Hey, Minnesota college students—guess what.
The days of hauling yourself to class in the freezing cold only to snooze through some professor droning through Econ 101 are ending.
That’s right—over. Your governor says so.
Tim Pawlenty, the Republican governor of Minnesota, pokes some fun at traditional higher education in an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Mr. Pawlenty wonders why students can’t just pull out their iPads and plunk down $199 for “iCollege.” The fun starts about five minutes into this video.
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Exclusive – Tim Pawlenty Unedited Interview Pt. 1 | ||||
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14 Responses to Minn. Governor: Students Will Stop Hauling Keisters to Class, Start Downloading $199 ‘iCollege’
schoolofcommprof - June 11, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Not that it’s news, but Tim Pawlenty is woefully ignorant and misguided. There are a number of things wrong with his anti-government/anti-public education position:1) Virtually everything online (particularly e-commerce) was developed as a result of the work done by nonprofits like SRI International public higher education system.2) His metaphor of the iPhone/iPad and “iCollege” is a poor choice for at least two reasons:a) Apple Computer built on the research done by the nonprofits to launch its computing devices (a tradition that continues to this day).b) The iPhone and iPad have been roundly criticized for locking down the browsing experience to only the applications/tools permitted by Apple. Moreover, users are limited to AT&T as the sole provider for 3G wireless service for both devices. They are, in fact, the mobile computing example of a “one-size-fits-all monopoly provider.” Certainly more can be done with technology to not only reduce costs but extend the options available to students for education. However, whenever practical hands-on experience is required, the “drag of atoms” will always necessitate some form of institutions that provide those educational experiences. That’s also to say nothing of the fact that many students need one-on-one time with educational professionals to advance as they’re ill-equipped to be self-guided learners.The deregulation Gov. Pawlenty is proposing is the reason we have catastrophes like the BP Deepwater Horizon spill; oversight of the industry was long ago delegated to the equivilant of an “iOversight” app.[PS - "Dial that up" on their iPad? Did he actually say that? #fail]
akprof - June 11, 2010 at 5:28 pm
Public colleges today offer entire academic programs on line – Pawlenty is clearly almost as out of touch on public academia as he is with bridge maintenance!
staceysimmons - June 11, 2010 at 5:44 pm
The idea that industrial-era classrooms are the only solution to educating people is as outdated as the horse-and-buggy. A hybrid of self-education, classroom, and rich peer-driven didactic is the best way to learn, regardless of whether that happens in a classroom, on a computer, on your phone, or – big surprise, a combination of all of them- you don’t stop emailing your friends because you CAN see them face-to-face. Neither do you stop having real relationships with people because you CAN interact with them on the internet. The world does all of these simultaneously. Wake up.
jsalmons - June 11, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Out of touch is right! What he thinks is in the Jetsons’ future is already a reality– lots of options exist for flexible e-learning. Capella, where I teach, is in his state! Hello?
mensslin - June 11, 2010 at 6:08 pm
OK, lets think about this for a moment. Minnesota – the icebox of the nation. They elected a wrestler governor. now Pawlenty wants to reform higher ed and perhaps all of academia. Uh, I don’t think so.
educationmarketing - June 11, 2010 at 7:26 pm
@schoolofcommprof, you’re either over-analyzing or putting words in the Governors mouth in an attempt to make a political statement. He’s not realistically advocating a $199.99 “iCollege” – Pawlenty is merely suggesting the inevitable; that eventually, Academia will catch up with the rest of the world, and that, via technology such as the iPad, students will have access to a high quality, fulfilling educational experience that will be both accessible and affordable. Look, if Obama had come out and said the future of Education will take place on devices such as the iPad and collaborative learning, his statements would be championed as “progressive” and “forward-thinking”, a politician who “truly gets technology.” But because a Republican comes out and makes a statement like this, he’s misinformed and out of touch, right? The bottom line is that this is not a partisan issue; Academia will have to embrace these cost-savings technologies in order to survive. We need innovation; we need to embrace technology and collaborative learning, and move away from the same old broken inefficient academic philosophies of the last few hundred years.
wbgleason - June 11, 2010 at 9:38 pm
educationmarketing-Have you actually watched the video? It is sheer demagoguery.”Do you really think in 20 years someone is going to put on his back pack, drive a half hour to the University of Minnesota from the suburbs, haul their kiester [yes, he really said kiester] across campus and listen to some boring person drone on about Econ 101 or Spanish 101?”"what I am getting at; is there another way to deliver the service rather than a one size fits all monopoly provider that says show up at 9 o’clock on Wednesday morning for econ 101? Can’t I just pull that down on my iPhone or iPad whenever the heck I feel like it?”"and instead of paying thousand of dollars, can’t I just pay $199 for iCollege instead of .99 cents for iTunes?”I wonder how the governor would feel about obtaining his law degree from iCollege? He is apparently a Sam’s Club republican pushing a Walmart education, at least for those without the wealth to afford a private education? After he went up the ladder of public education at the U, he now wants to pull it up?Bill Gleason, U of M faculty and alum
arrive2__net - June 12, 2010 at 2:34 am
State universities really reflect “the will of the sovereign” (the sovereign is “the people” in a democracy) to spend its resources on assuring it has the resource of an educated populace. If the state of Minnesota did decide to place its higher education future, and fate, in the hands of the unsympathetic marketplace, it chances eventually becoming an educational backwater … but how would such a risk play out? Are public schools worthwhile … and if they are, does the value of education, to “the people”, play out in grade 12? If you look at the states with the least support for higher education, are they the model of what Minnesota wants to become? Minnesota will surely decide that. Bernard SchusterArrive2.net
blue_state_academic - June 14, 2010 at 12:17 pm
My favorite question to policymakers when they bring up the “distance-education-is-cheaper-and-just-as-good” claim:Are you willing for this to be the *only* option for your kid to obtain a college degree?
wartburg - June 14, 2010 at 8:11 pm
It doesn’t matter what we think. Eventually the students will vote with their feet. Whether the sea change is five years away or fifteen years away, it’s coming. The tipping point will catch a few professors and their brick and mortar towers by surprise, when enough students decide trudging off to an overpriced education is “way uncool” when they can get the same experience online.
11164868 - June 15, 2010 at 7:54 am
no pain no gain
dowinter - June 15, 2010 at 11:59 am
Students are already voting with their feet. More and more are demanding online classes. Businesses are no longer put off by for-profit degrees, since those universities are accredited by the same organizations as the non-profits. If a credible degree is required to get a job, then those with a “distance degree” are as qualified as those with an “on-site” degree. Both are credible in industry. It’s only academics who are left clinging to the ivy-covered walls.
sethmichaud - June 16, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Really? You think you’re going to get the attention necessary for a good education from some online ‘provider’?Grow up.
chilli11 - June 17, 2010 at 3:58 pm
sethmichaud – Some online programs are great. Some are pathetic. No more surprising than an education at Georgetown will be better than at Mississippi Valley State.If and when students start migrating away from residential campuses in favor of distance education, maybe those four-year residential programs will start to matter again.It would be the most qualified and capable who value the residential experience, those for whom college is about education as opposed to job training. It would reduce the burden on the institutions, and training programs would become more efficient (particularly in for-profit colleges). It would be a win-win. Let the ones who demand online classes have them, and let those who want to interact with faculty and go deep in their studies have the campus.