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I'm not sure why one would choose lectures narrated by a single guy without expertise in any of the topics over real lectures given by world-class faculty and r

I'm not sure why one would choose lectures narrated by a single guy without expertise in any of the topics over real lectures given by world-class faculty and researchers. Berkeley, MIT, Yale and other top universities in the past decade have made hundreds of courses available in audio and video form. I've been hooked on Berkeley courses for a few years now, actually wishing sometimes that my commute were longer.

georgecmu 16y ago
I suppose part of it is that they target a very different audience. He addresses subjects at high-school level: something that any reasonably educated person should be competent enough to do.
thethimble 16y ago
Khan is an Electrical Engineer from MIT with an MBA from Harvard. His ability to teach far outperforms the majority of university professors. Try watching some of his videos.
- georgecmu 16y ago
  I won't argue that the guy is a very talented and eloquent speaker. My point is different: he may be very erudite, but the depth of his knowledge in any of the subjects he's teaching (except maybe some subjects in EE and finance) is not going to compare with that of professors in the respective fields. Certainly, the fact that he's addressing these subjects at high-school level, does a lot to level the field for him. By the way, I'm not sure how listing his credentials is supportive of your claim that "his ability to teach far outperforms the majority of university professors." Finally, it's not the anonymous 'majority of university professors' that I'm comparing him to, but the top people in their fields at the top American universities. Those people must excel both in research and teaching, otherwise they simply don't make it there.
  - marciovm123 16y ago
    I have degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley. I can attest from experience that at such institutions, while there are indeed some professors who excel in both research and teaching, the vast majority are there because of the quality of their research with teaching a secondary concern. Also, I think having a huge depth of knowledge is really not that important when teaching introductory topics (as long as you don't get anything wrong!). Having tutored students for many years, I'm quite certain that the biggest impediment to learning such topics is motivation, which is addressed more by a teacher's enthusiasm and speaking ability than the depth of their knowledge.
    - georgecmu 16y ago
      think having a huge depth of knowledge is really not that important when teaching introductory topics Absolutely, and as I said, that levels out the playing field for him a lot. Partially I was misled by the enthusiasm of the HN users here for the lectures; I didn't expect the crowd here to be so excited about high-school material.
      - elai 16y ago
        He teaches a good chunk of first and second year math college courses. Especially the more popular ones applicable to a broad number of majors.
  - discipline 16y ago
    OK, I really need a reality check here. First, let me make it clear - on every reddit discussion about math and about Khan Academy that's I've been involved in, I heartily recommend it. I think what he's doing makes him one of the education heroes of the 21st century, and I'm a public school math teacher! But..."eloquent speaker"??? Khan drives me UP THE GODDAM WALL with his palsy-mousing and repetition while he's thinking on-the-fly. I mean, what amazes me about him is he's able to just sit down and do these videos without any script beforehand, which you can tell because he just starts making up examples while he's explaining things!!! But as a teacher - and professional speaker - and former theatre major - he makes me crazy. EVERY video I've seen goes like this: "OK, we're going to cover (insert topic here). Now suppose we want to solve 2X=5, that's, uh, 2x, uh twoooo, (wiggles stylus, then writes 2), uh X (wiggles stylus, then writes X, eeeeequals, (wiggles stylus, then writes the equals sign), equals (wiggles stylus, writes 5) five..." Ad nauseum. I have heard literally NO ONE mention this in any discussion about Khan Academy. Why? I haven't hallucinated this behavior - it's on EVERY video, because, well, it's his STYLE. And I've never seen this behavior at a blackboard by any instructor, no matter how crummy they were (and, whoo, have I seen some crummy ones!). Please, someone tell me that I've fallen into some universe where I've become the character Monk, and I'm the only one who's bothered by Khan's presentation!
ewanmcteagle 16y ago
Most professors at those institutions care very little about the teaching part of their job. The incentives they face make it that way.
- georgecmu 16y ago
  Do you know this from personal experience or is it just one of those things that "everyone knows"? My experience of both real-life lectures and podcasted ones suggests otherwise.
  - lftl 16y ago
    Podcasted lectures probably show an enormous selection bias, in that professors who don't care about teaching probably have no desire to make their lectures available to a wider audience. That aside I will concur that "professors don't like to teach" is probably much more anecdotal than evidence backed.
    - danielford 16y ago
      You also have to be pretty confident about your teaching ability to put that stuff up on the internet for everyone to see. I'd like to put some of my lectures online in a year or two, but currently they don't meet the Khan standard. Regarding research professors, the chair of the department I was a graduate student at once said that your teaching can only hurt your career; it can never help it.
  - ewanmcteagle 16y ago
    Personal experience and the experience of colleagues. I spent 11 years in the undergraduate/graduate system both learning and teaching. It's also something you can learn if you ever have to look for work in academia. It's very rare that anyone cares about your teaching credentials. Typically undergraduate education is at the bottom of a professor's concerns. First is research/publications/funding. Next are graduate students and their research. Undergraduate teaching is an 'in the time left' activity.
  - 16y ago

georgecmu 16y ago

I suppose part of it is that they target a very different audience. He addresses subjects at high-school level: something that any reasonably educated person should be competent enough to do.

thethimble 16y ago

Khan is an Electrical Engineer from MIT with an MBA from Harvard. His ability to teach far outperforms the majority of university professors. Try watching some of his videos.

georgecmu 16y ago
I won't argue that the guy is a very talented and eloquent speaker. My point is different: he may be very erudite, but the depth of his knowledge in any of the subjects he's teaching (except maybe some subjects in EE and finance) is not going to compare with that of professors in the respective fields. Certainly, the fact that he's addressing these subjects at high-school level, does a lot to level the field for him. By the way, I'm not sure how listing his credentials is supportive of your claim that "his ability to teach far outperforms the majority of university professors." Finally, it's not the anonymous 'majority of university professors' that I'm comparing him to, but the top people in their fields at the top American universities. Those people must excel both in research and teaching, otherwise they simply don't make it there.
- marciovm123 16y ago
  I have degrees from MIT and UC Berkeley. I can attest from experience that at such institutions, while there are indeed some professors who excel in both research and teaching, the vast majority are there because of the quality of their research with teaching a secondary concern. Also, I think having a huge depth of knowledge is really not that important when teaching introductory topics (as long as you don't get anything wrong!). Having tutored students for many years, I'm quite certain that the biggest impediment to learning such topics is motivation, which is addressed more by a teacher's enthusiasm and speaking ability than the depth of their knowledge.
  - georgecmu 16y ago
    think having a huge depth of knowledge is really not that important when teaching introductory topics Absolutely, and as I said, that levels out the playing field for him a lot. Partially I was misled by the enthusiasm of the HN users here for the lectures; I didn't expect the crowd here to be so excited about high-school material.
    - elai 16y ago
      He teaches a good chunk of first and second year math college courses. Especially the more popular ones applicable to a broad number of majors.
- discipline 16y ago
  OK, I really need a reality check here. First, let me make it clear - on every reddit discussion about math and about Khan Academy that's I've been involved in, I heartily recommend it. I think what he's doing makes him one of the education heroes of the 21st century, and I'm a public school math teacher! But..."eloquent speaker"??? Khan drives me UP THE GODDAM WALL with his palsy-mousing and repetition while he's thinking on-the-fly. I mean, what amazes me about him is he's able to just sit down and do these videos without any script beforehand, which you can tell because he just starts making up examples while he's explaining things!!! But as a teacher - and professional speaker - and former theatre major - he makes me crazy. EVERY video I've seen goes like this: "OK, we're going to cover (insert topic here). Now suppose we want to solve 2X=5, that's, uh, 2x, uh twoooo, (wiggles stylus, then writes 2), uh X (wiggles stylus, then writes X, eeeeequals, (wiggles stylus, then writes the equals sign), equals (wiggles stylus, writes 5) five..." Ad nauseum. I have heard literally NO ONE mention this in any discussion about Khan Academy. Why? I haven't hallucinated this behavior - it's on EVERY video, because, well, it's his STYLE. And I've never seen this behavior at a blackboard by any instructor, no matter how crummy they were (and, whoo, have I seen some crummy ones!). Please, someone tell me that I've fallen into some universe where I've become the character Monk, and I'm the only one who's bothered by Khan's presentation!

ewanmcteagle 16y ago

Most professors at those institutions care very little about the teaching part of their job. The incentives they face make it that way.

georgecmu 16y ago
Do you know this from personal experience or is it just one of those things that "everyone knows"? My experience of both real-life lectures and podcasted ones suggests otherwise.
- lftl 16y ago
  Podcasted lectures probably show an enormous selection bias, in that professors who don't care about teaching probably have no desire to make their lectures available to a wider audience. That aside I will concur that "professors don't like to teach" is probably much more anecdotal than evidence backed.
  - danielford 16y ago
    You also have to be pretty confident about your teaching ability to put that stuff up on the internet for everyone to see. I'd like to put some of my lectures online in a year or two, but currently they don't meet the Khan standard. Regarding research professors, the chair of the department I was a graduate student at once said that your teaching can only hurt your career; it can never help it.
- ewanmcteagle 16y ago
  Personal experience and the experience of colleagues. I spent 11 years in the undergraduate/graduate system both learning and teaching. It's also something you can learn if you ever have to look for work in academia. It's very rare that anyone cares about your teaching credentials. Typically undergraduate education is at the bottom of a professor's concerns. First is research/publications/funding. Next are graduate students and their research. Undergraduate teaching is an 'in the time left' activity.
- 16y ago