Should Learning Go Virtual?

The cost of a college education is prohibitive. One could also argue that between the price and the current job market, is a college education the best option? I believe that education is important; it is just a matter of fixing the college and university infrastructure.

I read an interesting article from the January, 2010 British edition of Wired magazine. Slash the Unis and Go Virtual by Glen Newey argues that virtual universities are a better model than the traditional model. In addition to stating that the U.K. cost of an education is prohibitive, he also argues that course structures should be loosened, fees lowered, and that virtualizing education is the best way to achieve these results.

My background is a mixture of teaching and writing. In addition to teaching at traditional schools, I’ve also taught online at virtual schools. One virtual school worth recommending is eduFire. There are many other online learning sites.

Newey’s idea of loosening course structures is interesting. While I’m a strong believer in the value of a liberal arts education, it may make more sense for students to study their core subjects, get out into the workforce, and then continue their education. While eduFire is not a college or university, it is an excellent resource for students to receive one-on-one training or to learn in small students-to-teacher classes. For example, if a student want to study business or computer programming, there are many qualified business people and software developers with real world experience on eduFire. In some ways, I see this style of learning as a modern apprenticeship-type of teaching. For some disciplines, I believe that this is the best way to learn.

Learning is a lifelong process. It doesn’t have to be expensive and with today’s technology, you can learn wherever you are at a time convenient for you.