I have tried to rearrange my schedule to be at the meeting. However,
I remain deeply concerned that there has been no response regarding the
"problem framing issue." The framing still appears to be, "What do we do
after Athena" and not, "How are these rapidly evolving technologies
likely to affect our collective enterprise, and what steps can we take
to assure our number one position?"
The report might begin,
"The evolving and emerging technologies of information
processing and telecommunications are affecting virtually every aspect
of American life. Higher education is no exception. Indeed, M.I.T. has
been 'in on the beginnings' of much of this revolution, a moment in
history with consequences likely to be as profound as that associated
with the inventions of airplanes, automobiles, telephones and mass
production. This revolution is occurring now, with indicators
suggesting 30% monthly growth in use of some of these technologies.
What are these technologies? They are multi-media linked to
computers (e.g., CD ROMS, videodisks), Internet and its friendly new
face -- the World Wide Web (WWW), high bandwidth communications channels
made possible by fiber optics, interactive television, video phone,
wireless communications, and many more. The motion of invention is so
fast that not even Doc Edgerton's camera can adequately capture it at
any instant. Nor should our strategic planning for M.I.T.'s long term
use of these technologies be constrained or framed by any particular
current incarnation of these technologies. The stakes are too high, the
growth too rapid, the precise nature of future technologies too
uncertain, to base a 20 year plan on a current blurry snapshot.
That said, we have decided to submit this "report" in a form of the new
media that exemplifies the revolution: the WWW, with its hypertext
linked pages, and its pictures, videos and sounds. Reading this now (or
"experiencing this now"), you are linked to the world by the press of a
button (or mouse!). Each blue word set, when clicked on, will open up
another page or pages of related information and topics. Many of the
linked pages herein are pointers to our own creation, our own "report."
But many are not. They are pointers to the world; to music libraries in
Germany; to archives in Washington, D.C.; to video clips of
Shakespearean plays; to up-to-the-minute quotes for Wall Street; to
subjects being taught over the Internet from M.I.T., Cornell and from
several "virtual universities."
Yes, universities are now very much involved with the Internet and the
WWW, in teaching, research, public relations and in showing their faces
to the world (e.g., high schoolers learn much about a university these
days by cruising the Web). The WWW is becoming astronomically popular
because it is simple to use and understand. Arcane instructions a la
the old Arpanet no longer need to be memorized. It is a popular
communication vehicle for retired persons, a group that has resisted
ATM's and other vestiges of the computer revolution. One of our
colleagues co-authored two fundamental journal articles with a colleague
in Australia over the Internet during a two year period; each would work
on the papers eight hours a day, then forward the progress to the other.
The first paper was presented at an international conference 18 months
after the collaboration began; that moment was the first time that the
two authors met, face to face!
The relative terrestrial locations of individuals in research, in
teaching and in learning are becoming much less important than they
were before the revolution. Virtual companies are growing rapidly; so
are virtual universities. We do not have a crystal ball, so we dare not
predict the future. But we can say with some confidence that the future
in higher education will very likely not resemble the brick and mortar
of today. The telecommunications/information technologies are changing
the face, facade and function of universities in important and
fundamental ways. This presents both opportunities and risks to M.I.T.
It is an opportunity to open new initiatives in education, to use the
new media as educational delivery channels to alumni in continuing
lifelong learning, to employees at industrial partners, to students at
other universities who may wish to cross register electronically in
M.I.T. subjects. M.I.T., no longer constrained by the physical
limitations of its confined Cambridge campus, could reach out across the
oceans and offer subjects, even degree programs in Europe, Asia and
elsewhere. "Distance learning" is now upon us; because of the new
technologies it is something we must make conscience decisions about.
These opportunities are made feasible by considering the new
technologies as distribution channels for "our product," world class
educational services. But there are other opportunities as well, and we
discuss them in the report. The most exciting are the ones that
leverage the new technologies to create new learning environments, as
illustrated by M.I.T.'s own "Project Shakespeare."
The risks to M.I.T. are real. They exist for every university. Yes,
M.I.T. is very special and can probably endure the risks without
deliberate action longer than many other universities. But M.I.T. does
not have the luxury of deciding whether to participate in the
revolution; it is already participating. A decision to "do no more, to
stick to the status quo," is as much a decision as one that risks
hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in new
technology-facilitated initiatives. The evolving technologies -- by
reducing the importance of space/time coincidence of researchers with
colleagues, of teachers with students, of administrators with faculty --
will facilitate radically new educational products and services. No
longer can only Wellesley and Harvard students cross register in M.I.T.
subjects; students from around the world can! Conversely, M.I.T.
students are no longer restricted to Wellesley and Harvard for their own
cross registration; they too have the world at their (literal)
fingertips. The best lecturer in subject "X" (e.g., freshman calculus,
elementary circuit theory, probability and statistics, economics 101)
can be "delivered" world wide by the new media. It is entirely possible
that a small elite group of super lecturers will emerge as the
"professors of choice" for given subjects. This, needless to say, would
have profound consequences on the typical way in which universities are
organized and financed. There could emerge a "battle for market share"
and an extended period of economic shakeout and consolidation of the
brick and mortar universities. This is not unthinkable; it has happened
in many other U.S. businesses including banking, retailing and
agriculture. It may not be popularly correct to say it, but beneath the
unique and wonderful functioning of a university is a business structure
that assures its longevity. We cannot ignore threats to that structure.
The specific scenarios we are contemplating here are mere speculation,
but we believe they are suggestive of the level of change that we can
expect within the next 20 or so years.