Where is it written that the status quo can’t be changed?
I don’t watch a lot of TV, so I’m not up to date on the latest commercials. Imagine my shock watching a 60-second ad spot about Kaplan University rewriting the rules of education and challenging your mind:
Launched last month, the Talent Campaign is about experiential learning.
From the press release:
“The new campaign makes a statement that the U.S. traditional higher education system doesn’t always meet the needs of today’s adult learners, mainly working adults struggling to balance jobs, families and education,” said Andrew S. Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Kaplan, Inc. “At Kaplan University, we are rewriting the rules of higher education by offering students the opportunity to customize their education to meet their needs, and by providing resources and support to help them succeed.”
Kaplan produced a series of public service announcements through integrated marketing, such as this one I found on YouTube featuring actor James Avery talking to a classroom:
I’m not that far out of college, but I didn’t have the option of online learning, let alone watching professorial seminars on iPods.
The mindset of higher education is changing, echoed by Case Western Reserve University webmaster Heidi Cool in a recent interview with me on how the Cleveland institution is experimenting with social media.
These Kaplan ads are remarkable because they speak to learning by doing, not learning by going. With tools like Skype, Doodle, and Facebook, communication methods are drifting from the traditional into a different type of familiarity.
I’m ready to rally behind the new way of doing education. Are you?
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