomous institutions have had an easier time transitioning to new methods of learning; unfortunately, bringing change to a big public education system is like rolling a giant boulder up a hill. It shows: as late as 2010, over a third of US schools still did not have internet access.
Technology as a distraction. Many educators and schools are concerned that introducing iPads, computers, and internet access into the classroom will facilitate students’ knowledge of Farmville rather than science and math. It’s hard to argue with this one; anyone who has sat in the back of a college lecture hall knows that this is a valid concern. By the way, if this is an issue for you, check out our procrastination post.
Lack of research on the effectiveness of particular technologies. Because much of the technology we use in education is so new, there is no conclusive, thorough, peer-reviewed research on its effectiveness.
These concerns are legitimate and serious, and rightly invite robust discussion among stakeholders in education. However, here at Rukuku, we know a couple of things for sure. The problems are not insurmountable, and solving them will only reinforce a very exciting expectation: that technological advancement holds the promise for vast improvements in teaching and learning.
In the next installment, I’ll be discussing the various solutions to the problems outlined here, as well as the very exciting prospects for education in the near future.
[sources for this article: 1, 2, 3]
*Edit 02.03.12: fixed faulty link.
In light of Apple’s recent announcement, this week on the Rukuku blog, I’d like to turn the focus to the implications, issues, and promise of recent tech innovations as they pertain to education. This will be the first post in a series aimed at provoking discussion on the topic.
As often happens when Cupertino executives in black turtlenecks unveil a new creation, the world of tech and education is abuzz over Apple’s new electronic textbook initiative. In case you haven’t heard of it because you live in a hole underground (I do, and trust me, it’s not worth it without internet access), the basic idea is this: Apple, partnering with major publishers, will offer interactive, searchable textbooks that students can purchase cheaply for a yearly subscription. That’s right, students: no more shelling out $500 every semester for a backache. Instead, all your books will now be neatly and compactly stored on your iPad. Oh, right: you have to buy an iPad. And when you break it (and you will, since you’re a rambunctious college student), you’re gonna have to buy another one. Well played, Apple.
Regardless of the benefits and pitfalls of this particular project, it demonstrates something that is becoming remarkably apparent: technology is changing education permanently and at a rate never seen before. Gone are the days of wasting hours away searching for information in libraries, confining oneself exclusively to reading words on a page in order to learn something, being bored or unmotivated by educators, and other archaic 20th century problems. Traditional methods of learning are being challenged, questioned, revolutionized, and improved.
If it’s not too immodest to say, that’s where our little company comes in. The world is careening into the future on the bullet train of innovation, and Rukuku is definitely onboard.
Leave us your thoughts on the issue, and stay tuned this week for more on this topic!
