tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post457338424195375003..comments2024-03-22T01:06:23.845-07:00Comments on Confessions of a College Professor: Remember Sunrise Semester?Doomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-77484657051573101642014-03-11T12:43:53.782-07:002014-03-11T12:43:53.782-07:00Yes, the same problems remain, but now suddenly th...Yes, the same problems remain, but now suddenly they're very popular. I'll finish that thought next time. <br /><br />I did see the Georgia Tech has shown some integrity and offered cut-rate prices for cut-rate education. I hope it works out for them.Doomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04528555392898760692noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-491174673971804494.post-56570745222797137702014-03-11T11:23:28.457-07:002014-03-11T11:23:28.457-07:00Britain's Open University -- founded by the La...Britain's Open University -- founded by the Labour government in 1965 -- managed to make use of television. They would broadcast their lectures (maybe still do) early in the morning and late at night on BBC2. I watched some of the math lectures back in the late '80s -- on Fourier analysis, complex analysis, differential geometry and Galois theory. The quality was high -- much better than the ill-organised and ill-presented lectures I had to contend with at the U of London. Unfortunately what's missing is interaction with other students (the faculty are typically not approachable or available).<br /><br />In the USA there's been this obsession with tech as educational panacea throughout the 20th century. Not once have the wild expectations with regard to a new technology been met. The latest craze revolves around "MOOCs" (e.g., Coursera and Udacity). But the same fundamental problem remains -- little or no access to faculty and other students. Learning, math, and science generally are *social* activities -- this can't be emphasised with sufficient strength. The real purpose of the MOOC is to cut faculty yet further. Some of this may trickle down to lower fees -- for instance, Georgia Tech is offering a cut-price $6,000 online Master's in computer science.AAhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13242448989166177843noreply@blogger.com