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Universities seem to be struggling to cope with the depth of knowledge that has accumulated. It is empowering to "know how those things work" from first princi
by yagibear 19y ago
Universities seem to be struggling to cope with the depth of knowledge that has accumulated. It is empowering to "know how those things work" from first principles, but as time progresses, the volume of such knowledge grows towards and beyond the capacity of the courses that convey it. Universities must then (as they are now) make a delicate balance between covering fundamentals (which most practitioners consider too "academic") and preparing graduates with skills that they can immediately apply in practice. Many graduates seem dissatisfied with the balance that universities choose.
- mercurio 19y agoI would suggest reading this great short story by Asimov. Its called "Profession". http://www.abelard.org/asimov.htm http://www.abelard.org/asimov.htm
- yagibear 19y agoThanks for the link; I've always been an Asimov fan. The short story format is fine for entertainment, but takes a while to get to the point: Tapes are actually bad. They teach too much; they’re too painless. A man who learns that way doesn’t know how to learn any other way. He’s frozen into whatever position he’s been taped. Now if a person weren't given tapes but were forced to learn by hand, so to speak, from the start; why, then he’d get the habit of learning, and continue to learn. I've never questioned the goal of schools to develop learning and thinking skills, rather than just convey content. However, the question is with what content should those skills be developed? It is that choice that requires a delicate balance between fundamental and practical content.