Stephen Downes

The question in the title is not really answered, but Alexandra Mihai imagines what it would be like if universities no longer existed, what would be most missed (community, dialogue, space), and what they might look like in the future (open community, beyond knowledge, and inclusive space). For me - working as I do outside the university system - it's easier to imagine they no longer exist. The problem is, without universities, most of our intellectual space would look like LinkedIn. That's not a prospect anyone embraces. So we do need open communities and inclusive spaces. Still, I'd like to see universities get past the language of "what do our learners need in order to become active and responsible members of society?" and to use something like "what do we need...?" instead.