

Prepare for 'The End of College': Here's What Free Higher Ed Looks Like - tokenadult
http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2015/03/03/390167950/prepare-for-the-end-of-college-heres-what-free-higher-ed-looks-like

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tjr
Listening to the audio of the interview... the author describes visiting the
MIT biology class in person. He sat in the back, felt distracted by someone
else goofing around with his phone, and couldn't pause the lecture. He left
feeling like the online lectures were better, as they were distraction-free
and could be paused while watched.

I few years ago I took a 3-day class at MIT in person. I sat in the front, was
totally absorbed in the material, and could ask questions of the lecturers in
real-time. I left feeling like it was the best educational experience of my
life, and while, as a working professional, I can't readily spend all day in
school any more, I would like very much to take more short courses in person
rather than online.

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markerz
As Brian Goetz once said, "there is no good, only good for".

Online courses are great for being fed information. In fact, it's an
incredibly optimal system, especially for people who don't want to ask
questions and don't want to speak up.

On the other hand, online courses are horrible for people who want to actively
participate in class. It's so much easier to just ask the professor a question
as she's explaining some topic. Or to ask for feedback on your interpretation.
Or to have a discussion with your classmates about part of the reading. Or to
form study groups. I would have never been introduced to these cool research
projects or to these really amazingly smart people if I hadn't gone to my
university. Or all the companies that I met networking with the clubs I
joined.

Education is great but if you need more, it's kind of lacking.

~~~
toomuchtodo
> It's so much easier to just ask the professor a question as she's explaining
> some topic. Or to ask for feedback on your interpretation. Or to have a
> discussion with your classmates about part of the reading. Or to form study
> groups. I would have never been introduced to these cool research projects
> or to these really amazingly smart people if I hadn't gone to my university.
> Or all the companies that I met networking with the clubs I joined.

Can I not just Google my question instead of asking a person?

~~~
Retra
Only if your question is already solved and published.

~~~
toomuchtodo
I've never sat in a lecture hall where the professor worked out a question
that hadn't been solved/asked yet.

~~~
Retra
I ask tons of questions about unsolved problems. The point isn't to get an
answer, but to get an understanding of the available tools and direction for
further study. Oftentimes I will get "go talk to person X, they know something
about this kind of thing."

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fuzzywalrus
I see more of an amalgamation of what he's describing and what's currently
offered. For many fields, it requires hands on with labs. While these will
increasingly be virtualized, there's still something to be said for hands-on,
field studies, physical ed, etc.

A chemistry major still will inevitably need access to chemistry equipment. A
wave-form physics major will still need access to a laser and so on...

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nsnick
I think you need to ask why we have colleges. Colleges act as both an educator
and as a filter. If you look at the people taking MOOCs, most already have a
degree and are not looking for a piece of paper. I think that online schools
can take on the education role of a college, but not the filter role as they
allow anyone to take their classes.

