-Because of the tremendous increase in the use of technology in higher education, do you think it is important for high schools to prepare their students with courses on programs such as Microsoft?

-Technology is an amazing thing, but can also hinder the human mind. Do you believe that students are benefitting from increased technology used in universities or are they being spoon-fed information?

-Some colleges and majors require their students to purchase their own personal computers. Should the institutions be providing this technology for the students or should they have to incur this expense on their own?

-Is it important for professors to integrate technology in their teaching in order to gain and/or maintain tenure?

-Although online courses “offer greater access to educational opportunities” (Dr. Johnson, “How Technology Will Shape Learning”), are we losing what is traditional about higher education (professor-student interaction, peer interaction, etc)? Will this cause MOOCs to slowly die out?

-From my own experience with an online course, much of the learning is done by the student him/herself on their own time. This could be difficult for some people because there is no professor lecturing or going over material. There is no class time in which students can ask questions or consult with their peers. There is a different class environment with online courses. Although college students already experience independent learning in traditional courses, there seems to be a larger degree of independent learning when it comes to online courses. Motivated students have a greater chance of succeeding whereas students who tend to struggle may have difficulties. Should online degrees be looked upon as less prestigious than traditional ones? When evaluating credits from an online course, should institutions keep in mind that the student needed to have motivation and determination to complete the course?

-Macaulay requires its students to integrate technology in their final seminar presentations. One article states that “student projects should have not only an online instructional component, but defined areas of individual responsibility as well.” Does Macaulay do a just job in balancing the two? Should we be focusing more on the technological or individual aspect?

-How can smaller universities compete with larger ones if they have less of an IT budgets? What can they offer to attract funding from corporations?

-Should plagiarism be taken more or less seriously in today’s world? There are so many sources that students can find information from and it often becomes difficult to decipher your own ideas when so many other people’s ideas are spread across the web. Often times, more than one individual shares the same ideas as you. Like West Point does, should universities provide training on “intellectual property rights, online fact validation, and document sourcing and attribution?”

-How can institutions avoid the risk of obsolescence when technology is ever-changing and evolving? New technology emerges as soon as the old is put in place.

-Should universities implement exit-tests to show prospective employers that their students can apply the knowledge they learned, instead of basing their competency on transcripts and GPAs?

-How can MOOCs continue to be offered for little or no cost when so much time and effort is being used to make them feel more like a classroom environment?

-Studies show that motivated students succeed in online courses. California is trying to allow students in community colleges to take online courses for classes that they were shut out of. As the article said, “some community college students are the least prepared for college work” (A Massively Bad Idea). How does California expect these students to succeed in MOOCs if they can barely pass in a traditional class setting? Is allowing students to take online classes a better idea than making them wait until they have a seat in the class? Is it fair that some students graduate late because they could not get into a class they needed? Will these online classes help students graduate on time or result in them having to retake the class because they could not pass?

-Will an increase in online classes create or decrease jobs for professors/teachers?

-If MOOCs continue to offer students an education for little or no cost, will there be a shift from traditional “bricks and mortar” education to earning a degree through online education?

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1. Bowen stated that there is a need for the reengineering of higher education. Where do we start?

2. Gardner says that universities should “cut the frills” when it comes to residential life to reduce the cost of higher education. From my own experience, many students use the condition of the dorms and residential life as one of the deciding factors when choosing a college. Will “cutting the frills” and making dorms simpler and less homely or luxurious result in less applicants and/or dormers? Will students who live close enough decide to commute instead?

3. Tenured professors are protected and have rights to academic freedom, but should they be evaluated every few years to ensure that they are doing their jobs, teaching students meaningful material, and treating them fairly?

4. If states are granting more than half of their financial aid on need rather than merit, what will keep students striving to do their best if they are not rewarded?