I worked for many years as a paramedic in Harlem and the South Bronx. For a lot of the people I worked with, EMS was their pathway into the middle-class. Some of them had had kids as teenagers. Some of them had graduated high school. Some of them just weren't into college. This wasn't everybody, but a lot people fit that bill.
The ambitious ones wanted to keep moving up in the world. Typically, this meant going to nursing school. These were working people with families––the kind of people who NEEDED a steady income and simply couldn't afford to ditch their jobs and attend school full-time. For them, online education was extremely appealing, at least in theory.
I'd say 30% of all the people I worked with had attempted to obtain an online nursing degree through Excelsior College at some point in their career. Less than 5% of that group ever graduated. These are not official numbers, but they are roughly accurate to the best of my knowledge.
First, a little backstory…
My pa' was born in a one-room adobe hut in the New Mexico desert during the winter of 1929. He started working as a logger when he was 12, laying railroad tracks when he was 14. At 19, he joined the military. At 23, he enrolled in East LA Community College. Two-years later he transferred to UCLA, ultimately earning a Master's in Zoology and then a few years later getting his PhD in Education. To pay for school (undergrad and grad) and support our family in the early days of his academic career, he worked pipeline construction. He lived the American dream.
For more than thirty years, my pa' taught Anatomy & Physiology at his alma mater, East LA Community College. His students were immigrants, drop-outs, wanderers, late-bloomers, ex-cons, working class strivers and single moms. Many of them worked their balls off; only a fraction succeeded.
The point: Educating "non-traditional" students is really fucking hard.
When I saw the guys I worked with on the ambulance studying for nursing school, it always reminded me of him.
Me, I had it easy. My pa' was a college professor. He taught me algebra when I was in kindergarten and read me Hemingway at bedtime. Sure, I worked two jobs to pay for college, but my head start was huge. And I went to Columbia. Not a coincidence.
Thus my ears perked up when I heard Jose Ferreira talk about his startup Knewton at the launch party for Anya Kamenetz's new book, DIY U. DIY U is about the coming revolution in online education. Knewton is an adaptive learning platform with big big dreams of revolutionizing education, online and otherwise. First, test prep; then the world.
Jose talked a lot about how Knewton was using computers, machine learning and the web to tailor curriculums and courses to individual students. If I remember correctly, the phrase he used was "mass customization." Having a) seen so many of my friends try and fail to complete degrees online, and b) been a recent consumer of education, both online and off, I was intrigued yet skeptical.
As I see it, the problem with online education and the whole concept of the DIY University is that it solves a smaller problem than it creates. Namely, it solves the problem created by a one-size-fits-all course structure that come from the brick-and-mortar school system: curriculums are not tailored to the individual and thus produce a sub-optimal learning experience. What it eliminates (as far as I can tell) is the a) intimate social structure and bonds that come from being forced into a classroom for several hours a week, b) rigor and discipline of being forced to get shit done on a fixed schedule, and c) peer pressure that drives much of the psychology of academic achievement.
For college grads and folks studying for standardized tests, this lack of community is not a problem. They are already motivated. The market for Knewton in this segment is huge and well-established. But for students in the mass "non-tradtional" market––for my old co-workers and my pa's students––I still don't see how they crack the code.
And really, this is only a problem if Knewton aspires to break into the mass market and revolutionize education as we know it. Talk to Jose for 5 minutes and you'll see that that is precisely the plan.
I'm not saying he or Knewton can't do it. I'm just saying that it's really fucking hard and that I don't see how they get there. Then again, that's what most people say about entrepreneurs peddling disruptive technologies.
But if Knewton does succeed, it'll be because they, unlike everyone else, solved for these problems too and finally made online education into a truly social experience.
Now, a couple caveats: 1) I am not an expert in education, online or otherwise, and; 2) I don't have intimate or special knowledge of Knewton's product/battle plan.
The cool thing is that if they actually succeed, not only will Knewton and Jose make truckloads of money, but they'll also do something fantastic for humanity.
I hope to learn more about what they're up to in the coming months. They are on a noble mission. I wish them luck.
UPDATE: An excellent comment from Hacker News
2 points by nazgulnarsil 1 minute ago | link
short version: the kind of people attracted to online colleges are the kind of people that need the support structures of traditional colleges to succeed. the kind of self starters that can excel at a self paced, self disciplined class probably don't need it.
UPDATE #2: From the Twitters, a response from Knewton
I built a self-study kiosk gizmo. I think its best used as adjunct to classroom study, e.g. when you fall behind, you stay after and turn on the kiosk.
I built a self-study kiosk gizmo. I think its best used as adjunct to classroom study, e.g. when you fall behind, you stay after and turn on the kiosk.
Your thinking is sound and your example is great. This is good valuable stuff for Knewton. Don’t hedge (“I am probably wrong”). Hedging doesn’t suit you or your haircut.
By the way, heck yes algebra should be taught in kindergarten! The whole system of giving students a little bit more each year, working up to algebra, geometry, and calc is completely wrong and limiting. Who decides what constitutes an advanced topic anyway? If you can’t teach a child algebra it’s your imagination that’s at fault, not theirs.
Here’s another thought, entrepreneurs may be more acutely aware of the dangers of tiered learning than others. If I had waited to be taught everything I needed to know in order to grow my business, I would have been dead before I got anything done.
Nice post!
Your thinking is sound and your example is great. This is good valuable stuff for Knewton. Don’t hedge (“I am probably wrong”). Hedging doesn’t suit you or your haircut.
By the way, heck yes algebra should be taught in kindergarten! The whole system of giving students a little bit more each year, working up to algebra, geometry, and calc is completely wrong and limiting. Who decides what constitutes an advanced topic anyway? If you can’t teach a child algebra it’s your imagination that’s at fault, not theirs.
Here’s another thought, entrepreneurs may be more acutely aware of the dangers of tiered learning than others. If I had waited to be taught everything I needed to know in order to grow my business, I would have been dead before I got anything done.
Nice post!
I’d love to see an education company help people commit to finishing educational task a la Thomas Schelling’s Art of Commitment by publicizing their grades/progress via twitter, FB, etc. Could be interesting, revolutionary.
I’d love to see an education company help people commit to finishing educational task a la Thomas Schelling’s Art of Commitment by publicizing their grades/progress via twitter, FB, etc. Could be interesting, revolutionary.
Porting Interaction tools from online gaming into education sounds awesome. Would love to see Knewton & others implement.
Porting Interaction tools from online gaming into education sounds awesome. Would love to see Knewton & others implement.
Great post– gets at a really core issue for a whole bunch of areas. Many of people who are already motivated to succeed will do so given a minimum set of opportunities… But what about people w/o the motivation to do it themselves? Clearly there are resources (many free!) available to improve your position in life– public library comes to mind– but there needs to be internal or external motivation to take advantage of those resources.
I think you’re right about test prep– mass customized curricula are gold if they can allocate time spent learning to areas where a student needs improvement. The problem, as you put it, is that they presuppose motivation in the first place.
Social pressure is one of the right answers for changing user behavior in education. But there are a whole bunch of different areas that benefit from this sort of external motivator as well. Opower is doing that with energy efficiency and getting some pretty cool results.
Commenting on Facebook has been all over the web these last few days, but I think that one of their huge differentiators is that by ‘owning’ your identity and those of your friends, they become the default provider of these social pressures to any business that wants to create that pressure to change user behavior (for good or for evil).
Also– congrats on the Inc. feature… huge news.
Great post– gets at a really core issue for a whole bunch of areas. Many of people who are already motivated to succeed will do so given a minimum set of opportunities… But what about people w/o the motivation to do it themselves? Clearly there are resources (many free!) available to improve your position in life– public library comes to mind– but there needs to be internal or external motivation to take advantage of those resources.
I think you’re right about test prep– mass customized curricula are gold if they can allocate time spent learning to areas where a student needs improvement. The problem, as you put it, is that they presuppose motivation in the first place.
Social pressure is one of the right answers for changing user behavior in education. But there are a whole bunch of different areas that benefit from this sort of external motivator as well. Opower is doing that with energy efficiency and getting some pretty cool results.
Commenting on Facebook has been all over the web these last few days, but I think that one of their huge differentiators is that by ‘owning’ your identity and those of your friends, they become the default provider of these social pressures to any business that wants to create that pressure to change user behavior (for good or for evil).
Also– congrats on the Inc. feature… huge news.
Great post! Motivation is and always has been the biggest factor affecting success in education.
Community and interaction tools found in online gaming will continue to strengthen online eduction. However, I don’t see any optional educational experience reaching a high percentage of those who do not have the commitment to stay with their studies.
My little app attempts to provide those lacking motivation with a subtle push towards learning. While it has it’s devotees, it has it’s share of users who are well intentioned in the beginning and then drop out.
Anything in life that is optional will always have this issue.
Great post! Motivation is and always has been the biggest factor affecting success in education.
Community and interaction tools found in online gaming will continue to strengthen online eduction. However, I don’t see any optional educational experience reaching a high percentage of those who do not have the commitment to stay with their studies.
My little app attempts to provide those lacking motivation with a subtle push towards learning. While it has it’s devotees, it has it’s share of users who are well intentioned in the beginning and then drop out.
Anything in life that is optional will always have this issue.
thanks dude.
thanks dude.
Well put!
Well put!
My sense is that the DIY aspect of it was to blame. The Stanford/Ivy set may have the self-discipline to complete online courses, but I think it’s REALLY hard for normal peeps, especially those who struggle with regular school, to complete an online degree “in a vacuum,” as the Knewton folks put it.
My sense was that a) they needed more structure, not less, and b) social support networks to help them stay motivated and focused, as they had tons of competing demands in the form of work, spouses, kids, etc. who saw the computer (ie their online education) competing for their time.
My sense is that the DIY aspect of it was to blame. The Stanford/Ivy set may have the self-discipline to complete online courses, but I think it’s REALLY hard for normal peeps, especially those who struggle with regular school, to complete an online degree “in a vacuum,” as the Knewton folks put it.
My sense was that a) they needed more structure, not less, and b) social support networks to help them stay motivated and focused, as they had tons of competing demands in the form of work, spouses, kids, etc. who saw the computer (ie their online education) competing for their time.
Interesting post. I’d like to ask why so few of your colleagues completed their online education? What didn’t happen? What didn’t work? Are you saying that the lack of social aspects and a rigorous schedule are the leading or primary reasons why online education failed in the nursing school? If they added social networking tools would that fix it?
The story about your father is a great inspiration. Thank you for sharing it.
Interesting post. I’d like to ask why so few of your colleagues completed their online education? What didn’t happen? What didn’t work? Are you saying that the lack of social aspects and a rigorous schedule are the leading or primary reasons why online education failed in the nursing school? If they added social networking tools would that fix it?
The story about your father is a great inspiration. Thank you for sharing it.
Oh totally. Like i said, they’ll probably kill it in the Test Prep world. And while that’s a great biz, it’s not revolutionizing the education industry. My question is about whether Jose et al can pull off the transition from test prep to mass market.
Oh totally. Like i said, they’ll probably kill it in the Test Prep world. And while that’s a great biz, it’s not revolutionizing the education industry. My question is about whether Jose et al can pull off the transition from test prep to mass market.
I agree with your skepticism. However, there are a lot of standardized tests out there (MCATs, LSATs, SATs, boards, bar exam, etc.). I think it’s ambitious and maybe a bit crazy to try to solve the general education problem with “custom-tailored” solutions. As you said — socialization is as important a part of education as actual book learning. However, socialization is NOT a part of taking standardized tests, so owning that piece is worthwhile (and I mean from both a social- and business-perspective.
I agree with your skepticism. However, there are a lot of standardized tests out there (MCATs, LSATs, SATs, boards, bar exam, etc.). I think it’s ambitious and maybe a bit crazy to try to solve the general education problem with “custom-tailored” solutions. As you said — socialization is as important a part of education as actual book learning. However, socialization is NOT a part of taking standardized tests, so owning that piece is worthwhile (and I mean from both a social- and business-perspective.