Future of college education: students for life

Predictions about higher education's future often result in two very different visions about what is next for colleges and universities. In one camp: those who paint a rosy picture of an economy that will continue to demand higher levels of education for an increasing share of the workforce. In the other: those who believe fewer people will enroll in college as tuition costs spiral out of control and alternatives to the traditional degree emerge.

One university trying to make some changes to the current higher education system is the Georgia Institute of Technology. They have many compelling ideas, and their biggest one is worth mentioning.

College for life, rather than just four years. The primary recommendation of the Georgia Tech report is that the university turn itself into a venue for lifelong learning that allows students to "associate rather than enroll." Such a system would provide easy entry and exit points into the university and imagines a future in which students take courses either online or face-to-face, often in shorter spurts over the course of a lifetime.

Whether Georgia Tech's ideas will materialize is, of course, unclear. But this is clear: after remaining relatively stagnant for decades as enrollment grew, colleges and universities are about to undergo a period of profound change - whether they want to or not - as the needs of students and the economy shift.

—————  文章来源 / 华盛顿邮报

prediction/prɪˈdɪkʃn/

n. 预言，预测

rosy/ˈroʊzi/

adj. 美好的，充满希望的

alternative/ɔːlˈtɜːrnətɪv/

n. 可供选择的事物

compelling/kəmˈpelɪŋ/

adj. 令人信服的，引人入胜的

e.g.

compelling evidence

recommendation/ˌrekəmenˈdeɪʃn/

n. 建议，提议，推荐

venue/ˈvenjuː/

n. 举办地点，会场

materialize/məˈtɪriəlaɪz/

v. 成为现实，出现

e.g.

The promise he made failed to materialize.

stagnant/ˈstæɡnənt/

adj. 停滞不前的，不发展的

undergo/ˌʌndərˈɡoʊ/

v. 经历，经受

e.g.

undergo medical surgery

spiral out of control

失去控制

e.g.

Crimes has spiraled out of control.

in spurts

时有时无，一阵一阵地