TIME's "Reinventing College"

With the blackout, canceled classes, and general distraction of Hurricane Sandy, I am just getting around to reading TIME Magazine's excellent recent issue devoted to "Reinventing College" (October 29, 2012).  I was especially happy to see Amanda Ripley's lead article, "College Is Dead.  Long Live College!" which does a great job of assessing the rising tide of internet optimism surrounding massive open online courses or MOOCs (an acronym destined to be a major addition to the dictionary this year.)  As she writes:  "Already, the hyperventilating has outpaced reality; desperate parents are praying that free online universities will finally pop the tuition bubble -- and nervous college officials don't want to miss out on a potential gold rush."  Writing about her own experience of a MOOC, she provides a very refreshing portrait of how technology can add a lot to college students' educational experiences, when done right.  There is no question in my mind that MOOCs are going to change college, if only by changing the way many traditional college courses are taught.  Students working on their papers for this class will appreciate the statistics and graphics in "Degrees of Difficulty," which I expect to see in a few student presentations....  Check it out.