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One of the most stunning moments in the recent Ed Talks Wisconsin came towards the end of a Friday night discussion about MOOCs. The room was heavily populated with graduate students, many of whom were asking about the implications of these online courses for their employment prospects.  With the decoupling of teaching from their future responsibilities, many were (rightly) worried about how they'd be trained, funded, and what they'd do post degree. As one student put it,"What's the incentive for the next generation of scholars to pursue a PhD?"   In response to that question, the Chancellor of the UW Colleges, Ray Cross, responded this way: "Is your goal to get a PhD, or is your goal to change education?" Many in the room looked up, confused about whether he was serious. Well, an email that just arrived from UW-Madison suggests he was.  The newsletter it included contained the following key blurb: " New program trains students to create online cou...

On June 19, the University of Wisconsin System announced an initiative called the Flex Degree which was described as competency-based online instruction.  That day, I blogged about it , noting that while I certainly had some concerns, there were enough potential positive effects of the program to withhold full judgment either way. Friends on both sides were surprised.  Colleagues who know and respect the priority I place on access and affordability for all potential students thought I should have been more strongly supportive of the "innovative" initiative that has the promise to drive down costs.  Others, of the liberal activist persuasion, noted  Governor Scott Walker's involvement, and the strong likelihood of negative repercussions for faculty job security and the quality of education delivered.  Still, I demurred, deciding to wait to hear more. Unfortunately, information hasn't exactly been forthcoming.  I keep up to speed, reading the papers and blog...