Are you relying on an addict?
A lot of mainstream education providers are willing to sell their soul for their next fix of government funding.
The title of the post might seem a shock tactic to catch your attention (and it is) but it’s disturbing to consider how far this analogy can be applied when you start thinking about the relationship between education and public money in New Zealand.
There is no doubt that education is a public good and worthy of public funding, but the level of dependency at tertiary level has reached a point where the interests of learners are not always paramount.
The reality is that government is well aware of this dependency and uses it to ‘steer’ the tertiary sector where it sees fit. The interests of government determine the direction, and the provision or removal of funds pressure the entire sector to oblige.
What happens, then, when the government’s preferred direction is not consistent with the best interests of you as a learner? You lose out.
This is not a criticism of tertiary providers or of the government even. The simple reality is that where a dependency (or addiction) has been created, the sufferer will do whatever it takes to maintain the supply it can not go without.
In education this means working with a prescribed and limited range of content, learners and methods which are deemed worthy of substantial funding.
That’s why I love e-learning, while public funders and those who receive public funding do not. Best practise e-learning does not require government funding to work. The opportunity to break free of the government purse strings leaves elearning providers with no reason to jump through the usual hoops. It allows elearning providers to deliver what our learners need, when and where they need it. When we say “our learners’ interests are paramount” we say it honestly and knowing that noone can bribe us to act differently.
“But…” I hear you cry “…isn’t the profit motive just as relevant for you?” Absolutely. We are utterly dependant on our learners. Our entire existence depends on you having a positive and worthwhile learning experience with us. You are the funder. Your expectations are what matter. Nobody elses.
How does e-learning make this miracle happen?
Intelligent use of technology allows enables elearning providers to deliver highly effective education and training in a way that reduces massive overheads and generates economies of scale. That’s why we can also deliver great solutions to organisations, providing better training which is hugely cost-effective.
We are no longer the middle man. We don’t need the government to subsidise what we do. As a result we don’t need resources devoted to jumping us through hoops held up by the Ministry of Education, Tertiary Education Commission, NZQA and others. Instead those resources are invested in excellent programme design and best practise delivery methods which are very much in your interests.
In short, we are obliged to focus entirely on delivering a quality learning experience that meets your needs. That’s not a sales pitch. It’s what real quality assurance sounds like – not the jargon of compliance-speak. You don’t need NZQA to tell you quality’s important to us.
We live and die by the quality of our work because our fate is entirely in your hands.
That means you’re in charge and surely that’s a better place to be.
Related posts:
- E-Learning and small business – lessons from the UK and Europe
- NZ Report: E-learning for adult literacy, language and numeracy
- Transform with elearning: What do you wish your community, organisation or industry did better?
- Why not-for-profits should embrace elearning
- Download NZ Draft Tertiary Education Strategy
