Have a beautiful friday. We are almost done with this saga. Next week we will basically finish with topics 16, 17 and 18 of our outline, leaving the last subject (summary and conclusions for the week after Christmas.

Today I just wish to offer to you an example of how any industry can be cannibalized or destroyed by using low-cost strategies, through the utilization of disruptive online technologies without any type of regulation or at least some protection of quality standards or at least regulated minimum standards. I have chosen the MOOC education business model as it is right now.

Massive Open Online Courses of MOOC were initiated as an utopian dream to provide free education to everyone. Nevertheless MOOC without any type of regulation or protection for reasonable quality standards may destroy the whole educational system for the long run. Causing more inequality than before.

Anyone on earth can upload a MOOC course in any of the existing open learning platforms. And that´s it. The MOOC has been used for free, by many learners who knew nothing, who have benefited a lot. The difference between “rien de rien” and “something” is remarkable, but that doesn´t mean the person who gets a MOOC course is educated and qualified unless he or she can demonstrate it. MOOC also has been used by enrolled students who pay a tiny fee to get some credits in return. The MOOC business model has benefits and disadvantages from the point of view of economics. But if you really wish to make a deep analysis about this business model, it is better that you read the following strategic brainstorm slides from Eleonora Escalante Strategy. I want to share with you my brainstorm initial way of thinking, when I am trying to do problem solving. These slides are not structured by contents or categories, but only a brainstorm rain of ideas that later on help me to do corporate strategy analysis. You can print the document below, which is shared in PDF.

Any disruption to the educational system can´t be guided by the rule of benefits vs costs. Education is part of our integral formation as human beings, but humans have confused education with a machine production to get a degree in order to find a job or get employed. Meanwhile others have confused education with the rite of passage that will help them to make money, in any type of economic sector or industry that is trendy. And finally, other parents confuse education as the place where they can send their kids to get rid of the responsibility to educate them. With the MOOC many parents believe that the computer videos are the substitute for professors at a cheap cost… So much confusion. For us, excellent education takes at least between 23 years (without a doctorate) to 30 years (with a Ph.D.) of our life, and it is clever to see it as the foundation of our existence. Education help our brains to think properly. Education help us to protect ourselves from our own inventions. Education is the foundation of the Middle-Class and democracies. And as I have written before, education is pivotal to good professors. Professors or instructors require formal education and pedagogies not to become audio-video producers, but to help their learners to be trustful and excellent in everything they do now. Professors help people to be integral well beings that can identify issues to solve them, that can shape and change the wrongs of our societies, to make a better future for the next generations.

The MOOC drama relies in the lack of standards to qualify instructors at a local- national-regional and international accreditation level. Anyone can record a 30 minutes audio-visual content based on some academic background, create an account as an instructor at a MOOC website, and begin to share knowledge. In addition, a MOOC course is typically defined by 5 sessions or modules of 30 minutes each. Meanwhile a course in the university at least requires between 1.5 to 3 hours a week during 12 consecutive weeks. University courses usually require labs, quizzes, examinations (partial and final), assignments or homeworks, research activities, including team projects and presentations in public in front of the professor and classmates. Everything all together evaluated properly. In one phrase, MOOC education is like drinking american coffee (an espresso with water) compared with the University education that is like an espresso coffee.

These are my initial brainstorm reflections that you can discuss with your peers (if you are a professor), or with your colleagues if you are working in an institution. Next week I will continue with the theme 16. What is the Middle Class Fallacy? Why? How this has happened?

Thank you for reading to me. Be happy. We are almost done. Blessings.

Sources of reference utilized to get some ideas to prepare my slides:
https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/moocs/
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/042815/how-coursera-works-makes-money.asp
https://www.quora.com/How-does-Coursera-benefit-professors-who-offer-courses-through-it
https://blog.teachinguide.com/how-much-do-udemy-instructors-make/
https://www.onlinecoursehow.com/tips/is-udemy-worth-it-for-instructors/
https://www.geteducated.com/elearning-education-blog/online-instructor-jobs-and-pay-video/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-46085731
Disclaimer: Illustrations in Watercolor are painted by Eleonora Escalante. Other types of illustrations or videos (which are not mine) are used for educational purposes ONLY.  Nevertheless, the majority of the pictures, images, or videos shown on this blog are not mine.  I do not own any of the lovely photos or images posted unless otherwise stated.

Published by eleonoraescalantestrategy

Corporate Strategy Artist, San Salvador, El Salvador View all posts by eleonoraescalantestrategy