As mentioned this week in the New York Times, two states — Florida and Texas — have begun experimenting with low-cost undergraduate degree programs, programs supported by their respective governors, Rick Scott and Rick Perry. Over a dozen institutions are now offering baccalaureate degrees that cost under $10,000 a year — a far cry from the $40,000 and upwards many currently pay for four-year degrees.
Opponents of such measures have suggested that reducing cost so drastically may come at the expense of other important aspects of higher education, such as quality of teaching or student-teacher interaction. To some extent, these critics have a point: While such measures are something of an initial step towards reducing the price of college, reformers should look beyond such narrow, simplistic policies.
Though we appreciate the incentive behind the so-called $10,000 degree, we too are concerned about the effect such changes could have on higher education. Both Scott and Perry highly encouraged their states’ universities and community colleges to begin offering these degrees in the hope that this would spur more cost-effective methods of higher education.We are glad governors are not ignoring the plight students face in these hard economic times. But by instituting such a simplistic monetary benchmark for these programs, Florida and Texas have merely encouraged their respective states’ schools to offer skeletal bachelors degrees that might not even be worth the asking price.
States should instead seek to incentivize actual innovation in the education market rather than merely rewarding colleges for slashing their programs. It is clear technology and online classes will have some sort of place as we examine higher education. It seems backwards, then, not to enact policies that encourage effective and inexpensive integration of online resources. The price of schooling past high school is already threatening to outpace its value. We fear thoughtless cost-cutting could even further devalue a degree.
The path forward lies in using electronic resources to perform tasks and even teach material that they can do faster and more efficiently than a person — without sacrificing quality. People have a comparative advantage in tasks that require flexibility and interpersonal interaction and should thus focus on performing these tasks. One example of how this might potentially be implemented lies in structuring college courses by presenting all or some of the material online, giving professors and teaching assistants more time for individualized and personal attention in office hours.
The reforms in Texas and Florida wrongly focus merely on reducing costs. Instead, leaders should look to develop more efficient ways of delivering education. If education becomes streamlined in this manner, price will fall naturally without fear of a decrease in quality that these policies risk encouraging. This will lead to less inequality in higher education and greater access to educational materials for all.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board: its editor, Rachel Occhiogrosso, and its members, Daniel Jeon, Hannah Loewentheil and Thomas Nath. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
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