The UW System Flexible Degree Option is a response to a complex set of social, economic and political forces at play.  The following resources may be helpful in understanding these forces.

The reporter Anya Kamenitz is one of youngest yet articulate voices on the topic of open access learning and education.   Her book DIY U: Edupunks, Edupreneurs, and the Coming Transformation of Higher Education (Chelsea 2010) argues for the radical transformation of higher education to make it accessible and affordable for everyone.  For a quick, three and a half minute visual summary of the message of her book, watch this. 

For a more extended presentation of her argument, watch the talk that she recently gave at Harvard. 

If you are interested in a more scholarly analysis of the formidable external forces pressing on American higher education, read Richard A. DeMillo's book, Abelard to Apple the Fate of American Colleges and Universities (MIT 2011), read his interview in Inside Higher Ed, or watch a his presentation on You Tube.