Marc me signale cet excellent article de Campus Technology sur l’incidence des coûts technologiques quant à l’augmentation des frais de scolarité dans les universités américaines. Une des grandes qualités de l’article, c’est de rappeler avec éloquence les diverses raisons pour lesquelles les universités investissent en technologie :
- l’intérêt pédagogique : « …[I]f schools want to provide their students with an education that is relevant to today’s workplace, they have no choice but to spend on technology. And computers are more expensive than chalk. » ET « Increasingly, students expect to see the tech systems they take for granted in their daily lives incorporated into the fabric of their learning, too. “Students are becoming more and more reliant on technology, and we can’t continue to have them ‘power down’ when they walk into a classroom,” says Don Chaney, assistant dean for distance education and outreach in the College of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida. “Our educational system must evolve into more online and mobile environments.” » Mais il y a des effets de mode : par exemple, le iPad dont l’efficacité pédagogique reste à démontrer.
- l’image techno pour le recrutement : « “Now it’s: ‘Can I bring my mobile device? Can I sign it onto your network? And how ubiquitous is your wireless? And, by the way, are you sure you have a 100 MB connection in the dorms?’ The truth is, if you don’t offer a reasonable tech package, the best students go elsewhere.”
And seen through traditionalist eyes, much of what constitutes a “reasonable tech package” has little–if anything–to do with improving the quality of teaching and learning on campuses today. » ET « For a college to lag behind the local Starbucks in wireless connectivity, or to provide less bandwidth than a residential cable provider, may well have long-term implications for its competitiveness and its brand. » - les demandes des étudiants : « Instead of feeling privileged to have the opportunity to learn from distinguished academics, many students now view their higher education experience in much the same way they do a weekend at the Hyatt. A 2008 study of 1,025 students at the University of South Alabama, conducted by assistant professors Zachary Finney and Treena Gillespie, discovered that 52 percent of respondents considered themselves customers of the university. » [notre emphase] « This attitude has only been exacerbated by the consumerization of IT and the stunning speed with which technology has infiltrated every facet of life. »
On explique que, selon Gartner, les universités consacrent en moyenne de 3.5 % à 5.4 % de leurs budgets annuels à leurs services informatiques. Les pourcentages sont plus faibles pour les grandes institutions à cause des économies d’échelle. Évidemment, l’ensemble de cet argent n’est pas directement dépensés en services aux étudiants. Une part importante est investie dans les services administratifs… qui pourraient réduire les coûts.
L’article est complété par deux encadrés sur la possibilité d’utiliser les technologies pour neutraliser les coûts et la formation à distance comme alternative bas prix aux études présentielles. Dans les deux cas, on comprend qu’il n’y a pas de solution simple.
Source :
Waters, John K., « The High Cost of College: Is Tech Part of the Problem or the Solution? », Campus Technology, 26 juin 2012. [Note : à lire en format imprimable pour éviter de changer de page et les intrusions publicitaires afférentes]
