It does seem like the University model of education could easily tolerate a much looser sense of affiliation among academics and students alike – and that might make it a much more attractive option for people like us to deliver our work!

Thank you! If it is a cracking post, it is because I have had access to so many quality sources and thoughts via Twitter.

I read recently that Twitter is a flowing stream of comment and links. Whereas we used to go to the library (and still sometimes do), the thoughts of people we respect can now be delivered right to our own brains for consideration and further insight. Isn’t that something?

The universities are indeed well-placed to facilitate conversation and reflection. Isn’t that what we do in blogs, though?

A downside to web conversations is that they can lack critique. I discern widespread “famous person says” syndrome; unquestioning acceptance of web personalities’ pronouncements. Being critically reflective is often viewed as being negative by the crowd.

Universities teach us how to think, dialogue and be critically reflective. As I said in a previous post, that is no longer the sole remit of universities. The criteria / characteristics of Masters-level learning is publicly available. This allows people like me to create learning programmes with these criteria as key design principles. We have the content, we have academically trained people, we have the experience and we have the technologies. What we don’t have is the power, influence and institutional clout.

Universities are here to stay. Their influence is increasing as they embed within their local and regional economies and are instrumental in creating the knowledge and skills needed for economic wealth.

We really do live in interesting times.

Thanks again, Steve.

This is a cracking post and a great build on the original article. It seems that our educational delivery models will certainly change but I am reluctant to believe that universities will disappear. Content has long been easily available – at least in the UK where libraries are free. It’s great to see MIT’s material on the web but education is more than simply the provision of information.

My view is that we integrate learning through conversation and reflection – maybe the universities need to take a more facilitative approach to their processes but it is hard to imagine who would be better placed to undertake such a task.

I am really glad you found my ramblings to be interesting. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment.

Yes, definitely adapt or die. The fact that people do now have choices in work and learning should concentrate institutional minds – both corporate and HE.

My feeling is that large corporations are particularly attractive to young people in their early careers. Many will put up long hours and intensive working conditions because they like the kudos of working for a large corporate employer.

Large corporations cannot be complacent, though. Gen Y will go where they can learn, and where they have discretion over how, when and where they work.