The Biggest Story of 2012 May Also Be the Most Overhyped
This is the time of year when bloggers and reporters (some of whom, in the interest of full disclosure, are planning to take some time off for the holidays) produce a series of Year in Review stories. We asked our staff and our K20 Task Force members to share their thoughts on the biggest education news story of 2012. We also asked them for the most over-hyped education story of the year.
The answer, perhaps surprisingly, was the same. Online learning in higher education, and the way it has been covered by the news media, is both the most significant story of the year . . . and also the one that has been trivialized by shallow reporting.
As K20 Task Force member Tom Dawson noted, “2012 will be remembered as the year that the traditional academy got over its phobia of online education.”
Ben Wildavsky, also a member of our K20 Task Force, highlighted “the sheer number of students who signed up:
The answer, perhaps surprisingly, was the same. Online learning in higher education, and the way it has been covered by the news media, is both the most significant story of the year . . . and also the one that has been trivialized by shallow reporting.
As K20 Task Force member Tom Dawson noted, “2012 will be remembered as the year that the traditional academy got over its phobia of online education.”
Ben Wildavsky, also a member of our K20 Task Force, highlighted “the sheer number of students who signed up:
