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This is directly related to the teacher-student ratio, regardless of whether it's online or not. One of Malcolm Gladwell's books made a convincing argument tha

This is directly related to the teacher-student ratio, regardless of whether it's online or not. One of Malcolm Gladwell's books made a convincing argument that reducing class size quickly runs into the issue of diminishing returns. A cursory Googling suggests there's plenty of research to back it up[0][1] The effectiveness of in-person learning may have more to do with social interaction and peer motivation. A teacher with about 20 students who is able to create a general excitement for learning in the class seems to be the most effective. A classroom where the "spirit" of learning is alive is ideal for a lot of kids. [0]https://edcentral.uk/reading-list/431-what-we-have-learned-about-class-size-reduction-in-california https://edcentral.uk/reading-list/431-what-we-have-learned-a... [1]http://hanushek.stanford.edu/publications/evidence-class-size http://hanushek.stanford.edu/publications/evidence-class-siz...

photochemsyn 4y ago
In some of these online classes I've heard of >1000 students signing up with one professor and maybe two assistants. In that case, maybe a model would be to recruit the top students (selected early in the course based on their submitted) work) to act as tutors for say groups of 10 or so. Pitch them on the idea with "the best way to learn something is to explain it to someone else."
- endisneigh 4y ago
  And what happens if they don’t want to do it?
  - toomuchtodo 4y ago
    Make their course completion contingent upon doing so? That’s a bit draconian of course, but you could also provide something positive to juice the deal instead. Incentives 101.
    - endisneigh 4y ago
      So the education system is contingent on making students teach other students, or else? Lol
      - toomuchtodo 4y ago
        It’s not as if this isn’t already a requirement for some. https://biosciences.uchicago.edu/content/teaching-assistant-requirement https://biosciences.uchicago.edu/content/teaching-assistant-... > All graduate students are required to serve as a Teaching Assistant in at least one course for academic credit before the Ph.D. degree is awarded. Appropriate courses may be undergraduate, graduate, or medical, but must be in the Biological Sciences Division (exceptions may be made for students in the Biophysical Sciences program).
        endisneigh 4y ago
        Grad school is not a requirement in the United States as far as I know.
    - ILikeMathBetter 4y ago
      in my school they pay students to tutor. it was actually quite competitive. A lot of tutors I knew went on to get really good jobs right after graduation. it works out really well for the student. instead of working a regular job during the year you get to do something that benefits your career, you build a relationship with your professors and it pays more than if you were working at the local grocery store. https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/readers-and-tutors https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/readers-and-tutors
  - photochemsyn 4y ago
    How about offer to pay them for their services?
- skrtskrt 4y ago
  So like being a grad student without the abuse and poverty pay?

photochemsyn 4y ago

In some of these online classes I've heard of >1000 students signing up with one professor and maybe two assistants. In that case, maybe a model would be to recruit the top students (selected early in the course based on their submitted) work) to act as tutors for say groups of 10 or so. Pitch them on the idea with "the best way to learn something is to explain it to someone else."

endisneigh 4y ago
And what happens if they don’t want to do it?
- toomuchtodo 4y ago
  Make their course completion contingent upon doing so? That’s a bit draconian of course, but you could also provide something positive to juice the deal instead. Incentives 101.
  - endisneigh 4y ago
    So the education system is contingent on making students teach other students, or else? Lol
    - toomuchtodo 4y ago
      It’s not as if this isn’t already a requirement for some. https://biosciences.uchicago.edu/content/teaching-assistant-requirement https://biosciences.uchicago.edu/content/teaching-assistant-... > All graduate students are required to serve as a Teaching Assistant in at least one course for academic credit before the Ph.D. degree is awarded. Appropriate courses may be undergraduate, graduate, or medical, but must be in the Biological Sciences Division (exceptions may be made for students in the Biophysical Sciences program).
      - endisneigh 4y ago
        Grad school is not a requirement in the United States as far as I know.
  - ILikeMathBetter 4y ago
    in my school they pay students to tutor. it was actually quite competitive. A lot of tutors I knew went on to get really good jobs right after graduation. it works out really well for the student. instead of working a regular job during the year you get to do something that benefits your career, you build a relationship with your professors and it pays more than if you were working at the local grocery store. https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/readers-and-tutors https://cse.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/readers-and-tutors
- photochemsyn 4y ago
  How about offer to pay them for their services?
skrtskrt 4y ago
So like being a grad student without the abuse and poverty pay?