July 17th, 2010, in which I outline the next great project of the Wikipedia generation
“Why hello there! You’re just the person I’ve been looking for.”
“I am?”
“Of course! You’re Application Fee and High School Average of 65% or Above.”
“It’s like you see inside my soul.”
“That’s because I do. I’m University with Maple Trees on the Campus.”
“What luck! I was just considering enrolling in you. Bachelor of Arts.”
“Please do. I’m really awesome, and yours for just $28 000 over the course of four years.”
“$28 000? That seems like a lot.”
“Well, as I said, I’m pretty awesome. As my student, you’ll read the great works of philosophy, history, and literature.”
“I already do that. My local library has such a great system. I can search their database from my laptop, download audiobooks and ebooks, and even have tree books sent in the mail.”
“That’s cool, I guess.”
“And free! So what extra do I get for the money I pay you?”
“Lectures.”
“I can stream lectures online for free, too, one-offs from TED and fora.tv, and whole courses by Ivy League professors. ”
“Sure you can watch lectures on the Internet but, with me, you can attend them. You can raise your hand and ask questions.”
“That sounds wonderful. You must have pretty small class sizes, then, to support that level of interaction.”
“Well, not exactly, 200 students in most intro courses.”
“200? I won’t get called on very often if there are 200 hands in the air.”
“Well, there won’t be 200 hands in the air. Almost all of the students just listen.”
“They could do that on the Internet. Why do they come to you?”
“Well the most important questions at universities aren’t asked of the professors in the lecture hall. They are the questions the students ask each other over fish sticks at the cafeteria. Peer discussions, that’s where the learning happens.”
“So, the $28 000 is for you to find me friends? I already have friends. I’ve got a book club where we have great debates, and I participate in an online forum for discussing TED talks.”
“Hmm. Well, absorbing and discussing others’ ideas is only the beginning of being a student. The bigger part is developing your own ideas. When you come to me, I’ll get you to write papers.”
“But I already write, everyday. I have this blog where I…”
“But with me, sweetie, your writing will be evaluated. You’ll get a mark. You’ll get feedback. You’ll have suggestions to improve your thinking and your writing.”
“That sounds great! The professors do this?”
“Well, not professors. TA’s.”
“Oh well, that’s still good. So, my $28 000 goes to the TA's?”
“They are paid minimum wage.”
“So, hypothetically, I could independently hire one of these guys to critique my papers. Say they take two hours per essay at $9.20 an hour. For $28 000, I could have 1521 papers evaluated and have a few cents left over for a muffin. This is, of course, assuming I can’t get anyone to critique my work for free. It occurs to me that I could make a deal with some of my friend in the blogosphere. I could critique their work and they could critique mine…”
“Stop! Stop. Stop that line of thinking. I can give you something your friends can’t. I am legally authorized to certify that you have a Bachelor of Arts degree. The certificate proves to all potential employers that you have attended lectures, discussed readings, and written essays. Without this proof, your work doesn’t count.”
“You’re saying that if I attend you, I can get a good job after?”
“Heavens no! Most of my past pupils are underemployed and many are unemployed. What I’m saying is that if you don’t attend me, you can’t get a good job after. With a degree, you have little hope. Without a degree, you have none.”
“So, I can get the same calibre of education for free. What you offer is the proof.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, what if there were some system to record free, self-directed learning. Right off the top of my head I’m imagining like a browser add-on that would record the articles and blogs and online videos that the user accessed and then, with his or her permission, publish the history as an online portfolio. That would be the equivalent of the transcripts you offer which list a student’s courses.”
“That would never work. A lecture could be streaming on someone’s computer while they’re in another room playing video games, and they’d still get credit.”
“Your students never skip lectures and then get credit for the course?”
“Well, sometimes, but…”
“Shh. Let me think aloud. The program could very easily see which users were studying the same material and offer them the opportunity to text or video chat. Their discussions could, with all participants’ permission, be appended to the online portfolios. At the end of the discussions, the participants could even fill out a form evaluating their peers’ level of knowledge and prowess for self-expression. That could go in the portfolio, too, and so could essays that the user has written, and peer evaluations of those essays.”
“Stop this now.”
“Users could record their offline educational activities in the portfolio, too, and not just books and movies and lectures. They could post about museum tours they’ve taken, and the wildlife they’ve examined in their backyards. It is limitless, really.”
“I feel woozy.”
“The system could generate a resume summarizing the user’s learning. It would say something like “Joan Andrews reads an average of six news articles per day, usually connected to Middle Eastern conflict, the environment, or Aboriginal issues. She has listened to twelve full audiobooks listed below. Those with whom she has online discussions consistently rank her above average in grammar and precision of word choice and average in critical thinking. 88% of people who read her most recent essay ranked it “original and thought-provoking.” 80% of people with whom she’s discussed Middle Eastern conflict consider her an expert in that field.” I think potential employers might actually find that more helpful than a generic university transcript.”
“I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!”
“We haven’t even talked about how much more freedom it gives students to control the breath and depth of their learning than does a traditional degree program. Come to think of it, the home page of each user’s digital resume could be a 3D representation of their self-directed learning using breath and depth as a visual metaphor of… University with Maple Trees on the Campus! Are you okay? You appear to be dead! Oh. You are dead. I’ll put your Latin motto on your headstone.”
“I am?”
“Of course! You’re Application Fee and High School Average of 65% or Above.”
“It’s like you see inside my soul.”
“That’s because I do. I’m University with Maple Trees on the Campus.”
“What luck! I was just considering enrolling in you. Bachelor of Arts.”
“Please do. I’m really awesome, and yours for just $28 000 over the course of four years.”
“$28 000? That seems like a lot.”
“Well, as I said, I’m pretty awesome. As my student, you’ll read the great works of philosophy, history, and literature.”
“I already do that. My local library has such a great system. I can search their database from my laptop, download audiobooks and ebooks, and even have tree books sent in the mail.”
“That’s cool, I guess.”
“And free! So what extra do I get for the money I pay you?”
“Lectures.”
“I can stream lectures online for free, too, one-offs from TED and fora.tv, and whole courses by Ivy League professors. ”
“Sure you can watch lectures on the Internet but, with me, you can attend them. You can raise your hand and ask questions.”
“That sounds wonderful. You must have pretty small class sizes, then, to support that level of interaction.”
“Well, not exactly, 200 students in most intro courses.”
“200? I won’t get called on very often if there are 200 hands in the air.”
“Well, there won’t be 200 hands in the air. Almost all of the students just listen.”
“They could do that on the Internet. Why do they come to you?”
“Well the most important questions at universities aren’t asked of the professors in the lecture hall. They are the questions the students ask each other over fish sticks at the cafeteria. Peer discussions, that’s where the learning happens.”
“So, the $28 000 is for you to find me friends? I already have friends. I’ve got a book club where we have great debates, and I participate in an online forum for discussing TED talks.”
“Hmm. Well, absorbing and discussing others’ ideas is only the beginning of being a student. The bigger part is developing your own ideas. When you come to me, I’ll get you to write papers.”
“But I already write, everyday. I have this blog where I…”
“But with me, sweetie, your writing will be evaluated. You’ll get a mark. You’ll get feedback. You’ll have suggestions to improve your thinking and your writing.”
“That sounds great! The professors do this?”
“Well, not professors. TA’s.”
“Oh well, that’s still good. So, my $28 000 goes to the TA's?”
“They are paid minimum wage.”
“So, hypothetically, I could independently hire one of these guys to critique my papers. Say they take two hours per essay at $9.20 an hour. For $28 000, I could have 1521 papers evaluated and have a few cents left over for a muffin. This is, of course, assuming I can’t get anyone to critique my work for free. It occurs to me that I could make a deal with some of my friend in the blogosphere. I could critique their work and they could critique mine…”
“Stop! Stop. Stop that line of thinking. I can give you something your friends can’t. I am legally authorized to certify that you have a Bachelor of Arts degree. The certificate proves to all potential employers that you have attended lectures, discussed readings, and written essays. Without this proof, your work doesn’t count.”
“You’re saying that if I attend you, I can get a good job after?”
“Heavens no! Most of my past pupils are underemployed and many are unemployed. What I’m saying is that if you don’t attend me, you can’t get a good job after. With a degree, you have little hope. Without a degree, you have none.”
“So, I can get the same calibre of education for free. What you offer is the proof.”
“Exactly.”
“Well, what if there were some system to record free, self-directed learning. Right off the top of my head I’m imagining like a browser add-on that would record the articles and blogs and online videos that the user accessed and then, with his or her permission, publish the history as an online portfolio. That would be the equivalent of the transcripts you offer which list a student’s courses.”
“That would never work. A lecture could be streaming on someone’s computer while they’re in another room playing video games, and they’d still get credit.”
“Your students never skip lectures and then get credit for the course?”
“Well, sometimes, but…”
“Shh. Let me think aloud. The program could very easily see which users were studying the same material and offer them the opportunity to text or video chat. Their discussions could, with all participants’ permission, be appended to the online portfolios. At the end of the discussions, the participants could even fill out a form evaluating their peers’ level of knowledge and prowess for self-expression. That could go in the portfolio, too, and so could essays that the user has written, and peer evaluations of those essays.”
“Stop this now.”
“Users could record their offline educational activities in the portfolio, too, and not just books and movies and lectures. They could post about museum tours they’ve taken, and the wildlife they’ve examined in their backyards. It is limitless, really.”
“I feel woozy.”
“The system could generate a resume summarizing the user’s learning. It would say something like “Joan Andrews reads an average of six news articles per day, usually connected to Middle Eastern conflict, the environment, or Aboriginal issues. She has listened to twelve full audiobooks listed below. Those with whom she has online discussions consistently rank her above average in grammar and precision of word choice and average in critical thinking. 88% of people who read her most recent essay ranked it “original and thought-provoking.” 80% of people with whom she’s discussed Middle Eastern conflict consider her an expert in that field.” I think potential employers might actually find that more helpful than a generic university transcript.”
“I’m melting! Melting! Oh, what a world! What a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!”
“We haven’t even talked about how much more freedom it gives students to control the breath and depth of their learning than does a traditional degree program. Come to think of it, the home page of each user’s digital resume could be a 3D representation of their self-directed learning using breath and depth as a visual metaphor of… University with Maple Trees on the Campus! Are you okay? You appear to be dead! Oh. You are dead. I’ll put your Latin motto on your headstone.”