No one’s going to be selling their overpriced degree to someone who hopes to turn it around at an even higher price so there’s not going to be the sort of postive feedback collapse in value that’s the hallmark of a speculative bubble.

Not that I’m disagreeing with the premise of a collapse in the value of a brick-and-mortar degree, at least at the underclassman level. I think that’s clearly in the bag. But a degree isn’t just about acquiring knowledge. It’s also a signal that you’ve got the intelligence, tenacity and focus to get a degree which might be an indication that you can put those traits in the service of an employer. What will on-line degrees offer to serve that function?

Colorado State made a rational decision that will advantage them relative to tortoise institutions. Others will have to follow.

It’s not at all clear what’s in it for higher ed to embrace techno-education.

In an earlier time, before government subsidies overwhelmed the higher education market, the efficiency advantages of online education would have been more usefull since they would have unburdened the college’s budget of the need to deal with lots of freshmen many of whom would wash out. Now though those unfortunates are a pipeline to lots of money which would go away if they didn’t enroll in those entry-level classes.

Just think of the vast cognitive dissonance this takes. If we could only harness that power! Our energy problems would be gone forever.