Jason Seiden has written a compelling piece about the concept of college education as we know it, and the vision he has for its future (hint: things are not going to stay the same).

I’m an old-fashioned, pen-and-paper loving girl who adores education in all of its forms, and I’m especially enamored of the halcyon days of the traditional four-year college degree. Which is to say that I am not the most receptive audience for Mr. Seiden’s proposal that college’s days are numbered.

However, since I’m now 35 and am officially an adult (and society makes you act like a grown-up whether you want to or not) I’ve been trying to open my little noggin up to new thoughts and ideas. So, with much wishing it wasn’t so, I must admit that his ideas have merit and I can see logic in his argument.

Hey, college: you’ve been put on notice. My kids will probably not experience you the way I did. My guess is, by the time they get there, a college education could have some of the following characteristics:

–College will be less about the four years that follow high school than about a lifelong commitment to a learning community.

–College degrees may be staged. One of the first areas of focus for many out of school will be basic professional skills, which in many cases will be taught in blended study/work environments.

–Northeastern and Drexel already use this model, where internships are part of the program. Some professional grad schools use this model, too. This will get students into the working world and earning an income quicker.

–Math and science will also get early billing in the curriculum. Not knowing how to divide isn’t cute, it’s dangerous. Our economy today requires incredible specialization, which in turn requires more detailed, and higher level thinking. That means math. From my experience, people are a lot better at math than they give themselves credit for. Their issues aren’t about manipulating numbers, they’re about the teachers they had[link]. We’ll get over it.

–The liberal arts education will become a lifelong endeavor. People will take ongoing courses in English, the arts, history, and the humanities. Knowing something of the world around you will be a status symbol… and for businesses, these ongoing courses will provide tremendous networking opportunities.

That last paragraph is a good one. He makes some good points, yes? Even so, change kind of blows. On the inside, I’m sticking my bottom lip out in a preschooler pout and I’m kicking the ground like a three-year-old who doesn’t want to use her words.

Posted by Alexa Harrington

hat tip: Lynn Mattoon

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