Home
| Discount education may not be worth it |
|
|
| Written by Will McWilliams - Argonaut | ||||||
| Thursday, 20 March 2008 | ||||||
|
With the increasing number of higher education institutions that are becoming available, some worry that the value of education may be lowered along the way. Mike Johnson, professor of educational leadership at the University of Idaho Boise, said that when you look at education it has more competition because the delivery model allows you to provide classes online literally anywhere. “Basically what many of them are doing is cheapening the value of education,” Johnson said. “They’re cheapening the value of what the public considers an education to have.” Johnson referred to this trend as the “Wal-Martization” of higher education. What Johnson means by the “Wal-Martization” of higher education is that an institution reduces its expenses and increases the volume of students. “Everyone is looking to increase or at least maintain student numbers while lowering the costs,” Johnson said. Johnson said that higher education institutions are doing this because of globalization, especially publicly funded ones. “(Public funded institutions) have to provide quality education because we’re tax supported,” Johnson said. Johnson said that one of the negative effects of the “Wal-Martization” of higher education is that it will affect how universities contribute to the state they’re in. “Universities are brick and mortar places,” Johnson said. “They are land grant institutions that provide a direct economic benefit to the state they’re in because they are publicly funded.” Because universities are land grant institutions, Johnson said that much of the money they receive goes back into the state in the form of services and research. Universities also provide cultural activities and sorts activities to the local area. “The money stays here in other words,” Johnson said. Johnson said that what is valuable about a place like the University of Idaho is it is a living group center where students learned to work as a group. “That’s the huge value of a campus education, friendship and networking,” Johnson said. Johnson said that a higher education earned on a college campus adds to the leadership of the state. “It’s knowing how to make worthwhile relationships with people,” Johnson said. Johnson said that one of the reasons that higher education has been changing is that the higher education market has changed. “We have more non-traditional students going back to school in their 30s and 40s,” Johnson said. Johnson said that what needs to be done is institutions need to utilize the technical tools that enhance what they are doing. “We don’t want to use those tools to degrade the value of what we’re doing,” Johnson said. Johnson asked as to whether the value is having the degree, or having the experience and education in getting the degree. “Wal-Martization means that we are simply providing a degree at the cheapest price,” Johnson asked. “Or, are we providing a well-rounded education that also includes the value of a campus life?”  Add as favorites (35) | Views: 357
Write Comment
|
||||||
