3 ms·

Universities are part of the problem in my opinion. With enrollment trending down many colleges appear to focus on making up the loss through raising tuition.

Universities are part of the problem in my opinion. With enrollment trending down many colleges appear to focus on making up the loss through raising tuition. To attract students the universities invest in prettier buildings and more "college experiences" to attract students. Meanwhile information is cheaper and more easier to replicate than ever in human history. Books ought to included in tuition, a good professor can note any updates needed. Lectures ought to be digital. Let classroom time be for students to work or ask questions or discuss. Saves both students and professors money. Integrate and use/teach open source software. This would lower costs to students and long term lower the technology costs to the university (especially if universities are aiding each other in development). That's three core parts of modern college that can and ought to be reduced in costs. There's no (good) excuse for academia to not do this in my opinion and if they (universities) fail to keep up with the rate of opportunity sadly I believe we'll see a lot of knowledge lost.

Turing_Machine 3y ago
>> Lectures ought to be digital. We shouldn't have lectures at all, IMO. They arose in medieval times before the printing press, when the lector (which means "reader" in Latin) would read a book, very slowly, while the students copied it down verbatim. At the end of the course, you'd have your own copy of the book. Of course, this actually made sense at the time. You couldn't pop down to Barnes and Noble and get your own copy of Aristotle, after all. The fact that we're still doing this in the 21st Century has more to do with the ego of academics who like to hear themselves talk than it does with any bona fide educational purpose. We already have technology that can help tailor instruction to individual students, and that capability is only going to get better with time. The university as we know it is doomed, IMO. The corpse just hasn't stopped twitching yet.
- thx-2718 3y ago
  That's interesting. I really like the idea of having a personalized copy of your class/book once you're end of term. Universities function far beyond just teaching undergraduates. They often function as essential research hubs, protect & disseminate knowledge. However I agree we having technology that changes the need for traditional college lectures. Though I struggle to see how to adapt the need for accreditation & proving someone is qualified, which is a nice function of colleges.

Turing_Machine 3y ago

>> Lectures ought to be digital. We shouldn't have lectures at all, IMO. They arose in medieval times before the printing press, when the lector (which means "reader" in Latin) would read a book, very slowly, while the students copied it down verbatim. At the end of the course, you'd have your own copy of the book. Of course, this actually made sense at the time. You couldn't pop down to Barnes and Noble and get your own copy of Aristotle, after all. The fact that we're still doing this in the 21st Century has more to do with the ego of academics who like to hear themselves talk than it does with any bona fide educational purpose. We already have technology that can help tailor instruction to individual students, and that capability is only going to get better with time. The university as we know it is doomed, IMO. The corpse just hasn't stopped twitching yet.

thx-2718 3y ago
That's interesting. I really like the idea of having a personalized copy of your class/book once you're end of term. Universities function far beyond just teaching undergraduates. They often function as essential research hubs, protect & disseminate knowledge. However I agree we having technology that changes the need for traditional college lectures. Though I struggle to see how to adapt the need for accreditation & proving someone is qualified, which is a nice function of colleges.