The Hudson Institute is “a nonpartisan policy research organization dedicated to innovative research and analysis that promotes global security, prosperity, and freedom.” The Institute has just released a report that focuses on the ways in which modern advances in technology can, in themselves, support educational innovation—and the ways in which current technology is merely a platform that needs the skilled and informed implementation of entrepreneurial experts.
…[T]here is a temptation to simply graft technology onto existing routines while leaving cost structures intact. Such retrofitting may be better than nothing—and it may look like transformation to optimistic observers, story-seeking journalists and fretful academics—but it often amounts to little more than repackaging a largely familiar product at a familiar price.
Our point, however, is that there is no reason we should be content to settle for retrofitting. …Ushering in the next round of higher education innovation will require policy reforms—deregulation, essentially—that allow entrepreneurs to unbundle services, enter the market and compete for students.
Take a look at the authors’ premise in greater detail and check out their four-point outline for implementing tech reform in education—and let us know what you think.
