I wonder when universities will catch on to the MySpace and social networking thing. In particular, I’m thinking about the online universities. A number of the social networking sites already make it easy for people to get in touch with former classmates. So why wouldn’t some smartie-pants university person pre-empt that by creating a virtual university with MySpace-type profiles so that classmates never lose touch?

Think about it. It could really change the whole perception of online ed as “distanced” learning. Social networking functionality would facilitate connections for students throughout their program. People could upload pictures, write blogs, express interests, create friend lists, and more while they also attend classes in chatrooms, talk through integrated instant messaging, and turn in assignments digitally. It would create a deeper and more fulfilling experience for online learning, which in my mind has been lacking in that aspect.

Now here’s the brilliance of it for the schools. You’ve got people already interacting, and a lot of people will want to continue those connections. Now, you’ve got a built in system that lets alumni stick around, and we all know what alumni are good for (I’m reminded about every other month in the mail).

I’d imagine only the bigger online education institutions would really take this on, but I think that it could pay big dividends long term. I think it could pay big dividends for the forward thinking campus schools too.

If anyone has heard of a school doing this, let me know. I’d be curious to learn more, but generally speaking, I don’t think anyone has pushed the BlackBoard online learning paradigm to this level. It should be interesting to see if anyone does.