Imagine a physics class with the budget of a Mythbusters episode.
The result is pedagogically sound content, the best presenters, and a budget for graphics and special effects. With enough students, the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now.
Students will still need access to people to help when they have questions. And there is a need for some proctoring of exams/certifications.
I expect that the top universities will create content, e.g. Harvard, MIT, Stanford. Then they will partner with local universities and community colleges.
Or people can just hire tutors if they need them.
> the cost per class is very low, less than what we pay for school now.
Personally, I think adding back the assistants for questions and proctoring will significantly reduce the cost savings (if not nullifying them completely) depending on how you implement them.
> Then they will partner with local universities and community colleges
> This will wipe out a lot of lower-tier schools.
Aren't the lower-tier schools exactly the schools that would be partnering with the top universities?
Don't really know how to feel about this kind of future. It's exactly the kind I'm sure many administrators want: they can downsize entire departments, subscribe to a "MIT Physics package", and just hire adjunct TAs for the class that are skilled in said MIT Physics package to field questions, issue the quizzes/tests.
The majority of the costs associated with universities is for facilities, administration, and housing, not related to teaching.
If students attend classes online while living at home, then the costs go down dramatically. You are left with paying on an hourly basis for a tutor.
When my daughter took the AP tests in Oklahoma, some of them were done in nearby churches. They can deliver test proctoring for cheap.
You can already get a respected online master's degree in computer science from Georgia Tech for around $10k. And you can do it at night, while working, eliminating opportunity costs.
This is incredibly cost-competitive with traditional schools. The elite schools will be fine, as they are essentially offering a private club for rich kids.
Other schools will not be sustainable. These dead universities will be great for remote workers, combining office space and housing in a nice walkable campus environment.
> Personally, I think adding back the assistants for questions and proctoring will significantly reduce the cost savings (if not nullifying them completely) depending on how you implement them.
If the quality of education can be improved while maintaining the same costs, that’s a win-win.
Students will still need access to people to help when they have questions. And there is a need for some proctoring of exams/certifications.
I expect that the top universities will create content, e.g. Harvard, MIT, Stanford. Then they will partner with local universities and community colleges. Or people can just hire tutors if they need them.
This will wipe out a lot of lower-tier schools.