Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ The Future of the Public Mission of Universities

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

This is a transcript, with slides, from a teriffic talk given by Robin DeRosa  on the privatization of public infrastructure and the outsourcing of core educational functions - like online course design and hosting - to commercial entities. The first half of the talk looks at the impact of privatization in other areas and some of the problems it can cause. The talk then looks at privatization in education specifically. There`s a lot that could be said, but I think a few points are worth underlining. First, privatization represents a lost of control over key infrastructure (with resulting fee increases, reductions in service, and co-option to serve other interests). And second, privatization does not actually save governments the money it purports to save. Comprehensive and persuasive, this article deserves a slow read.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Apr 19, 2024 01:27 a.m.

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