He offers an extensive list of innovations in education to which he’s been exposed over the years, one of which is the internet. Each, he notes, promised to transform education.
Some of those much-heralded innovations are long forgotten. Others remain housed somewhere on the campus, but I think it is fair to say that higher education hasn’t changed all that much, that none of these ideas proved to be as transformative as their advocates predicted. Compared to their advance billing, they all turned out to be short-term enthusiasms or — more bluntly — educational fads.
So the internet is a fad that has failed to transform higher education. This, I believe, may be the most ignorant statement I’ve ever heard from an academic. The internet has already altered all education forever, because a great deal of knowledge is now accessible without memorization, contemplation, research or study. That higher education “hasn’t changed all that much” may be more a reflection of the self-serving nature of the institution than what he sees as the false promises of “fads.” Moreover, I think it’s a little early to proclaim that the internet isn’t transformative.
One thought on “The Internet & Higher Education: From Fad to Worse?”
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I believe Heaton is wrong. The internet may not be a fad, but it has not transformed education — educational institutions perhaps, but not education — certainly not in a positive way.
Money is being misspent on the promise that the internet is the key to education, that classrooms, real books, libraries should make way for the snippets of conclusions (unrefereed) on websites, wrong information that is more readily googled than good information (because bad information is more plentiful and more easily produced).
The Madison budget for the 2006 FY was reduced by several librarian positions, with the rationale that students have no need for librarians, because they could just look the information up on the internet.
“Old” people are certainly enamored by computers and high tech stuff. And there’s money granted by “old” folks for spending on high tech toys. So people buy the gadgets.
Yes, the internet and computers are very useful aids to communication. But useful communication means that participants must have something useful to say.
Heaton’s comment in support of the transformative nature of the internet is quite damning. “The internet has already altered all education forever, because a great deal of knowledge is now accessible without memorization, contemplation, research or study.” It is damning because without having memorized, contemplated, researched and studied, you have no knowledge at all.