Note:  This article is from a series on change with strategic implications for higher education.

• PART I:  HIGHER EDUCATION’S “CROSSROAD”
• PART II:  WHY A MOOC?
• PART III:  BY THE NUMBERS
• PART IV:  ARE DEV CAMPS A SIGN?

In “Dev Camps” I think I may have discovered higher education’s next-generation MOOC! 

MOOC’s have generated much discussion of late, offering free learning to tens of thousands of students at a time.  I was early to discuss MOOCs previously in “Part II:  Why a MOOC?”, and slow to dismiss MOOCS despite many encumbrances identified to include high attrition rates, learning assessment issues, academic integrity, viable business models, missing credit and accreditation, and placement. 

To be clear, it is not the encumbered MOOC itself that I saw as a major threat to higher education, but rather what MOOCs portend. 

By analogy, consider that in 1995 web pages were dismissed by many as nothing more than digital brochures, capable of producing little other value.  Shortly after, however, the rapid innovation and development accompanying technology disruption occurred, and ecommerce was born. 

Here I liken MOOCs to early web pages, and have thus been scouting for signs of next generation iterations.  Dev Camps could well be one of these signs.  These intense programming experiences offer a product traditionally associated with higher education, and deliver that product at a much lower price point and time frame.  Dev Camps show early promise to be successful, without burdens of accreditation, credit, or transcripts.  

Dev Camps have a few catches, although previous computer programming skill is not one.  Candidates must be willing to commit 1,000 hours in the nine-weeks to learning, leaving only 500 hours for “errata” (e.g., sleep).  The work expectation is 80-100 hours each week.  Class time alone is Monday through Friday from 9:00AM through 6:00PM.  Fees do not include room or board.  There are no age or nationality requirements, although less than 20% of the video-applications are accepted.  Dev Camps do not pretend to be a school, and as such are not accredited, and offer no credit.  They will, however, connect 90% of the students with high-paying employers.  So, in a nutshell, Dev Camps bridge training to employment with laser precision, and without “all that other school-stuff.”

What are Dev Camps?

Dev Bootcamp is one example of computer-programming schools spreading out from San Francisco.  These camps turn students into programmers in less than three months, with starting salaries between $80,000 and $100,000.

Dev Bootcamp, for example, teaches “Ruby on Rails ” in three phases.  Phase 1 is Basic Ruby and programming fundamentals.  Phase 2 introduces the web and front-end development (including HTML CSS and JavaScript), and Phase 3 puts it all together through the Rails framework.  Admissions are rolling, so every three-weeks another “16-20 boots” are admitted to replace those graduating.  Each new cohort is assigned two teachers and a facilitator. A little time each day is spent learning from books and tutorials, but most time is spent working in small groups solving problems and challenges, and building applications.

Perhaps better than universities, these programs make complete mind-body connections, and as such include “yoga, stretching, and even basic meditation and mindfulness training.”  My personal experience from a two-week boot camp that did not consider this was permanent ulnar nerve damage!  Computing is very tough on the body, and good habits are important.

Good news for colleges?

Dev Bootcamp’s web site states their motivation is because, “…college is broken. Recruitment is broken.”  Ironically, however, there could be very good news here for agile colleges, especially in urban areas.  Traditional colleges work primarily on a nine-month cycle, and have unused infrastructure sitting idle over the summer.  With relatively little investment, colleges could leverage this infrastructure to offer intense learning experiences in programming and beyond.

LINK

Chea, Terence (2013) Coding boot camps promise to launch tech careers, The Associated Press, April 12, downloaded from http://apne.ws/110i4Jc

Image Credit: xymonau at RGBStock

Note:  This article is from a series on change with strategic implications for higher education.

• PART I:  HIGHER EDUCATION’S “CROSSROAD”
• PART II:  WHY A MOOC?
• PART III:  BY THE NUMBERS
• PART IV:  ARE DEV CAMPS A SIGN?

Higher education enrollment concerns stem from a peak in college-bound high school graduates, combined with growth in alternatives, such as on-line and for-profit degrees.  Also looming are growing concerns from a mediocre economy and student debt burden.    

Groups tracking education statistics include the Department of Education, College Board, and Chronicle of Higher Education.  For reference, the National Center for Education Statistics’ College Navigator search engine cites over four hundred post-secondary options in Pennsylvania alone; ninety-three of these offer bachelors programs or majors in computer or information sciences and support services. 

In 2009-10, the most popular bachelor’s degree granted nationwide was business (357,354); for comparison, 39,589 were conferred in computer and information sciences.

PSU, University Park

With 38,594 undergraduates, U.S. News ranks Penn State’s University Park as the fifth largest campus. For 2012, over 28,000 students applied for 7,200 University Park seats.   Each year over half of the University Park graduates first began at one of the other nineteen campus locations.

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Penn State Live reported a modest undergraduate enrollment growth in 2011. In Figure 1, after Pennsylvania (4,260), the 2010 biggest state contributors were New Jersey (792), New York (453), and Maryland (318). 

Figure 2 shows the current decline for in-state high school graduates.  Out-of-state students are an opportunity to overcome increasing competition for Pennsylvania students amid stagnant demographics.

Another recruiting opportunity comes from “non-traditional” students, such as adult learners, veterans, and transfer students (i.e., students with eighteen or more credits); currently more than thirty percent of all students transfer.  To take advantage of this, policy changes may be needed to improve transfer receptiveness as well as providing success programs normally reserved for first year students.  For reference, Penn State’s admissions office has created a transfer fact brochure.

IST, University Park

In addition to undergraduate minors and certificates, Penn State’s College of IST offers a B.S Degree in Information Sciences and Technology (ISTBS), a B.S. Degree in Security and Risk Analysis (SRABS), and a B.A. Degree in Information Sciences and Technology (ISTBA).

The University Budget Office’ Fall 2011 Penn State Fact Book reports 823 total IST undergraduates: 83 (first year), 158 (second year), 260 (third year), 275 (fourth year), and 47 (fifth year plus).   Note that here Penn State counts “unique” residential students, rather than degrees; students pursuing more than one degree or minor are only counted once, and credited to his or her primary degree college. 

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Figure 3 reveals that IST’s Fall 2011 University Park undergraduates came mostly from Pennsylvania followed by New Jersey, Maryland and New York.

Current College of IST (University Park campus) entrance policies include the following:

1. IST undergraduate math course requirements are more similar to students in the Smeal College of Business, rather than the College of Engineering.  However, high school applicants must meet the more rigorous College of Engineering SAT math standard, instead of the lower minimum used by the Smeal College of Business.
2. Students already enrolled at another Penn State college or campus must successfully complete three-course SRABS or ISTBS entrance-to-major requirements before the start of the junior year.
3. Students considering the ISTBA degree must apply before the end of the third semester and meet a two-course entrance-to-major requirement.
4. The College of IST does not accept transfer students (i.e., students with eighteen or more credits from a non-Penn State institution).

Readings

• Penn State Fact Book:  http://www.budget.psu.edu/FactBook/
• Penn State Transfer Student Brochure: http://admissions.psu.edu/pdf/publications/PennState_Transfer_Facts.pdf

In the classic case of an “industry” that is prime for disruption, our existing 1,000 year-old model of education will probably be radically different as a result of lower-cost, more efficient competitors that are able to deliver learning to a new generation. Maybe the traditional institution’s role is in coordinating the open resources available for free rather than being simply a rigid house that is resistant to change.