Higher Education in the Digital Age

“Higher Education in the Digital Age, frames the current and coming debates instead of answering questions about the future of online learning… Bowen worries online learning will leave students behind or that the solutions dreamed up at elite institutions will not work in a country with a higher education system that bears no great resemblance to the classes in Cambridge… Bowen also predicts coming debates about faculty governance and intellectual property as faculty members team up to teach courses or use an online course from another institution to aid them in their own classrooms.”–Ry Rivard, Inside Higher Ed “A slim and highly readable volumne… The collection of voices provides a thoughtful and provocative discussion of the emergence of online education.”–Richard D. Kahlenberg “Higher Education in the Digital Age is an elegant exposition of old-fashioned, gentlemanly and humane views and values, couched in concerns about the value of new educational technologies and their pedagogical and economic potential. It is worth reading for its beautiful prose and for its clear commitment to the continuing importance of teaching and pedagogy in higher education.”–Miriam E. David, Times Higher Education “[Bowen] describes approaches to online learning, distinguishes the difference between useful and unnecessary educational practices, and encourages an evidence-based introduction to technology. Critical of unfounded attacks on digital learning, Bowen urges practitioners and critics to preserve the broad goals of education: developing values and upholding personal responsibility. This thoughtful analysis is complemented and expanded upon by responses from authoritative educators; extensive notes provide further exploration and valuable references… Highly recommended to educators and all who care about preserving the best characteristics of our higher education system.”–Elizabeth Hayford, Library Journal starred review “Bowen’s thought provoking book should be required reading for anyone having a stake in our educational future.”–Rich Lewine, NACADA Journal “Higher Education in the Digital Age is peppered with research findings and data and is a timely examination of a problem and its possible solution from a highly regarded educator and economist who has served on the front lines.”–Ray Bert, Civil Engineering “This is a blessedly measured book… After sifting the ‘literally thousands’ of studies on online learning, including his own, here’s Bowen’s takeaway: true across socio-economic lines. MOOCs don’t transform education. But they don’t harm it either.”–Katharine Whittemore, Boston Globe

William G. Bowen is the author of more than twenty books, including Lessons Learned: Reflections of a University President, The Shape of the River, and Equity and Excellence in American Higher Education. He lives in Princeton, New Jersey.