You’re not special!
Essence of popular Commencement Address
COVID has forced universities to do online teaching. So, what’s the value add of spending $60K for online instruction, when you paid for in-class instruction and the college experience?
Each college and university has 10 or more professors teaching the same class, such as Marketing 101 or Economics 101. Most instructors have the same knowledge, skills, and abilities in their respective disciplines.
So, what is the value-added differentiator in an educator or a college? College or instructor branding? May be! Some colleges are ivy-league branded. Some professors may be more inspirational, have more wisdom, have more degrees, and be more engaging instructors than others.
But, many introductory classes have 200 to 500 students in a huge auditorium and now 1000’s online. Real instruction was conducted by teaching assistants, who have their own priorities. There are now lots of instructors on YouTube who offer the same information for free. And if you want to be self-taught, there are hundreds of free resources on the web.
Multiply this situation by 1000’s of universities in one country with the same Marketing and Economics classes. Sounds like a market ripe for disruption, disintermediation, and friction reduction through just-in-time and online education. One or even 2 professors in a discipline may be laureates, world-class, and exceptional instructors. If they’re entrepreneurial, they can develop marketing curriculum and educate thousands using the internet. During and post COVID, this may be the future of education as many professors impart the same information. So, it seems with sky high costs in the U.S. and many countries, education is ripe for disruption.
Work Lesson Earned: So, back to the key question: What is the value-added differentiator in a college or professor? This is a critical question and a huge issue for education the world over. Ask the same questions about your specific knowledge domain, qualifications, credentials, functions, etc.