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MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

tech.mit.edu

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Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#141

Post by gravypod »

mindcrime wrote: post #140
gravypod wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know this is more anecdotal, but I don't see that at least where I attend. My school allows transfer credit from all of the neighboring community college. I also have friends who attended my same high school who are attending community collage. We have traded notes on classes and it seems like we do learn the same material. The only difference is that my school packs every class with 20+ people while their school h…

I've found that, for some classes, you may get a better experience at a community college than at a "real" university, just due to class size and personal attention from the instructors. CC's tend to have smaller classes, and teachers who aren't so swamped with students (and research) and can therefore spend more time helping the students. This may not be universally true, but it's something I've observed.

I agree. I have been considering doing this with my local community college since we have 1:1 transfer with my university. The classes also cost like 1/4 of the cost.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#142

Post by shawndumas »

david927 wrote: post #128
shawndumas wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'll just leave this here: "George W. Bush, Republican, 1946–present, 2001–2009, IQ:138.5" --> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Presidential_IQ_hoax#IQ_e...

I love it. For everyone who believes a study that gives him an IQ of around genius level (and for every US president -- look at that!), I actually own the Brooklyn Bridge and I'm looking to sell it. I used the wrong example: nothing creates cognitive dissonance faster than politics or religion. But, that said, it's not a show. He's quite consistent in the types of grammatical mistakes he makes, such as simple subject…

I am not in anyway endorsing the man. But I will point out that he flew a fighter jet...

'Upon its completion, Bush was promoted to the officer's rank of second lieutenant required for pilot candidates. He spent the next year in flight school at Moody AFB in Georgia from November 1968 to November 1969. The aircraft Lt. Bush trained aboard were the T-41 Mescelero propeller-driven basic trainer, T-37 Tweet primary jet trainer, and the T-38 Talon advanced jet trainer. Bush ranked 22 out of 53 students in his flight school class with a grade of 88 on total airmanship. His scores included 100 for flying without navigational instruments, 89 in flight planning, and 98 in aviation physiology. Bush also completed two weeks of survival training during this period.

Bush then returned to Ellington in Texas to complete seven months of combat crew training on the F-102 from December 1969 to June 1970. This period included five weeks of training on the T-33 Shooting Star and 16 weeks aboard the TF-102 Delta Dagger two-seat trainer and finally the single-seat F-102A. Bush graduated from the training program in June 1970. When interviewed by the Associated Press in February 2004, flight instructor Maj. Udell recalled that Lt. Bush was one of his best students saying that, "I'd rank him in the top five percent."' --http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/history/q0185.shtml

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#143

Post by matt_wulfeck »

st3v3r wrote: post #134
such_a_casual wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Either that, or you don't get to vote. What? Graduating from school (highschool or university) is about learning how to follow directions and play the game. To say that a degree somehow guarantees that a person knows how to think critically is ludicrous. But you're not even making such a modest claim, you're actually claiming that it is the only way to assure people can think critically (even though it's not even a…

I can't say I've ever been convinced that those who rant against school are "really, really smart". Mostly they just sound like people who are insecure in their choices.

I know that I'm slightly bitter. I played the game and got the job but what an ultimate waste of time. The best thing about college for me was networking.

I remember many classmates in high school that hated it and considered it a chore. They didn't play the game.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#144

Post by hackuser »

st3v3r wrote: post #120
gravypod wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have not joined the university you are not part of the "in" group. There is a perception among people that if you attend a "prestigious" university that you are smarter than someone who attends a community college. I find that crazy. Both teach basically the same thing. If they are both accredited, then it is almost indistinguishable. Who would you think is smarter off the cuff, a Harvard graduate, or someone…

Someone attending MIT has the opportunity to expose themselves to far, far more than someone who went to community college. MIT has far more resources, and cutting edge research is taking place there.

Don't forget access to the faculty and your peers.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#145

Post by bhewes »

Everything about this sounds like how an university use to work. I for one will back this idea. Nothing will stop a person from getting a 'real world' job after completion of the program. But it is clear that the program is not just specialist training, but geared to moving up the abstraction and generalization layers.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#146

Post by entropicmind »

bobby_9x wrote: post #56

The current system was created for a reason: because for most people, it works. I ran a language learning group for a couple of years and we tried many different styles of learning. With no structure, most people flounder. Unless you already learned the material and just need it for review, it really doesn't work well. The best was complete structure: tests, lesson plans, and homework. Most people are passive. They w…

I agree with the necessity of structure at a younger age. The current public education system in America has strict schedules and classes geared towards getting the lowest common denominator a high school diploma. However in a college setting, which is supposed to prepare you for the real world, it's more of a sink or swim scenario that separates those who are disciplined and are willing to work than those who don't know how to thrive without someone telling them what to do at all times. I'm really interested to see how this new university works out.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#147

Post by mindcrime »

gravypod wrote: post #141
mindcrime wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've found that, for some classes, you may get a better experience at a community college than at a "real" university, just due to class size and personal attention from the instructors. CC's tend to have smaller classes, and teachers who aren't so swamped with students (and research) and can therefore spend more time helping the students. This may not be universally true, but it's something I've observed.

I agree. I have been considering doing this with my local community college since we have 1:1 transfer with my university. The classes also cost like 1/4 of the cost.

The classes also cost like 1/4 of the cost

Good point. That was a big reason I started my education at a community college. Classes were cheap, small, and there was and agreement for automatic admission with full credit transfer between that CC and the university I wanted to attend.

In addition, the CC was also 10 miles from my home instead of the 35 miles to the university campus, which was one more reason. For me, it was a no-brainer to go to the CC for two years and then transfer.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#148

Post by [deleted] »

david927 wrote: post #54
dhimes wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"guarantee" that students "know" what they are "taught" That used to be the case, but now corporations require you to pass their own exam before they hire you. Let that sink in a moment. No longer are the universities taken at their word about their product. For some of you it has never been any different, but this change came about more or less when I was teaching at university/college. Some of us saw this as a quit…

It's surprising that it's taking so long. The wealthiest have always found ways to preserve their wealth and Ivy League institutions have played a role in that. Take some smart people, a lot of people that are good at fitting the mold that looks best, mix your rich kids in there and call the paint one color. Remember, George W. Bush (all politics aside, just looking at him in terms of intellectual prowess) graduated…

[deleted]

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#149

Post by kamaal »

gravypod wrote: post #4

The only point of a modern day university is that they are (a) exclusive, and (b) "guarantee" that students "know" what they are "taught". That's at least what people who hire think. I remember someone saying "It wouldn't matter if MIT only taught basket weaving as long as they still had such a thorough selection process". This holds true here. People only care about the pedigree of your degree, it's substance comes…

>>It wouldn't matter if MIT only taught basket weaving as long as they still had such a thorough selection process

The whole point of Ivy leagues has been reduced to being a hub for assembling smart/rich people at a place. This has all sorts of unintended consequences like for example, alumni network which exists solely for career benefits.

Though great works still comes out of these universities. They are not exactly making people smarter or helping ordinary people directly in any way.

They just exist to gather rich/smart people at a place, and see if they can go further.

Re: MIT dean to start new university: “No majors, no lectures, no classrooms”

#150

Post by such_a_casual »

st3v3r wrote: post #134
such_a_casual wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Either that, or you don't get to vote. What? Graduating from school (highschool or university) is about learning how to follow directions and play the game. To say that a degree somehow guarantees that a person knows how to think critically is ludicrous. But you're not even making such a modest claim, you're actually claiming that it is the only way to assure people can think critically (even though it's not even a…

I can't say I've ever been convinced that those who rant against school are "really, really smart". Mostly they just sound like people who are insecure in their choices.

I'm not talking about people who "rant against school". I also hope that you realize that my post was not a "rant against school", but a rant against taking away millions of people's right to vote just because they didn't learn how to shut up and do what they're told. The people I'm referring to would likely not rant about school, because they likely wouldn't have graduated or even attended in the first place. When I see people ranting it is usually people who have taken on debt via student loans.
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