[will_wright]

Right! I had a similar thought: the article appeared to be building to an interesting conclusion then ended abruptly... One follow-on paragraph could have easily explored autodidactic methods, through tools like youtube or open online courses, and how they have catalyzed an area of learning that previously didn't exist -- ie easy entry courseware is orthogonal learning model from the traditional education model.

IMHO, the only thing that is going to disrupt higher education in the US is a change in the federal student loan system. Otherwise, the money is going to keep flowing and those institutions will have little motivation to adapt to survive

edit:

Good article! Thanks for sharing