I agree with you. As an example, I'm sure that I could become quite enthused with Lisp if PG was to spend a few hours with me. But, is this the best use of hi

I agree with you. As an example, I'm sure that I could become quite enthused with Lisp if PG was to spend a few hours with me. But, is this the best use of his time? The opportunity cost is quite high, much as it is for any truly world class academic. What fraction of the value would I receive if I watched a series of video lectures he produced on the subject? One could argue that all interactivity would be lost, but I'd counter that the large size of most university lecture classes precludes all but a few questions per class. Would I be better served watching PG's videos (or reading his book) and having a recitation of sorts with a lesser, but still competent Lisper? One argument for taking courses from faculty active in research is that they can incorporate recent advances in their fields into the curriculum. Undergraduate calculus does not benefit much, though. It's not like anything taught wasn't known 200 years ago. I picked on math for poets because classes in those genre often require much one-on-one tutoring, review classes, etc. The professors who ran such courses were often more project manager than teacher. Many teaching assistants were involved, and duties were shared. I could understand having some guest lectures from various faculty members, but burdening them with tutoring some pre-med major on integration techniques doesn't seem like a good use of time.