5 ms·

Exams Only Universities

11 points by barry-cotter 4y ago

wakaka 4y ago
In the Netherlands, we kind of have such systems. There are online videos from previous years, so it is not mandatory to attend the class in person. All assignments are project-based and needs to submitted online. So during some semesters, students can be anywhere to finish the study if they want.
eternityforest 4y ago
Research universities let you in theory learn from people who are actively working in the field. Would losing that aspect be a significant loss?
- belval 4y ago
  In my experience (studying for my masters) most interesting professors have one class that they care about (the precise field that they are working on) and the rest could be taught by anyone else. Being a good researcher is not correlated to being a good lecturer. Even at graduate-level I'd pick someone who is good a teaching over the absolute #1 in the field 9 times out of 10.
quacked 4y ago
This is the model of university I like to proselytize. It's similar to "The University" in The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, but I was thinking about this concept before I read the book. The true quality of a college education can be measured by two questions at the end of your degree: 1) What do you know? 2) Who do you know? How many hours you spent in class, how many labs you did, how much you liked or didn't like your professors, what your assignments were--none of this really matters once you're out of school, as your real-world performance is the only advertisement for the quality of your education. A university is technically only in service of stuffing information and skills into your head and people into your professional network. A university that holds exams perhaps once every four months, that charges only to take an exam or pay-as-you-go lectures, and is built around a come-and-go learning method would add an incredible amount of freedom and flexibility for adults. You could take ten years for a degree, one year for a degree, or cycle in and out of "college" for your entire life. Lecture models would be built around the exams, with private tutors charging for preparatory courses or attached lecturers charging for full courses. I think that modern college has become an identity-based lifestyle that holds young adults back from participating in greater society and excludes older adults from returning to education. Changing to an open university model would allow for more exchange of information at quicker rates. Furthermore, the enormous transient population of learners would need to be supported by the surrounding towns, which could easily be staffed by people attending or who already attended "college", but are unencumbered by class schedules or homework assignments. Most of the other benefits that colleges offer--research, socialization, extracurricular clubs and societies, music--could be easily offered by voluntary societies that exist near the colleges.
welshwelsh 4y ago
This seems similar to the concept of "competency based learning" offered by schools like WGU
- cwdegidio 4y ago
  It very much does. I just graduated with my BSCS from WGU this past July and while reading this was thinking to myself "WGU is already doing something similar to this." Some classes do require projects + lengthy papers, others are straight final exams, and a few are a mix of the two.
ei8ths 4y ago
Meh, I really like project based and not exams, but it depends on the subject of the class. Sure exams could be a do at your own pace study. But couldn't projects be the same way?
xqcgrek2 4y ago
Open University in Israel does this.
xg15 4y ago
Why the animosity about in-person learning? Traditionally, university has been far more than just exams or lectures. College life is an important chapter in the life of many: Being away from home, beingnon your own for the first time, being exposed to new ideas, meeting new people, forming your own networks, etc. Why throw all of that away?

11 points by barry-cotter 4y ago

In the Netherlands, we kind of have such systems. There are online videos from previous years, so it is not mandatory to attend the class in person. All assignments are project-based and needs to submitted online. So during some semesters, students can be anywhere to finish the study if they want.

eternityforest 4y ago

Research universities let you in theory learn from people who are actively working in the field. Would losing that aspect be a significant loss?

belval 4y ago
In my experience (studying for my masters) most interesting professors have one class that they care about (the precise field that they are working on) and the rest could be taught by anyone else. Being a good researcher is not correlated to being a good lecturer. Even at graduate-level I'd pick someone who is good a teaching over the absolute #1 in the field 9 times out of 10.

quacked 4y ago

This is the model of university I like to proselytize. It's similar to "The University" in The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, but I was thinking about this concept before I read the book. The true quality of a college education can be measured by two questions at the end of your degree: 1) What do you know? 2) Who do you know? How many hours you spent in class, how many labs you did, how much you liked or didn't like your professors, what your assignments were--none of this really matters once you're out of school, as your real-world performance is the only advertisement for the quality of your education. A university is technically only in service of stuffing information and skills into your head and people into your professional network. A university that holds exams perhaps once every four months, that charges only to take an exam or pay-as-you-go lectures, and is built around a come-and-go learning method would add an incredible amount of freedom and flexibility for adults. You could take ten years for a degree, one year for a degree, or cycle in and out of "college" for your entire life. Lecture models would be built around the exams, with private tutors charging for preparatory courses or attached lecturers charging for full courses. I think that modern college has become an identity-based lifestyle that holds young adults back from participating in greater society and excludes older adults from returning to education. Changing to an open university model would allow for more exchange of information at quicker rates. Furthermore, the enormous transient population of learners would need to be supported by the surrounding towns, which could easily be staffed by people attending or who already attended "college", but are unencumbered by class schedules or homework assignments. Most of the other benefits that colleges offer--research, socialization, extracurricular clubs and societies, music--could be easily offered by voluntary societies that exist near the colleges.

welshwelsh 4y ago

This seems similar to the concept of "competency based learning" offered by schools like WGU

cwdegidio 4y ago
It very much does. I just graduated with my BSCS from WGU this past July and while reading this was thinking to myself "WGU is already doing something similar to this." Some classes do require projects + lengthy papers, others are straight final exams, and a few are a mix of the two.

ei8ths 4y ago

Meh, I really like project based and not exams, but it depends on the subject of the class. Sure exams could be a do at your own pace study. But couldn't projects be the same way?

xqcgrek2 4y ago

Open University in Israel does this.

xg15 4y ago

Why the animosity about in-person learning? Traditionally, university has been far more than just exams or lectures. College life is an important chapter in the life of many: Being away from home, beingnon your own for the first time, being exposed to new ideas, meeting new people, forming your own networks, etc. Why throw all of that away?