“We’re Not Phoenix” Prestige, MOOCs, Etc.

Pay attention…higher ed is changing quickly. Tressiemc is doing important work.

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In a recent talk at UC-Irvine I mentioned that MOOC purveyors had learned lessons from the trajectory of for-profit higher education. I made a passing mention to 2tor CEO saying they would not have to build prestige; they’d borrow it instead. I thought this quote also sums up that point nicely:

“We’re not Phoenix,” insists 2tor CEO Chip Paucek, dissing the massive for-profit online education player. “Online education has been dominated by the for-profits, but nothing is even close to this in terms of quality. We’re doing this at the highest possible level.”

“We’re not Phoenix” is a not so subtle move to distinguish itself not from the mode of delivery or even the organizational motive (profit) but from the lack of prestige of for-profits. I’ve talked here about the prestige hierarchy that orders higher education from high to low. I’ve also talked about how much resentment exists among…

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