The pace of change is also breathtaking. For a marketing major who graduated with a BA in 1991 and learned about print and television advertising, the words Instagram, Facebook, and Google were gibberish. The technology and techniques for success behind these and other marketing efforts are changing constantly.
Against this backdrop, self-directed, competency-based informal learning is often the only option that makes sense (see Michelle R. Weise and Christensen’s latest on this as well here).
Traditional institutions of higher education are unlikely to fill this demand. Their institutions were not built to update and develop curriculum and short-term programs rapidly. Those best equipped to teach may be practitioners and real-world experts using online platforms that allow them to reach anyone instantly. For example, three days after Apple released Swift, its newest programming language, a developer had already launched an online course to brief others on the language.
This is the sharing economy of education. Adults can choose the competencies they need, from pivot tables in Excel to training a new puppy, and learn them when they need them online, no longer tied to academic calendars or seminar dates. Books of course can also do some of these jobs, but they take time to produce and publish, and they aren’t generally interactive or as accessible as quickly and simply. As a result, publishers and in-person training centers may be the first victims in this wave of disruption.
The world of online learning presents the largest opportunity outside of traditional education for individuals to move into a world of skills-based professional growth. What this looks like in 20 years is anyone’s guess, but just because online learning isn’t displacing traditional higher education tomorrow, doesn’t mean disruption isn’t in the works. It is, and it will change our notion of what education looks like, as tangible lifelong learning becomes a reality for many more.
This article first appeared in Forbes.
Michael Horn is a co-founder of the Clayton Christensen Institute and serves as the executive director of its education program. He leads a team that educates policymakers and community leaders on the power of disruptive innovation in the K-12 and higher education spheres.
Meg Evans is a former research assistant at the Clayton Christensen Institute and now the social innovation manager at Udemy
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