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The older and more educated I become from free classes online the more ridiculous our education system seems. I pretty much know if I learned the material or n

The older and more educated I become from free classes online the more ridiculous our education system seems. I pretty much know if I learned the material or not. A test is nice to confirm this for myself but the way we have put test scores above everything is just ridiculous. It is all the symptoms of credentialism. Imagine taking the same class for free that you don't get "credit" for. It is not "cheating" then if someone else gives you the answers to things you don't know. It is just a waste of your own time. Why even bother taking the class. Instead we have people paying tens of thousands of dollars basically to focus on test taking to get credentials that no one really cares about anyway instead of actually becoming more educated. The irony to me is I always got good grades when I was younger and in school because I have always been a great test taker. I didn't have to "waste" much time actually learning the material. "waste" time actually benefiting from the material.

eldaisfish 5y ago
This is a very bad take. A major component of the university experience is collaboration and networking. Dividing tasks and plugging holes in each other's understanding. Bouncing ideas off other people to test your own understanding and verify against theirs. Any good university isn't simply about grades and there's a limit to what you can learn online. Credentials exist as a minimum filter, not as a mark of competence. One cannot be tested for an expressed numerically.
solveit 5y ago
> I pretty much know if I learned the material or not. Yes, but have you never met someone that was convinced they knew the material when they in fact didn't? They're everywhere! Accurately assessing oneself is a skill that needs to be taught for a lot of people, and an important part of it is by having people fail tests they're not capable of passing.
kiba 5y ago
Testing is a very good reality check on what you think you know. Unfortunately, testing are seen and maligned as only an assessment tool, not a learning tool. Testing is itself a form of learning, because you are asked to recall facts, concepts, and practice skills.
unishark 5y ago
I can't begin to count the number of books I am partway through when left to my own motivation. Signing up for a class with a hurdle at the end I need to jump over is exactly what I need. Free online classes are like gym memberships, but even cheaper. Most people won't stick to it.

eldaisfish 5y ago

This is a very bad take. A major component of the university experience is collaboration and networking. Dividing tasks and plugging holes in each other's understanding. Bouncing ideas off other people to test your own understanding and verify against theirs. Any good university isn't simply about grades and there's a limit to what you can learn online. Credentials exist as a minimum filter, not as a mark of competence. One cannot be tested for an expressed numerically.

solveit 5y ago

> I pretty much know if I learned the material or not. Yes, but have you never met someone that was convinced they knew the material when they in fact didn't? They're everywhere! Accurately assessing oneself is a skill that needs to be taught for a lot of people, and an important part of it is by having people fail tests they're not capable of passing.

kiba 5y ago

Testing is a very good reality check on what you think you know. Unfortunately, testing are seen and maligned as only an assessment tool, not a learning tool. Testing is itself a form of learning, because you are asked to recall facts, concepts, and practice skills.

unishark 5y ago

I can't begin to count the number of books I am partway through when left to my own motivation. Signing up for a class with a hurdle at the end I need to jump over is exactly what I need. Free online classes are like gym memberships, but even cheaper. Most people won't stick to it.