Stephen Downes

This is an article that could stand being half its current length but which makes a useful point. Universities seeking relevance are often advised to "transform the university from a four-year credential factory into a lifelong learning partner." Sounds great, but at a certain point learning, properly so-called, ceases to be an opportunity and begins to be an obligation. "When learning never ends, that space collapses. Every book becomes a potential credential. Every skill a line item on a digital passport. Every moment of growth an opportunity to document, to verify, to add." Or in summary, "Lifelong learning promises empowerment but delivers perpetual dependency... Your expertise is not embodied but rented. Your wisdom is not developed but subscribed to. Extraction dressed as service."