Summary: David Noble Digital Diploma Mills Norm Friesen May 13, 2006

A threat or a fad?

David Noble Critique of online education from a social economic and historical perspective Sees online discussion forums and other technology as enabling fundamental institutional change These changes will weaken the university‘s autonomy –as a a place of independent and critical thought

David Noble, con‘t A social historian: has focused on the role of technology in the „de-skilling“ and alienation of the labour force Has looked at how standardization and automation of labour has created significant problems for workers How technology supports a „conservative agenda“

Faculty under Attack university teachers are losing control over what they teach, how they teach and for what purpose. erosion of their intellectual property rights makes academic employment ever less secure The academic workforce is reconfigured

Business Models administrators claim ownership of the course- designs and teaching materials developed by faculty the online university represents new opportunities for investors to profit shift the burden of paying for education from the public purse to the individual consumer „EMO‘s instead of HMO‘s“ (Health Maintenance Organizations)

Business Models Online Universities to be run as corporations: –UNext –Western Governors‘ University –Cardean University But there are successful examples: –University of Phoenix –Private Universities? In Austria; in Canada?

Resisting the inevitable? E.g. Healthcare: –Are a number of different models, with mixtures of competition and regulation –Too much competition is not a good thing Context determines technology use Institutions, tradition and technology interact in complicated ways. Technology does not overpower them.