A few years back, MKThink connected with the founding group of educators at the Minerva School (established 2012). With the (education) world shifted from its traditional axis, we are reflecting on that model and wondering how today these lessons may apply.
Minerva's model is an international university without walls. Students learn from where they are, anywhere, in campuses they define and are able to be located around the world. The potential is to exchange the capital expenditure in fixed assets in exchange for the rich offerings provided by global cities, towns and natural domains - along with the rich cultural diversity that enlivens these places. Essentially a full time field trip with digital, and occasional physical access, to the finest professors in the world, unconstrained by location.
MKThink served in early thought-leadership exchanges to discuss the value and format of student gathering, the education, social and mental value of physical classrooms versus the trade off of true immersion, guided by educators and peers.
Minerva is a for-profit model and Minerva followed its V.C. funded journey since then. They are not alone. But the rigor and innovation in organizational thought combined with technology programs to foster an education model that defined these pioneers pre-Covid may offer valuable insights to our Colleges and Universities, small and large, public and private. the education world forward has financial and other constraints. But also vast strengths.
We remain intrigued, and reinvigorated in these build less solve more innovative and creative approaches to higher education.
To learn more about Minera's journey, read here.
To learn more about the MKThink analytic tools to evaluate the cost/benefit of optimizing the capital investment in physical education space, link here.
Image: SSIR, linked to article
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