Accelerated Innovation in Higher Ed: Is It Driving a Higher Return on Education?

NOTE: The times listed are in EASTERN TIME.

In both 2011 and 2012, venture and growth investors put over $1B to work in the U.S. education markets. It looks like we are on track for another $1B year in 2013. GSV uses "return on education" as a defining metric in evaluating education organizations-both commercially and socially. We view high ROE organizations to be ones that increase access to education, reduce cost, improve learning outcomes, and/or provide leverage and scale to the learning leader (teachers, professors, and individuals.) How do some of the key emerging organizations (Coursera, Edx, Chegg, 2U, Parchment, and many others) stack up in terms of ROE? In addition, we are seeing tremendous investment and consumer activity around lifelong learning (lynda.com, MOOCs, Udemy, Curious.com, etc.). How is the need for continuous learning (aka kaizen education) impacting the market and the value of degrees? Will a degree continue to define a person's destiny, or will it be a much broader amalgamation of credentials? Who will be the winners and losers in this endeavor?

Learning Objectives: Discuss return on education and whether it is a valid construct | Understand how knowledge exchanges are developing as knowledge becomes a currency | Understand what Kaizen means for higher education