Cellular colleges: the next small thing.

WE KNOW AUTOMAKERS ARE IN TROUBLE-they paid attention to what once was instead of what will be. What could prevent American higher ed from suffering from this same hubris? Will we witness a new generation of cellular teachers and learners?

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One virtual Japanese university suggests the answer is in the palm of our hand--the next small thing in higher ed. Fukuoka-based Cyber University delivers its courses over SoftBank 3G smart phones. Japanese students both old and young seem to love the idea. Travelers packed on the Yamanote subway Line can take a cellular course on their way home. Here is the kicker--the first course is free, that is, if you buy into the provider, equipment, and transmission.

Several U.S.-based institutions will soon offer full-motion courses in real time, all with faculty voiceovers, student chat rooms, and self-paced tutorials. Already, state and community colleges in Louisiana and Indiana are experimenting with digital media on mobile devices.

Though Socrates might have issues with cell phones, cellular colleges are claiming new mindshare in the global marketplace. To read more about this trend, see the online version of this column at www.universit business.com.

--James Martin and James E. Samels, Future Shock columnists, are authors of Turnaround: Leading Stressed Colleges and Universities to Excellence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2009). Martin is a professor of English at Mount Ida College (Mass.) and Samels is president and CEO of The Education Alliance.