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The sense of dynamic change in higher education is an illusion.  Most colleges and universities are engaged in the traditional practice of bringing students and faculty members together in class—a certain number of hours per class, per semester, over eight or so semesters, and the student earns a degree.

For all the news reports about MOOC’s and online education most EdX or Coursera courses don’t come with college credit.  No credit, no degree.  And the degree is the thing.

But new competency based degree programs are challenging the credit hour as the key currency of higher education.  If a school can award credit based on what a student learns, not on how long they study, then real alternative credentials will quickly follow.

If the credit hour crumbles the value and worth of a BA degree might be next.   Students, educators, parents, employers, and the public might demand credentials that validate real learning as opposed to just doing time.