Comments on: An Ivy League Marketing Education for Free?

By: Jon Foster

Jon Foster — Thu, 22 Feb 2007 15:03:36 +0000

Much of the information in school, via books, and teachers’ experience is five years old or greater. If information is power, not only the notes and lectures offered for “free” but the actual classes should be considered “low voltage”.
If you are after real knowledge, you won’t find it in school. Schools are repositories of facts and information, much of which is theoretical and much of which has not been proven. Real world experience with seasoned mentors is currently where knowledge lives…the place where fact is separated by fiction. This is the proving ground, the proverbial, cutting edge. Degrees are bought by students and sold through institutions of “higher ed” every day. Caveat emptor, mes enfants! Never let school ruin your educations.

By: Peep

Peep — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 04:59:48 +0000

I don’t think it will affect the number of people applying for degrees in a bad way or discourage people from applying to long-distance programs.
While you might get access to the resources for free, you still won’t get the degree. If you’re interested in career, then employers look for a degree before your knowledge.
Personal MBA has been for free for some time now and I don’t think it has decreased the number of students.

By: Stephen Denny

Stephen Denny — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 03:11:38 +0000

Paul: putting “bulk packs”, course materials and lecture notes online is a great idea and I’m glad it’s becoming more accessible.
This creates an environment where top programs get greater mindshare outside their campuses — they get quoted, sought after, and heard.
This is no closer to getting an MBA for free than reading a Bible is to sainthood. What does this do for mail order MBA programs? It probably won’t hurt them too much, as MIT and others aren’t offering ‘honor system MBA’s.’ But frankly, as a hiring manager, I never put much value in a mail order MBA, so I’m biased.

By: David Lee

David Lee — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 03:16:17 +0000

The OpenCourseWare inherently excludes vital classroom experiences and academic recognition.
Nevertheless it is a great project to encourage and provide oppportunities for self-learers of the world.

By: Jason Bradfield

Jason Bradfield — Sat, 17 Feb 2007 01:35:59 +0000

I am in the middle of the MBA application process and I think that classwork is just not as important as some might think – it’s really not what your paying for. If your smart and motivated enough to get into a top program you’re probably smart and motivated enough to teach yourself a lot of the textbook stuff. The biggest value of an MBA comes from interacting with other bright ambitious students and professors as well as getting an entry into a solid alumni network.
As this trend continues I think those business schools with great alumni, well-connected professors, and strategic locations will be at an advantage. A big part of business school is networking opportunities and
Location might start playing a bigger role too. For example, right now I am inclined to go to a business school located in NYC because of the tremendous networking/internship opportunities there instead of another b-school that almost certainly has better classes. The information in those classes I can get online – usually from the professor’s website, the endless networking opportunities are only available in certain areas.

By: Paul Barsch

Paul Barsch — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:30:50 +0000

Beth, I agree with you about the need for structure. Some people, myself included, just cannot get motivated for coursework unless there is a deadline involved.
That said, there is a delta of about $30K for online MBAs vs “free”. While I’d miss some of the interactivity online, and of course the actual degree itself, that amount of money alone might get me motivated to learn on my own!
I think the marketers for online MBA programs across the globe are facing a huge potential “disruptor”.

By: Beth Robinson

Beth Robinson — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 15:54:40 +0000

I think that having the information available may give more confidence and motivation to those unsure about pursueing formal higher education programs. It will also build trust in the universities that provide such information. If I like the online material then that university might be the first place I apply to once I make the decision to continue. I started to add an answer to your question regarding online MBA programs, as I am a prospective student, but my comments grew into a full blown post at my blog http://mba.pumpkin12pm.com

By: Cam Beck

Cam Beck — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 14:19:05 +0000

This is something I’m definitely going to try out. Thank you for spreading the word. Ultimately I don’t think it will increase the DEMAND for higher learning, but it will increase the available, affordable supply of higher learning courses. But I don’t think it will change the demand for accreditation. Justified or not, people see too much value in it for that to drop off.
I wonder how this will affect organizations like The Learning Company, which sells lectures and course notes for fees anywhere from $40 to several hundred dollars without the benefit of federal and state funded scholarship programs or even a steady stream of tuition money to offset the costs…

By: Maureen Rogers

Maureen Rogers — Fri, 16 Feb 2007 13:42:18 +0000

Paul – Very interesting post. I knew that MIT and other schools were making their courseware available, but hadn’t realized the extent. A couple of points: certainly for the A-list institutions like MIT, they aren’t cannibalizing their product in the least by “giving away IP”. They will continue to attract students because of the faculty-student interaction you cite and – most importantly – because of the networking contacts and job opportunities that abound for graduates of these schools. An MBA from Sloan School (MIT’s business school) will always trump a distance learning degree, or an in-person degree from a lesser known school.(At least I hope so, as I’m actually a Sloan grad.)
One question I have: will the A-list schools start packaging up and selling courses to distance learning outfits, or start offering distance courses themselves? (Or do they already?) Even if they do, I don’t think this will necessarily cannibalize the market for their “real” degrees and degrade their brand. They won’t let that happen.
Meanwhile, distance learning keeps getting “more real” all the time with the improvements in conferencing software (Centra/Saba, Adobe Breeze, WebEx).More interaction, more opportunities for students and faculty to collaborate. It will be interesting to see how this all pans out.I still don’t see these degrees having the cachet or prestige of the “real thing”, but they certainly provide practical and tangible value to lifetime learners.