Nine Shift

eMarketing: Punk Eviction Special

I'm doing an eMarketing Institute with eMarketing guru Dan Belhassen of ModernEarth.net in Austin, Texas this week; and just heard about son Willie's latest eMarketing success yesterday.

Willie lives with 7-8 young people in a house in Portland; the lease is up next month and the landlord has decided not to renew the lease.  So 4-5 of the kids are upset and refuse to pay their last month's rent. Willie's name is on the lease and he doesn't want to get stuck paying $2,000 (their rent this month.)

So yesterday he went to Craig's List and advertised rooms for just one month under the headline "Punk Eviction Special."  Two of the kids at the house paid up rather than get kicked out; two others still refused to pay rent and within a day Willie had them out and two new rent-paying kids in for the month!

Photo: Punk with Punk's Dad share a laugh at Thanksgiving.

Is the higher education model broke? Part III

Point 3.  The higher education model is broke pedagogically.

The current model for higher education is based on the factory.  Everyone learns one way, at one time. Faculty lecture. 

What Gen Y will do pedagogically to change the education model:
- Every student gets a laptop, every campus and school is wireless.
- Students create content, help each other learn, share in evaluation and assessment of themselves and other students.
- Students help lead classes, online discussion; collaboration is superior to individual learning.
- Universities specialize in subjects; students take high speed trains between campuses to mix-and-match courses to meet their needs.
- Online learning, gaming, small group discussions, and other practices help students learn more.
- Faculty boost the time they spend with each student from the current 8 minutes a semester.
- Faculty boost the time they spend teaching from the current 55% to 75% or 80%.

Faculty stop attending useless faculty meetings, do decision making and participate in the academic community online.    What am I missing?  Share your thoughts on how the pedagogical aspect of the higher education model has to change.

Is the higher education model broke? Part II

"The financial model for higher education has changed really significantly over time, and there hasn't been the opportunity to think systematically and strategically about what that means."  University of Wisconsin chancellor Carolyn Martin. 

Point 2.  The expenditure model is broke.

- Too many costly obsolete buildings.
- Some 50% of higher ed expenditures is reportedly in overhead.
- Faculty do not work from home, so productivity is down 25% while office costs go up.
- Not enough classes are hybrid, so classroom space is not well utilized.
- Then there's parking lots, sports, lawn care,  janitors,  dorms and dining rooms. Let me guess: 80% of higher ed expenditures have NOTHING to do with education and learning (what's your guess or numbers?)

Bottom line:  higher education functions like an old worn out factory, uncompetitive and costly beyond 'fine tuning'     Now tell us your thoughts! 

Is the higher education model broke? Part I

"We may be getting to the point where there will have to be some basic change to the model."  President Mark Yudov, University of California, in New York Times interview, November 3, 2008.

NineShift predicts 2009 is the year that people realize that the higher education model is broke.  Tell us your thoughts.

Point 1.  The income model is all broke. 

Endowments have been skyrocketing (will resume skyrocketing after the recession).  Endowments last year were $300 billion.  Total student/past loans were $150 billion. Meaning colleges could pay off the student loans for everyone in the whole country.

Student tuition keeps rising as a percentage of income.  While colleges pocket money in endowments and buildings, they make students pay more than they can afford.  If the price of milk rose like college costs over the last 30 years, a gallon of milk would cost $15.  

We need double the number of students in college to fill the skilled worker jobs society has available. To do that, we need to lower the tuition. 

Colleges get richer, students get poorer.  Good sign: students are now resisting higher tuition and refusing to pay, choosing lower cost colleges.  Yeah students!