[Economist] 慕课的回归（4）

Learning and earning

慕课的回归

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Educational Lego
乐高式教育

Universities can become more modular, too. EdX has a micro masters in supply-chain management that can either be taken on its own or count towards a full masters at MIT. The University of Wisconsin-Extension has set up a site called the University Learning Store, which offers slivers of online content on practical subjects such as project management and business writing. Enthusiasts talk of a world of “stackable credentials” in which qualifications can be fitted together like bits of Lego.
大学同样可以变得更加模块化。EdX 有一个关于供应链管理的微学位，既可以在他们那边完成也可以计入 MIT 的完整学位之中。The University of Wisconsin-Extension 设立了一个名为 Learning Store 的网站，在线提供了诸如工程管理以及商业写作的一些实践类小课程。支持者希望像乐高玩具那样提供各式各样教育最终形成“累积式认证”。

Just how far and fast universities will go in this direction is unclear, however. Degrees are still highly regarded, and increased emphasis on critical thinking and social skills raises their value in many ways. “The model of campuses, tenured faculty and so on does not work that well for short courses,” adds Jake Schwartz, General Assembly’s boss. “The economics of covering fixed costs forces them to go longer.”
但是作为学校能在这方面走得多快以及多远尚有待观察。学位的重要性不需多言，而对于批判性思维和社会技能的要求则增加了此种重要性。General Assembly 的老板 Jake Schwartz 认为“学校和教职员工目前扮演的角色尚不足以适应短期课程的需要，抵消固定成本的需求使得课程时间必须变长。”

Academic institutions also struggle to deliver really fastmoving content. Pluralsight uses a model similar to that of book publishing by employing a network of 1,000 experts to produce and refresh its library of videos on IT and creative skills. These experts get royalties based on how often their content is viewed; its highest earner pulled in $2m last year, according to Aaron Skonnard, the firm’s boss. Such rewards provide an incentive for authors to keep updating their content. University faculty have other priorities.
学术机构同样困扰于如何提供日新月异的内容。Pluralsight 出版图书时，使用了这样一个方式，即聘用1000 名专家来撰写和更新关于 ＩＴ以及创意技能的视频。这些专家通过内容的点击量来获得报酬；集团老板　Aaron Skonnard　声称，其中收入最高者去年得到了两百万美元。这些奖励刺激作者去保持所提供内容的持续更新。学校职员则有更加重要的事项。

Beside costs, the second problem for MOOCs to solve is credentials. Close colleagues know each other’s abilities, but modern labour markets do not work on the basis of such relationships. They need widely understood signals of experience and expertise, like a university degree or a baccalaureate, however imperfect they may be. In their own fields, vocational qualifications do the same job. The MOOCs’ answer is to offer micro credentials like nanodegrees and specialisations.
除了费用之外，慕课解决的第二个问题是认证。亲近同事之间了解互相的工作能力，但是当代劳动市场并不基于这种同事关系。他们需要广受认可的专业性和经验，比如学校学位，不管这种学位是否高含金量。在工作领域的内部，职业认证也扮演了同样的角色。慕课的解决方案是像微学位和专业化一样提供微认证。