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In many cases it simply is not physically possible to do a course justice just through web materials. Of course, the obvious example is that in some classes the

In many cases it simply is not physically possible to do a course justice just through web materials. Of course, the obvious example is that in some classes the labs and lab equipment. However, it should also be noted that a lot of the value of some classes (whether they be MIT or somewhere else) comes from group projects and other group activities that either wouldn't be reasonable for an individual to complete, or wouldn't be nearly as helpful.

netcan 18y ago
Sure. I don't think it's easy or as good. There'll probably always be an advantage to going to a physical university. But there are online Universities that provide an education, degree, and faculty access at widely ranging cost points. The first two might be possible to offer free. Maybe. The last one would be difficult to provide free. But maybe some sort of guided community support could give a 90/10 solution that could scale. The goal of an MIT level education & certification available to anyone with the intelligence & time regardless of citizenship & economic situation comes with a huge amount of utility. Economic, social & otherwise. I believe it may also be very strategic in terms of world security & stability. But an MIT level is not absolutely necessary. A tier 2 or 3 university level might be sufficient. Maybe as albertni mentions, they aim to provide a piece of the puzzle which can then be topped up with elements from other institutions. For the above to be goals, the whole thing doesn't need to fall on MIT's back. Coursework can scale pretty much indefinitely. Certification, (i believe) can be made to scale quite well but MIT is probably not the place to go for this. Between those two, you don't seem that far from a free education. At least for the very driven students. I was never a great example (or a great student), but for me these were the centres of gravity. Interactions that were important were mostly with tutors (mostly phd candidates or later year students) & other students. These would be harder to solve but maybe not impossible. The point is that traditional, physical universities have not scaled. A minority of those intellectually capable have access to them.

netcan 18y ago

Sure. I don't think it's easy or as good. There'll probably always be an advantage to going to a physical university. But there are online Universities that provide an education, degree, and faculty access at widely ranging cost points. The first two might be possible to offer free. Maybe. The last one would be difficult to provide free. But maybe some sort of guided community support could give a 90/10 solution that could scale. The goal of an MIT level education & certification available to anyone with the intelligence & time regardless of citizenship & economic situation comes with a huge amount of utility. Economic, social & otherwise. I believe it may also be very strategic in terms of world security & stability. But an MIT level is not absolutely necessary. A tier 2 or 3 university level might be sufficient. Maybe as albertni mentions, they aim to provide a piece of the puzzle which can then be topped up with elements from other institutions. For the above to be goals, the whole thing doesn't need to fall on MIT's back. Coursework can scale pretty much indefinitely. Certification, (i believe) can be made to scale quite well but MIT is probably not the place to go for this. Between those two, you don't seem that far from a free education. At least for the very driven students. I was never a great example (or a great student), but for me these were the centres of gravity. Interactions that were important were mostly with tutors (mostly phd candidates or later year students) & other students. These would be harder to solve but maybe not impossible. The point is that traditional, physical universities have not scaled. A minority of those intellectually capable have access to them.