The document discusses the impact of disruptive technologies on education, highlighting a shift from traditional teaching methods to learner-centered approaches and the necessity for institutions to adapt to new educational models. It emphasizes the concept of 'disruptive technology' as outlined by Clayton Christensen, suggesting that established educational institutions may fail if they do not embrace and innovate with new technologies. Key strategies for adapting include unbundling education, outsourcing services, and forming strategic partnerships to enhance educational delivery and efficiency.

1. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
1
Disruptive Technologies in
Education
Adapted from “Dancing with the
Devil: the Knowledge Worker Waltz”
by Rodney B. Murray, Ph.D.
Presented at AISR Retreat
June 1999

2. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
2
Technology Drivers
• Shift from manufacturing to services
(atoms to bits; books to Web)
• Digital convergence
(television, telephone, computers, Web)
• Supply chain economics
(just-in-time manufacturing; learning)
• Information as commodity

3. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
3
Societal Needs
• Industry and the Military still spend more
on education than the Public and Private
Education Sector
• Shift from
– "just-in-case" education to
– "just-in-time/any-time/any-place" education
– and eventually, "just-for-you” education

4. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
4
Changing Nature of Academic
Activity
• 20th Century: Time-honored trinity of
"teaching, research & service"
(education, research & patient care)
• 21st Century: creating, preserving,
integrating, transmitting and applying
knowledge

5. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
5
We are “Knowledge Workers”
and the University is a
“Knowledge Server”

6. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
6
University as "Knowledge Server"
Creating
Preserving
Integrating
Applying
(Serving)
Transmitting
Research
Education
Patient
Care
Knowledge
Workers

7. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
7
Teaching to Learning
• Now: teacher centered; classroom-based
• Future: learner centered; anywhere, anytime
• Teacher role designer, consultant,
coach

8. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
8
Restructuring Higher Education
• Unbundling
• Outsourcing
• Strategic Partnerships
• Spinning Off

9. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
9
Unbundle Education
• Separate general education from mastery in
a discipline or profession, i.e.,
• Separate delivery of content from
certification of competency
• Sell educational modules, then full courses
• Offer 'certificate' programs (Microsoft does)

10. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
10
Outsource Services
• Keep core competencies in-house
• Let others do what they do best
• Email? Desktop support?
• Lectures? Educational media?
• What's next?

11. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
11
Strategic Partnerships
• We provide the knowledge (content)
• Partner with distributors:
– Traditional & Open Source publishers
– Self Publishing (Jefferson Digital Commons)
– Broadband delivery services
• Public Broadcast TV (WHYY?)
• Cable Operators (Comcast?)

12. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
12
Spinning Off
• Like outsourcing, but we outsource to ourselves
• We do it now with Technology Transfer
“the creation of new companies based on University
technology is also encouraged”
• Why not with computer-based learning and
distance education?
• This is how we avoid the "Innovator's
Dilemma"

13. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
13
The Innovator's Dilemma: How
disruptive technologies can
destroy established markets
Clayton Christensen
(1997, Harvard Business School Press)

14. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
14
The Innovator’s Dilemma
• Why do some well-managed
companies (education institutions) that stay
on top of new technology and practice
quality customer service still falter?

15. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
15
The Innovator’s Dilemma
• Christensen suggests that by placing too
great an emphasis on satisfying customers'
current needs, companies fail to adapt or
adopt new technology that will meet
customers' unstated or future needs, and he
argues that such companies will eventually
fall behind. He calls this phenomenon
“disruptive technology.”

16. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
16
The Innovator's Dilemma
• "Incumbent companies (Universities) ...
hardly ever bring new technologies to
market"
• "Sustaining and disruptive technologies are
very different..."
• Educational technology is a "sustaining"
technology if we use it just to provide
better, faster and cheaper education the
same old way

17. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
17
The Innovator's Dilemma (con't)
• The Internet and WWW are "disruptive"
technologies for almost all businesses
including the Education Establishment
• “incumbents will miss the value of the
Internet, and new companies (institutions)
will rise to dominate the Internet's new
markets” (Amazon, Google, University of
Phoenix, virtual universities)

18. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
18
Why do incumbents fail with
disruptive technologies?
• DT development teams fail to compete for
resources with incumbent core technologies
• Hewlett-Packard failed at first by keeping
laser printer development in-house
• Xerox didn’t embrace the DT they helped to
invent -- the GUI
• Many, many business cases show similar
failures

19. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
19
Recent Examples of DT Failures
• The music and film industry incumbents are
struggling to fight the tide of DT in media
(downloadable music and movies) instead of
embracing the new DTs and re-inventing
themselves
• Sony of Walkman fame totally misses the
portable mp3 music player market thanks to
Apple and its iPod

20. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
20
How can Incumbents Meet the
Challenge of Disruptive Technologies?
• …by spinning off, or at least “in-sourcing”
• IBM established a new unit and built the PC
at a new location in Boca Raton, Florida
• Toys-R-US spun off ‘toys-r-us.com’
• Barnes & Noble spun off
‘barnesandnoble.com’

21. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
21
Classic Case Study
• AA (AMR Corp.) developed the Sabre Airline
Ticket Reservation System for in-house use
• Sabre was ‘spun off’ as a separate business
(TSG) selling it’s services to other airlines;
runs travelocity.com, and sells IT services
• AMR makes more money selling information
via Sabre than it does flying airplanes!!!

22. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
22
Lessons Learned

23. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
23
Lessons Learned
• Remove unnecessary processes and
administrative structures
• Micromanaged institutions will not flourish
• Engage campus in a vision (AISR’s
Learning Infrastructure Project)
• Develop the capacity for change -- be a
change agent!

24. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
24
Lessions Learned (con't)
• Develop the faculty
• Manage IT as a strategic campus asset
• Focus on assessment of student outcomes
• Make universal, convenient, and affordable
access to PCs, the Internet, and software a
reality for all students and employees

25. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
25
Lessions Learned (con't)
• Devise strategies ... Be agile
• Focus on core competencies
• Outsource where practical
• Spin off business units to exploit the new
disruptive technologies

26. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
26
What “Disruptive Technologies” are
Challenging Education now?
• Web 2.0 Technologies
–Blogs
–Wiki’s
–Podcasting
–Enhanced (video) Podcasting
–Open education

27. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
27
university.com ?
Maybe our University should spin off a “dot
com” and develop these “disruptive”
educational technologies

28. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
28
References
• Dancing with the Devil, Richard N. Katz
(Editor), Jossey-Bass Publishers.
• The Monster Under the Bed, Stan Davis,
Touchstone Books.
• The Innovator's Dilemma, Clayton M.
Christensen, Harvard Business School
Press.

29. July 11, 2006 Disruptive Technologies in
Education
29
For more information visit…
Rod’s Pulse Podcast
http://www.RodsPulsePodcast.com
rod@RodsPulsePodcast.com