9. On Online Teaching 🔗
April 20, 2018
In which I reflect on teaching in the free-agent world, distinguish between undergrad-style service courses and "Weird Topics" grad seminars, and conclude that the interesting frontier is building an indie teaching scene — not disrupting universities but occupying the long tail they can't reach.
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1/ Quick thought about teaching activities in the free agent world by analogy to academia.
In academia most faculty enjoy teaching graduate courses and PhD seminars, but only a few enjoy teaching major undergrad “service” courses (like say Stats 101 or English 101).
In academia most faculty enjoy teaching graduate courses and PhD seminars, but only a few enjoy teaching major undergrad “service” courses (like say Stats 101 or English 101).
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2/ Why? Because grad+ courses massively benefit the teacher’s research. I designed and taught one such as a postdoc at Cornell back in 2006, and learned far more than I ever did as a student.
Undergrad service courses otoh, mainly teach logistics/presentation/packaging skills
Undergrad service courses otoh, mainly teach logistics/presentation/packaging skills
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3/ It’s the enterprise/consumer difference: bespoke teaching relationships with 5-10 adults versus, mass-produced ones with 50 or 500 (let’s face it) kids.
I never taught UG courses but I TA’ed many large UG classes. I did learn a lot, but not things I was looking to learn.
I never taught UG courses but I TA’ed many large UG classes. I did learn a lot, but not things I was looking to learn.
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4/ The free-agent world is developing its own maturing educational activities. A distinction is emerging between people who put together courses for things like SEO/SEM, Blogging 101, Productivity 101, etc. which are like UG service courses, and weird “grad seminar” types.
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5/ In this world btw, the zillions of hours of great YouTube instructional videos are like K-12. It’s great and free since you mostly can’t charge for it.
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6/ But anyway, though I’ve done a bunch of teaching/online course experiments, I’ve realized something: I really don’t like teaching the equivalent of “undergrad service courses”.
I’m not good at it, and don’t care to learn the skills (logistics, scale, packaging) it teaches.
I’m not good at it, and don’t care to learn the skills (logistics, scale, packaging) it teaches.
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7/ But the opportunity to design/teach grad school type things that would advance your own research/writing projects is severely supply limited.
People who could use it are mostly already at real grad schools, taking seminars from Real Tenured Faculty ™
People who could use it are mostly already at real grad schools, taking seminars from Real Tenured Faculty ™
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8/ So the interesting challenge for the free-agent world is to develop the equivalent of grad school run by Fake, Untenured, Nonfaculty ™
I jokingly call this the “Not Even a Diploma Mill” problem.
I jokingly call this the “Not Even a Diploma Mill” problem.
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9/ If we leave out “new economy” service/101 type courses, what’s left? Two kinds of educational material.
1. Things that compete directly with graduate school on cost (1/10th) but don’t offer “extras”
2. “Weird” topics that would never get taught in universities at all
1. Things that compete directly with graduate school on cost (1/10th) but don’t offer “extras”
2. “Weird” topics that would never get taught in universities at all
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10/ Many of us could teach the equivalent of an MBA level marketing or org psych course at 1/10th the cost. Maybe with some boutique idiosyncrasies.
But then you take such courses for the Stanford/MIT networks, not the material). The material is pretty DIY+experience tbh.
But then you take such courses for the Stanford/MIT networks, not the material). The material is pretty DIY+experience tbh.
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11/ That leaves Weird Topics as the ideal market for a free agent grad-school type world of courses. @sarahdoingthing and I tried one such, an idiosyncratic ribbonfarm writing course that was neither Writing 101, nor Blogging 101, nor graduate creative writing at a univ.
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12/ It was great and I think we learned far more than any of the participants, which I how it should be for grad-seminar type teaching.
I have many lazy ideas, based on my writing, for other Weird Topics grad-level courses (thinking with 2x2s, OODA loopology, fat thinking...)
I have many lazy ideas, based on my writing, for other Weird Topics grad-level courses (thinking with 2x2s, OODA loopology, fat thinking...)
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13/ The challenge is working out a systematic business model for delivering Weird Topics learning material from the Long Tail of the Great Weirding.
My experiments so far have been Random Acts of Mildly Profitable or Break-Even Teaching, and I don’t trust that to be sustainable
My experiments so far have been Random Acts of Mildly Profitable or Break-Even Teaching, and I don’t trust that to be sustainable
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14/ What’s missing is a clean conceptualization of how Weird Topics teaching directly links to research/writing/making/kickstartering end of things. Just like there’s Aman R&D/PhD/grad-coursework nexus in academia.
Once I figure that out I’ll be more enthusiastic about teaching
Once I figure that out I’ll be more enthusiastic about teaching
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15/ This thread is a reflection of my own ambivalence towards the online courses game.
I have had a Ribbonfarm School set up on teachable for a year now with some bare minimum stuff available, and I’m both attracted to/put off by the idea of doing more.
I have had a Ribbonfarm School set up on teachable for a year now with some bare minimum stuff available, and I’m both attracted to/put off by the idea of doing more.
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16/ What would make me get serious is if I could figure out a good model, with many teachers, of Ribbonfarm School as a Weird Topics grad school.
I have no interest in the undergrad-equivalent stuff (though I need that to exist) or things that univs do well already at grad level
I have no interest in the undergrad-equivalent stuff (though I need that to exist) or things that univs do well already at grad level
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17/ Btw if any of you are interested in this stuff and looking to “disrupt” regular grad school or even undergrad, note that that’s likely a bad idea.
They’re disrupting themselves pretty well with their free/cheap catalog-openings in partnership with the Courseras of the world
They’re disrupting themselves pretty well with their free/cheap catalog-openings in partnership with the Courseras of the world
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18/ What we’re talking about here is really an indie teaching scene by analogy to indie music. The big univs are like the big record labels. No point competing where they have a deep back catalog of material ready to go.
Either teach New Economy UG or Weird Topics grad school
Either teach New Economy UG or Weird Topics grad school
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19/ If you want to teach New Economy UG, you have to think like a consumer business and design for scale, efficiency, packaging, mass marketing, intake funnels, and probably a sub $300 price range
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20/ If you want to teach Weird Topics grad school, you need to figure out a link/cross-subsidy with research/writing/making/indie-creating, focus on bespoke teaching relationships, and a price < $100, unless you can figure out a scholarship model and make it free (my preference)