Higher Ed Gets an Online Overhaul

Enlarge image

Credit MomMaven via Flickr Creative Commons

As more and more students head to American colleges and universities to advance their education and economic prospects, there is dwindling faith in the quality of a four-year degree, especially given the high price tag. Meanwhile, a whole new model of learning is quickly gaining ground. Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer education to anybody with a reliable internet connection, often for free.  MOOCs are attracting massive amounts of students, investment capital, and accolades.

Nicholas Carr is author of the book The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, and a contributor to the MIT Technology Review where he wrote about the potential impacts of MOOCs on higher education. Listen to our interview with him discussing MOOCs.