Vinnie
Maruggi , the recorder of Group 4, sent the record produced by that group.
The
first task was to identify potential events that would affect the future of
colleges and universities. The potential events Group 4 identified were as
follows:
- U.S. economic recession
- Increased grant support from
government for higher education
- Increased number of
underprepared students entering higher education
- Online application required
for admission to higher education
- Free online university begins
- Education becomes more
political/dogmatic
- Education becomes more
individualized
- Performance based funding
becomes standard
·
Increased English as a second language classes to accommodate increasing
student need
- Increase in high school
graduates in next five years, but a decline after then
- Eroding social component of
education
- Baby boomers leaving work
force and requiring replacement
- More support for higher
education from the private sector
- Service learning in the
community more widely used
- “What is Learned” is more
important than amount of time spent in classes
- Shareholder value in higher
education (corporate ownership)
- Elimination of tenure
- Departmental reorganization
- E-tailing surpasses retailing
sales
- Free or low-cost Internet
access available to everyone
The second task was to prioritize the potential events by each
person in the group voting on the five most critical effects for higher
education. The result:
- Free or low-cost Internet
access available to everyone (5)
- Increased number of
underprepared students entering higher education (3)
- Performance based funding
becomes standard (3)
- More support for higher
education from the private sector (3)
- U.S. economic recession (2)
- Education becomes more
political/dogmatic (1)
- Increase in high school grads
in next 5 years, but a decline after then (1)
- Baby boomers leaving work
force and requiring replacement (1)
- “What is Learned” is more
important than amount of time spent in classes (1)
The third task was to identify the signals that indicated that
the most critical event would occur in the next five years (our planning
timeline). The signals of free or low-cost Internet access available to everyone
were as follows:
- Increased competition among
Internet service providers (cable
TV, telephone, free/private ISPs)
- Decreased/free hardware cost
- Freeware and shareware readily
available for a wide range of applications
- Microsoft precedent will
increase competition and provide greater benefit to consumers
- Educational discounts for
students and institutions
- Technological improvements
The fourth task was to derive the implications of the most
critical event: Free or low-cost Internet access available to everyone
- Mandatory online application
and registration
- Cost-effective administration
of some processes
- Paperless/less paper
environment
- Employee skills must include
information technology competency
- Impact for student admission
and graduation competencies
- Increasing distance between
the “Haves” and “Have Nots” (digital divide)
- Increased demand for online
courses and services
- Lease vs. purchase of computer
equipment
- Need for additional technical
support staff
- Need to upgrade infrastructure
(e.g., fiber optics) with associated cost
- Refined “college
education/degrees”
- Must address ethics of
distance-less education for students and faculty
- Need new student
performance/learning standards and criteria on the “virtual campus”
- Change from “brick &
mortar” campus to “click & mortar” -
less need for buildings
- Decline in extracurricular
activities (e.g., marching band, football rally, Greek system)
The final task was to draft recommended actions for college and
university leaders to consider in light of this analysis. Group 4 recommended
that these leaders:
- Increase in-service training
of faculty and staff in computer skills
- Broad-based involvement in
developing strategic plan to address implications
- Anticipate and develop
operating budget that factors in rapid technological changes
- Build collegiate and corporate
partnerships to capitalize on strengths, share resources, and division of
labor.