Recently, Techcrunch reported that AT&T, Udacity, and Georgia Tech will be offering a $6,000 online masters degree in computer science. The reputation of Georgia Tech and the low price of the program seem to be a bold move in the field of online education. According to press releases, the low price has been made possible by AT&T, but the company’s role is still unclear. AT&T’s statements indicated vague support for the competitiveness of online degrees and the value of online education, but not much more about their role or future plans. The telecommunications company’s presence in the industry of online education and telecommunication tools for schools is nothing new, however.

AT&T’s Solutions for Higher Education

Since 2008 they have offered “mobile student interactive response technology,” some of the earliest mobile communication tools to support teacher-student dialogue. Currently, they offer extensive infrastructure solutions for schools and the education industry, particularly a number of mobile solutions designed to enhance the communications infrastructure not only for online classes, but also for physical schools and their communities.

AT&T’s offerings range from tools that connect physical campuses, such as mobile messaging programs, campus security programs, and productivity programs, to network infrastructure and hosting solutions. For instance, AT&T’s offers a number of mobile connectivity programs that support campus safety. The mobile program Rave Guardian allows students and faculty to contact campus security, immediately providing the user’s photo and information to the campus police. Rave Campus Messenger permits multi-media broadcast messaging over several channels, such as phone messaging or email. The Eyewitness for Rave Campus Messenger allows anonymous texting for eyewitnesses of illegal activity, inappropriate staff or student behavior, and other security concerns.

Their higher education infrastructure solutions include a variety of cloud services, hosting solutions, and network infrastructure support. As one of the largest telecom companies, AT&T is able to provide support from the ground up for ethernet networking, managed internet services, Wi-Fi, and wireless communications support. They also provide cyber security services and even offer grant research support for funding that supports an educational institution’s “goals and initiatives.”

The Future of Education is Online

The Wall Street JournalTime, and others have pointed out potential flaws in the online education model, particularly of massive open online courses, which can enroll hundreds of thousands of students at once. The largest detractor from the online education model is concern over the loss of dialogue between students and teachers. AT&T’s business model seems to take this into account, and the company seems poised to dominate the industry of online higher education, given their extensive solutions already in place for the education industry.

The recent partnership with Georgia Tech, which cuts the standard degree price by nearly three quarters, suggests the company’s future business angle. Clearly, technology can make online education affordable for students and profitable for companies such as AT&T. With their extensive telecommunications backbone already in place, AT&T is in an excellent position to support the world of higher education as it expands online delivery options.

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