Is Education a waste of time and money? Can Learning Technologies help?

In his book, The Case Against Education (https://amzn.to/2Gd5npw 2018), Bryan Caplan argues that the added value of higher education to society is so small that it does not represent a sufficient Return On Investment (ROI) for... [ view full abstract ]

In his book, The Case Against Education (https://amzn.to/2Gd5npw 2018), Bryan Caplan argues that the added value of higher education to society is so small that it does not represent a sufficient Return On Investment (ROI) for the state. He claims that as little as 20% of the value of education to the individual is in the development of useful skills and as much as 80% is in “signalling” to employers other attributes that they desire in their employees. He lists these attributes as intelligence, work ethic, and conformity.  Many of us involved with learning technologies may sympathise with this viewpoint but feel that we have the tools to solve this problem. We can design programmes that are more relevant to the workplace. We can use technology to encourage mastery of topics and greatly enhance retention of knowledge.  We can integrate learning into the workplace where learners can more quickly grasp concepts due to the relevance to their work. By reaching scale we can cut unit costs substantially. Individuals who choose not to attend university can now work and learn online. They can demonstrate their intelligence and work ethic by succeeding in academically challenging courses that require significant effort.  They can do so at much lower cost to both themselves and the state and radically change the ROI calculations in favour of higher education. However, Caplan argues that this is not enough. Assessment through written challenge examinations has always been cheap and the fact that educational certification through challenge examinations has not caught on in the past is an indicator that circumventing the existing system is unlikely to succeed.  Employers still value conformity. If a young person decides to step outside the accepted route, employers will be suspicious of them. Furthermore young people will not wish to take this risk, thus unacceptably slowing down any move in this direction. This needs a faster solution. Caplan’s proposal is radical; remove all subsidy from higher education, encouraging more students to look for more effective and efficient alternatives and forcing employers to consider competent employees who have chosen not to follow accepted traditional routes.

This short presentation will lay out the ideas described above and challenge the audience to consider to what extent they are true and how learning technologies might help.

Useful references
#1 “The Case Against Education”, Bryan Caplan.
Web address: https://goo.gl/bWu88w
Type: Extract on Google Books

#2 “Higher education: what is it good for?“
Web address: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/features/higher-education-what-it-good
Type: Book Review - Times Higher Education

#3 “Is education a waste of time and money?”
Web address: https://goo.gl/wgJbG8
Type: Book Review - Washington Post