Where Online Learning Goes Next

EDUCATION

by Leah Belsky
October 04, 2019

C. J. Burton/Getty Images

Charles W. Eliot, who served as President of Harvard University for a record 40 years,
charted a roadmap for education in his seminal essay, The New Education. Written in 1869,
it made the case for continuously updating how and what students learn, so education
could evolve in step with society. That approach remains just as relevant today, 150 years
later.

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Today’s educators have to rethink higher education for a world that’s being overturned by
technology. As Farnam Jahanian, President of Carnegie Mellon University, recently
observed, “The unprecedented pace of societal change makes the need for reform more
urgent. There is great pressure on higher education as the engine of progress in a
knowledge-based economy.”

Technology is transforming jobs and skills faster than organizations or people can adapt.
Coursera’s Global Skills Index 2019 found that two-thirds of the world’s population is
falling behind in critical skills. Research from the World Economic Forum suggests that
the core skills required to perform most roles will change by 42% on average by 2022. At
this level of disruption, companies are scrambling to identify and source the skills they
need to stay competitive. The availability of key skills is now one of the top three business
threats for CEOs globally, according to a recent PwC survey.

INSIGHT CENTER As the gatekeepers of knowledge and

The Future of Education stewards of human capital, universities have
Preparing the next generation of leaders. to play a major role in preparing a skilled
global workforce. Doing so will require an
ecosystem-oriented mindset, using online
offerings to extend reach and establish partnerships with other universities and content
providers. For that matter, it will require much greater investment than the 3% of overall
expenditure currently allocated to technology in the education sector. Much like
industries, universities will need digital solutions to solve for the big problems in higher
education.

Higher education for the people, at global scale

By harnessing emerging technologies, universities can reach beyond campus walls to

empower diverse learners at global scale. It begins with embracing stackable, online
learning, which provides flexibility and affordability that increases access to university
curricula and allows students to engage in smaller chunks of learning before committing
to larger degree programs. Technology-powered formats like mobile-friendly experiences
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meet the learner where they are, enabling more seamless transitions for those entering a
new learning environment or picking up where they left off. At a more advanced level,
embracing AI-powered adaptive learning will enable universities to personalize education
for millions for more effective outcomes.

RELATED READING Universities have already seen immediate

8 Tips for Teaching Online and powerful results from online degree
Spoiler: It Gets Better with Time programs. Top MBA programs such as the
Global Master of Business Administration
from Macquarie University, University of
Illinois at Urbana Champaign iMBA,  Kelley School of Business Online MBA and Carnegie
Mellon University (Tepper) online MBA , in particular, have embraced online learning to
increase accessibility and affordability for working professionals. These programs also
offer stackable learning, such as a short set of online courses, that enable learners to close
specific competency gaps or add specific skills to meet immediate career goals.

By embracing technology in its many forms, universities will be able to offer life-changing
access to millions more globally. But that’s not the only prize. Through deeper
engagements and local industry partnerships world-wide, top colleges will be able to
create a virtuous cycle that advances research and collaborative thinking to tackle some of
the most pressing challenges we face today.

A game-changing university ecosystem 

It will take a global community working together to scale access to higher education.
Universities can be the center of this revolution by using technology to join forces and
create a shared learning ecosystem, supplementing their own curriculum with top courses
from other institutions. Last year, Tec de Monterrey in Mexico, Universidad de los Andes
in Colombia, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile came together for La Tríada — a
first-of-its-kind collaboration that enables their combined 150,000 students to share
access to 100 online courses available from the three institutions. The potential advantages

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go beyond shared curricula. Universities could also pool resources to launch a common
credit or grading system, to create virtual collaborative learning spaces, or to combine
insights from a larger network to shape the direction of programs.

Technology-driven collaboration will also help alleviate faculty shortages plaguing

institutions worldwide. Earlier this year, Inside Higher Ed reported on a nationwide
shortage of computer science professors, describing it as “a supply and demand story, but
on steroids.” In India, faculty shortages are impeding the impact of top institutions — The
Indian Institute of Technology, a leading technology institution, has a 35% faculty
shortfall. Digitally-powered ecosystems could seamlessly connect content experts from
academia or industry to deliver custom learning programs for students anywhere in the
world. Universities would be able to leverage the best minds in the industry or open the
doors to online faculty exchanges between institutions.

Technology ecosystems also accelerate research among universities. For example,

Quartolio, an AI-powered research platform, is helping researchers across universities like
Berkeley, MIT, and Stanford to connect the dots and discover cross-discipline insights in
their research areas.

Turning industry-ready

Stanford and Silicon Valley’s intertwined history exemplify what’s possible when industry
and academia come together. According to a PitchBook report, Stanford had the highest
number of entrepreneurs — 1,178 — in an undergrad program globally in 2018 (with 1,015
companies and $28.84 billion in capital raised). As skill demands in the workplace
continue to evolve quickly, we need greater industry and university interdependency.
Institutions like Mines ParisTech are leading the way with strong ties to businesses and
more than 100 major industrial partners. In addition to research synergy, courses include
internships and study projects with partner companies.

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As talent shortages grow worldwide, institutions, and enterprises must chart partnerships
that equip learners with employable skills. One standout example is Google IT Support
Professional Certificate’s alignment with 25 community colleges in the U.S. to offer the IT
training program as part of their curriculum. With more than 215,000 open IT support
roles, this collaboration addresses a major skills shortage. Google closes the loop by
connecting learners in the program with top employers hiring for IT support jobs, among
them Walmart and Bank of America. Widening the impact, The University of London and
Northeastern University also offer credit towards an online bachelor’s degree for learners
who complete the program.

The mission for higher education institutions is changing in tandem with the workplace,
with reach, impact, and relevance being as important as ever. Universities are being called
on to serve more diverse learners on a massive scale. They have to create credentials that
catch the attention of employers that are increasingly focused on skills over traditional
degrees. They have to create shorter pathways to new skills. And alongside foundational
knowledge, they have to offer the flexibility for learners to upskill throughout their careers
since lifelong learning is the only way forward. Technology will be the link through this
change, revolutionizing what we know as higher ed.

Leah Belsky is senior vice president of enterprise at Coursera.

This article is about EDUCATION

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