An MIT Alumni Association Publication

Transforming MIT's Educational Experience: Ask President Reif

  • Nancy DuVergne Smith
  • slice.mit.edu
  • 1

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Reif with Class of 2016 students.
President Reif with Class of 2016 students.

How often do you get to chat with MIT's president? For most of us, not very often. Yet an opportunity is coming up to do just that in the first of three live, webcast conversations with President L. Rafael Reif this winter.

On Wednesday, February 27, at noon, President Reif will address a core issue: how MIT will reinvent the residential research university in light of rising costs and emerging online alternatives. MIT Alumni Association Executive Vice President and CEO Judy Cole will pose questions submitted by alumni worldwide.

How can you take part? Just register to be part of the conversation. You can submit a question when you register or during the conversation. You'll receive a reminder Wednesday morning that will provide the URL of the webcast.

Sign up now for Transforming MIT's Educational Experience

Questions are pouring in from alumni who are already registered. Here are a few samples:

  • Danbee, Portugal: Student culture is a strong and lasting aspect of the MIT experience, and cannot be replicated via online educational opportunities—how do you plan to strengthen and foster residential student life and culture in the upcoming years of MIT?
  • Troy, Naperville, IL: There is no shortage of demand for MIT's "product" in spite of rising "price." Is reinvention necessary? Is it really going to look significantly different in 10 years?
  • Kathy, Providence, RI: I am concerned that MIT, in its enthusiasm for exploring and pushing the boundaries of the affordances of online education, may forget the very essence of the ways in which mens et manus serves as framework through which we have realized our aspirations. How will MIT ensure that these deep, engaging experiences are not undermined in the push to go online?
Join the conversation! And come back to post your comments after the discussion.

 

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Comments

Dori Davari

Wed, 02/27/2013 11:58pm

As President Reif mentioned today, affordability is one of the reasons why OpenCourseWare and Edx were created. Has MIT thought about long-term affordability in this phenomena? QS ranking, in which MIT was ranked number one, is based on long-term affordability and the role MIT education plays in someone's life...