The March 2013 education report “An avalanche is coming” by Michael Barber, Katelyn Donnelly, Saad Rizvi posits that with greater diversification of course providers and the methods as well as technologies for delivering tertiary education worldwide, assumptions underlying the traditional relationship between universities, students and the local and national economies are increasingly being challenged, and the education landscape could soon witness a revolution.
Graduate employment was a key issue highlighted in the report. SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer commented that a university should not be just a technical training provider. It should impart knowledge about culture, heritage, and ethics to its students, as well as develop their skills in research and critical thinking. To gain a better understanding of the increasingly-popular Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), President De Meyer shared that he had enrolled in one such course and he described his learning experience as “interesting.” However, even though MOOC might spur universities to enhance their curriculum, he said it was premature to determine if this mode of learning would eventually usurp a formal university education. Compared to the latter, MOOC had three disadvantages, namely a lack of motivation for the learners to complete the course, its inability to measure the learner’s progress and the lack of a formal accreditation framework for such programmes. Furthermore, it is impossible for an MOOC to replicate a university’s biggest advantage – creating a vibrant learning environment.