The tradeoff between access, affordability, and quality

Does a high quality traditional college education cost more? In a word, yes. The reasons vary.

"Access is a function of who pays for the quality you want," says Lombardi. "Is it necessary for an education to cost $40K per student? No. But is it necessary that it cost $10K per student? And if the student is poorly prepared, wants to study chemistry, or is interested in being where there is a high quality non-academic extracurricular life, then the cost will go well beyond $10K. There is a difference between quality and utility. A $90K Mercedes is better than a $20K Ford. But is it better for getting groceries? The issue of quality is a matter of cost. The issue of utility is a matter of cost. But they do not cost the same. We reach diminishing returns on the investment in utility well before reaching the diminishing returns on the investment in quality."

Depending on how one defines quality, it can be improved at a reduced cost through the use of technology. While technology has been used to improve the administration of the learning process, there is less evidence that its use to improve the delivery of learning has significantly increased. And while technology may enable the delivery of some forms of utility at lower cost than traditional education, institutions will need to employ high cost technology in order to achieve a higher quality educational product.

In describing the challenge, Allen also shares an analogy from the automobile industry: the difference between delivering a high quality, machine tooled, custom-made automobile to the few who can afford one, as opposed to the basic, but still high-quality vehicle that's reasonably customizable to a mass audience. It's the concept of mass customization that is only made possible through the use of technology.

"What I am saying is that the education industry has the opportunity to do the same as the automobile and other industries if we can give up the paradigm that a college education is only possible if one goes to an ivy-covered school in a little New England village for four years out of high school, and that's it," he says. "It was a great experience then, and still is, but only for the select few who get the opportunity. Twenty-first century society needs much more."

Kelsall says one of the often undervalued benefits of technology is the improved faculty and student efficiency that is obtained through its use. This improved efficiency, while difficult to quantify, can be substantial, and can result in an improved return on investment. Kuttler concurs, pointing to activities like the creation of media-rich RLOs (reusable learning objects) through projects like Merlot, which can enrich both interactivity and the understanding of complex concepts.