Redefining the College Crowd
Organizations are increasingly realizing the potential of university research labs to contribute to their open innovation strategies. But one writer states, universities have even more opportunities to benefit from their own resources. “Universities are full of untapped talent looking to learn, build their resumes, get involved and maybe make a little extra cash. By capitalizing on this talent, universities can give their students great opportunities for real world learning and get quality solutions for their problems. Schools can use collective brainpower and energy to complete what they can’t do on their own, going beyond their budgets and time constraints.”
Of course many great initiatives have already sprung from colleges. Like Takeashine, designed to make college education attainable for underprivileged but well-performing students. Launched this year in New Orleans, the organization first gives students the tools they need to get a realistic picture of what college will cost, based on estimated family contribution. Then, in partnership with crowdfunding site StartSomeGood, deserving students can generate contributions to help close the gap between “demonstrated” and true financial need. The goal is to reverse the enrollment decline seen in low-incomeU.S. students in the past couple decades.
While the high cost of college today presents a challenge, there are those who foresee a future in which education is open for all. An Australian academic site points out that “universities, like the publishing industry, are undergoing tectonic changes, as the global shifts brought on by the internet continue to ripple outwards.” In education, this is represented in openness of both journal articles as well as courses. MIT has been a leader in openness, when 10 years ago, they made most of its teaching materials free, publicly accessible, reusable & remixable via a Creative Commons licence. Now, surveys of MIT staff, indicate they believe MIT’s Open CourseWare has not only been beneficial to the institution, students and other faculty members and learners around the world, but has also raised their own – already very elevated – standing in their field.
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