The folks over at the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy have posted a fascinating New York Times story about an entrepreneur who plans to start a nearly tuition-free Internet university. Predictably — and perhaps with some merit — questions are being raised by the folks who would be put out of work:
“The more you get people around the world talking to each other, great, and the more they talk about what they’re learning, just wonderful,†said Philip G. Altbach, director of the Center for International Higher Education at Boston College. “But I’m not at all sure, when you start attaching that to credits and degrees and courses, that it translates so well.
“How will they test students? How much will the professors do? How well does the American or British curriculum serve the needs of people in Mali? How do they handle students whose English is not at college level?â€
Mr. Reshef said his new university would use active and retired professors — some paid, some volunteers — along with librarians, master-level students and professionals to develop and evaluate curriculums and oversee assessments.
Unfortunately, as we’ve learned this week, there are equally fundamental questions about the role of professors at UNC Chapel Hill.