"When these incredible tools of knowledge and learning are available to the whole world, formal education becomes less and less important. We should expect to see the emergence of a new entrepreneur who has acquired most of their knowledge through self-exploration"-Sean Parker (Forbes Feb 2012)
Having been a professor since 1993 I like to believe that this is not possible. Maybe it is job security? Maybe it is observations of thousands of students. Maybe this is true for US students?
I believe that we currently live in a world where information is at our fingertips. We can simply type a word or two and google it. Then with a little effort find exactly what we are looking. However, usually what we are looking for is a small nugget of information. Maybe a few papers at most to read.
Teaching yourself requires discipline and a sustained effort. These traits are in short supply. I also believe that for the younger instant gratification generation they are less common.
Learning anything worthwhile takes a sustained effort. This is why courses are typically 45 hours long. This allows one to explore a lot of topics in one subject. What is magical about 45 hours? Nothing. But it is long enough that it requires discipline to show up and pay attention.
Today's question is:
"Could you self teach yourself a subject?"
Having been a professor since 1993 I like to believe that this is not possible. Maybe it is job security? Maybe it is observations of thousands of students. Maybe this is true for US students?
I believe that we currently live in a world where information is at our fingertips. We can simply type a word or two and google it. Then with a little effort find exactly what we are looking. However, usually what we are looking for is a small nugget of information. Maybe a few papers at most to read.
Teaching yourself requires discipline and a sustained effort. These traits are in short supply. I also believe that for the younger instant gratification generation they are less common.
Learning anything worthwhile takes a sustained effort. This is why courses are typically 45 hours long. This allows one to explore a lot of topics in one subject. What is magical about 45 hours? Nothing. But it is long enough that it requires discipline to show up and pay attention.
Today's question is:
"Could you self teach yourself a subject?"
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