Unbundling higher education

People want choice, but colleges are holding on

In 2013 research report An Avalanche is Coming Larry Summers, President Emeritus of Harvard University shared,

“The potential unbundling is a certainly a threat, but those who re-bundle well will find they have reinvented higher education for the 21st century.”

Unbundling is a threat to existing institutions. Why? Because then every learner gets to pick and choose the courses they believe are of value and not consume the rest of the courses. Once this occurs institutions need to be much more adaptive on a course level in order to stay relevant. My prediction, no institution will come willingly.

Let us use a simple analogy. Cable companies. Universities and Colleges are just like the cable companies. Sure the subscription is expensive to purchase all the channels, and you may want only a few, but you have no choice. Until iTunes and Netflix comes along then people either buy a la carte or subscribe to a less expensive bundle.

In higher education learners are moving away from buying the bundle. They are purchasing bootcamps and taking online courses instead of returning to college for a graduate degree program — just consuming what they want, as they need it and as they can afford it.

But there is promise for the colleges and universities that embrace this trend. In reality most of the U.S. and the world do not have degrees, 60% and 93% respectively. Embracing modularity and enabling more people to take individual courses, whether they be in-person or online, aligned with jobs, not just the few that can afford to take full-time programs.

Our venture is squarely focused on bridging education to jobs. We are working with employers to align courses with jobs and to help them retain talent. Creating learning pathways for all from across institutions is the key to creating affordable pathways for people to advance their careers. Join us.

Best,

Sergio Marrero

Co-Founder & CEO, Caila