The future of the university may lie in offering online degrees, according to the University’s new official history. The book proposes that such a shift could expand Oxford’s public presence and improve the university’s appeal to students from a wide range of backgrounds.
The history, launched this week by Oxford University Press, is quoted in The Guardian stating that “it is only a matter of time” before the influence of computer technology begins to transform the way in which higher education is provided. The book warns of a future in which universities might become obsolete in their current form.
The author, Professor Laurence Brockliss of Magdalen, told The Guardian, “I could envisage 10 or 15 years down the road one of the newer universities developing online undergraduate degrees in a serious and creative way. If that were to happen and if employers – and employers would determine the success or failure of this – were to feel that the quality of the education was as good as residential universities were giving, then that kind of initiative would really take off.
“I don’t think we’re as good as we used to be at connecting with public. We don’t have as many academics who occupy the same kind of space that Sir Isaiah Berlin or AJP Taylor did in the past – people who were known among the population because they appeared regularly on radio and television and were able to bridge this gap.”
Brockliss argued that online degrees might help to transform the university’s image and encourage applications from students of more diverse backgrounds. “[Oxford] can take the lead and potentially enjoy a future where its influence is even greater than it is at present – and where the carping about the social profile of its graduates would be finally laid to rest”.
Harry Gibbs, JCR IT Officer at Jesus College, was wary of such a big change. “Such an important part of university is the people you meet, especially at Oxford. I assume online courses would be done outside Oxford (at home etc) – so how would these students meet people beyond those whom already know? How would their ideas be challenged?
“As for the idea of the university becoming private, again I’m not keen. It certainly won’t help dispel certain ideas of the place- people would likely get the wrong impression and view it on a par with private schools.
“The technology is there (and growing- the potential for virtual reality is huge), and it could be adapted to suit these sorts of things, but there’s no way it can match the experience of being here.
This follows a string of attempts to offer online education in the US. Harvard and MIT paired up to launch EdX, which charges huge fees for courses, while a group of Stanford professors started CourseRA to offer certified college courses to the masses.
Arizona State University has been offering online degrees for years and the California State system recently scaled back a plan to enrol a quarter-million students in online degrees when few people showed interest.
Daniel Kodsi analyses Brockliss’ claims here.
