Thille, C. & Smith, J. (2011). Cold Rolled Steel and Knowledge: What Can Higher Education Learn about Productivity? Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning. March/April 2011.

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Abstract

How is teaching introductory statistics like producing a high-quality coil of cold rolled steel? Can educators learn techniques from the manufacturing sector that make instruction more productive? Such questions typically create immediate controversy when raised with an academic audience. Indeed, almost any suggestion that there may be analogies between instruction and the production of goods is met with unease.

The unease is appropriate, because the mechanisms by which humans develop knowledge and skills are far more complex, non-linear, and— as of now, at least—less well understood than the processes for producing cold rolled steel or any other manufactured good. However, the time has come to get past the discomfort: there is something to be gained by exploring the potential similarities.

Thille, C. & Smith, J. (2010). Learning Unbound: Disrupting the Baumol/Bowen Effect in Higher Education. Futures Forum. American Council on Education 2010.

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Abstract

In the United States, from 1982 to 2006, the cost of higher education increased 439%, far outstripping the consumer price index, which increased 106% over the same period.(1) Reports such as the one prepared for the UNESCO 2009 World Conference on Higher Education detail the fact that, despite some progress, the supply of tertiary education remains far from meeting the global demand.(2) Cost is clearly a key factor in providing greater access. Explanations of the high cost of higher education abound, ranging from well-meaning efforts to improve service to students and the professional lives of faculty(3) to poor management practices and new requirements for complying with government regulations(4) to the increased capital equipment costs associated with teaching increasingly complex topics using more expensive technology.(5)

Thille, C. (2010). Educational Technology as a Transformational Innovation. The White House Summit on Community Colleges Conference Paper.

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Abstract

President Obama’s goal to raise the nation's college graduation rate to 60% by 2020 demands that we address the seemingly impossible challenge of making higher education less expensive and more accessible while also increasing its effectiveness. The difficulty is heightened by the fact that faculty and institutions must support not only an increase in the number of students but also greater variability in the student population's background knowledge, relevant skills and future goals. Educational technology can be a key component of success, but only if it leverages the results and methodologies of learning science to create transformational innovations that fundamentally change the way higher education is developed, delivered and improved year-after-year.