So school started and I’m sitting in an undergrad geography class. The professor mentions that unlike his peers, he has no qualms with putting his lectures online for free. He suggested that many of his colleagues are afraid that if they do that no one will attend classes. This is quite interesting as one can see how the business model for a traditional university is coming to grips with the digital world.
About a year ago, I blogged about OpenCourseWare from MIT. The goal of the project is to move all materials, tests, quizzes, examinations, notes, lectures, etc. into an easy-to-use online database for free public consumption.
Upon hearing MIT’s plans a friend of mine noted that this would bankrupt the college as their competitive advantage, trade secrets, “intellectual property” and other consumable goods and services will be distributed for free. I don’t have any hard numbers on hand, but despite the hoopla surrounding this technological transition, I doubt that applications for MIT have decreased. In fact, I can see this more as a publicity stunt (at least for them) because they not only get more media exposure, but Grade AAA students who might have otherwise gone to Stanford, Caltech or an Ivy League school can see first hand what MIT has to offer.
Of course, for the time being (and the immediate future), one notable tangible advantage that MIT has: cutting-edge laboratories and lots of them. While you might have all the coursework that an electrical engineering student has, you don’t have access to the various equipment that MIT students do.
Anyways, I’d like to talk more about this at a later time, but I am trying to sublease my apartment and find a new one.