eLearningi [0] $3000Dollars and 10 Years
$300 per student per year over ten years is the magic number to transform K-12 education’s legacy learning into accessible, effective and efficient eLearning. The $3000 net total is, essentially, a one-time investment spread over a ten year period.
The number comes from our five years of financial modeling of the system design concept for eLearning transformationi [0] of Arizona into a 1 to 1 student per computer K-12 eLearning model. We now see the path emerging as the disruptive innovation of the 1 to 1 online sector of eLearning. However, in the future every student will have 1:1 on what ever eLearning model is being used: online, hybrid/blended, virtual or classroom. A transformation-build out stage of about four years and a maintenance stage that is ongoing.
Assumptions of annual student investment – in order of importance:
Teachers are about 10% eLearning savvy now and will reach 90% in five years. The ongoing the 10% will dwindle as new teachers, teachers hired from other states, and those returning to teaching arrive with eLearning skills. We use our comprehensive computer model that includes all 55,000 Arizona teachers moving up five levels from eLearning novice to expert in 5 years. This humanization of their practice results in several minutes a day one to one contact with students vs. the one minute a day average obtained with a legacy system.
To accomplish is most important transformation we assume an allocation of $1500 per teacher per year for professional development in the area of becoming an eLearning skilled teacher. This investment is typical for an IT worker in other industries. With the national ratio of one teacher per 17 students this is an investment of $90 per student.
Digital curriculum is based on the rough assumption of $10 per student per semester per course for five courses or $100. There will be a mix of free, open source, roll-you-own, and commercial digital curriculum in used. The use will range from supplemental to complete course. To support real time teacher and student coaching a dramatically increasing level of formative assessmenti [0] is expected to be an integral part of the digital curriculum.
Computer interfaces, servers and operating systems are renewed on a five year basis. As costs continue to drop, and mass purchasing is used the technology investment is $120 per student.
Technical support is $35,000 per 500 computers (lawyers have one tech for 50 computers!!!). This investment is $70 per student.
Broadbandi [0] connectivity - $60 per student.
Intellectual infrastructure State level investment for systems and delivery of teacher professional development, broadband support, and digital curriculum assessment and extension service is $30 per student.
This adds up to $470 per student per year. So how did we get $300?
It will take 4 years fully deploy to full operation for 1million+ students. Then the system must be continuously improved with emerging insights and new eLearning technology. Cost savings begin to accrue through lower online vs. legacy classroom costs and acceleration thorough grades with individualized learning moving at a higher average pace. The result in average completion of K-12 curriculum in 11-12 years not 13 with resulting construction avoidance and lower operating costs. At year ten annual cost savings become greater than the ongoing eLearning investments. From that time - and ongoing - eLearning education operates at a lower cost-per-student than legacy education does currently. Adding up to resultant net investment over the 10 years we get an average cost per student of $300 per year or a one-time $3000 over 10 years.
Over the next ten year period the total expenditure for K-12 education in Arizona is approximately $100 billion. The $3 billion eLearning investment is 3%.
With all due respect to the many comments over the past years that the “eLearning investment for disruptive innovation is huge,” it is not. Continuing the incumbent system with itsi [0] sustaining innovation is a much larger cost and continues to fall far short of our need for academic achievement and graduation rate.
America has done it before. In the 1970’s a surge of new investment in K-12 education was kicked off with 94-142 special education legislationi [0]. That and a host of other programs were added to K-12 education that increased annual investment by about 20%, which is on-going today. The 3% net investment to the eLearning is well within our means and is one-time.
With a 3%, ten year, one-time investment, our legacy system can transformed into a humanized 21st century system that graduates our children ready for a lifespan of rewarding work, learning and citizen engagement.