Dean Scott DeRue. (Ross School of Business)
Scott DeRue, dean of the Ross School of Business, thinks higher ed needs a new business model. DeRue’s vision is akin to Spotify’s offering to music fans, with users able to download lectures and teaching material for a small subscription fee. The dean is relaxed about giving away some teaching material for free as now happens with MOOCs. However, he feels that the university should develop its own technology so it can control the provision of online courses that would count as credits towards masters degrees, for which it could charge fees. This digitisation of learning makes full-time study on a campus more valued by those who can afford to do so, according to DeRue. “As the foundational knowledge becomes more commoditised and democratised, colleges must innovate and invest in the student experience,” he says.
