What would David Say? (A message from beyond.)

What would David say?

(A message from beyond.)

Will the nations’ hallowed universities quake and crumble when confronted by the onslaught of the dreaded, technology laden, heartless cMOOCs and xMOOCs?  Will our esteemed professors become endangered species?  Are MOOCs dystopic?

“Isn’t it ironic – a heralded skeptic like me, located in what some call the “hereafter”, being asked to share my thoughts with you on such an important subject.  What a remarkable universe!  What an honor.

“…Anyway, in a nutshell, in my view, human nature and the institutions which humans create are endlessly adaptable to the challenges that new science and technologies bring about.  And, as our friend Darwin and modern business practices strongly suggest, when humans and their institutions don’t adapt, they die.  Both have an innate and powerful desire to survive and prosper - so extinction certainly is not going to happen. 

“MOOCs have come about because of serious deficiencies in world’s educational systems, leaving vast numbers of the worlds’ young uneducated - throttling their innate innovative capacity, their economic opportunities and their liberty.  These very facts run counter to all the hopes and objectives of Enlightenment thinking.

“In summary:

(1)   There is no question in my mind that universities will creatively and aggressively integrate MOOCs into their curriculum, and,

(2)   Professors’ and educators’ roles and approach to teaching will continue to change, but they will be no less important – maybe even more so.

“Most heartening of all, MOOCs will help unleash the energy and potential of hundreds of millions of humans around the globe.  Accordingly, economic prosperity and liberty are certain to grow by leaps and bounds.

“Finally, even though I have strong views against superstition and miracles, I quite like the idea of my toe being stroked by such a large and diverse group of young people!!...

With Great Affection and Hope,”

David Hume

(The photos of young people were purchased from Photos.com.  The David Hume statue photo was copied from the “Frost Scottish Anatomy” article “Touch bronze: David Hume’s sculpture becomes a lucky charm for Scottish students”.  The Hume toe sculpture photo was taken form an article by Richard Wiseman entitled “The world’s most annoying stature”. And the remaining pictures came from iStock.)