Re:How college became a ruthless competition divorced from l...
by AnimalMuppet on Friday May 07, 2021 @02:39PM
(#27079284)
Western Governors University has this really interesting test-based approach. If you pass the tests, you pass the class - however long that takes. You can get a degree just by passing tests, with out ever watching a lecture, even online. That doesn't get you the prestige of a "name" college, it doesn't get you the network of people, but it documents that you provably know your stuff. If I were a hiring manager, I could see regarding that as a plus over a traditional university.
The thing that WGU lacks is breadth of majors. I could see such a system replacing[1] traditional universities in the next couple of decades, but it has to expand to cover more majors, and it needs more than one school doing it. But if it happens, the way it's going to happen is by managers and recruiters realizing that it's better because it's provable.
[1] Well, such a system could replace traditional universities as a source of knowledge. It can't replace them as a source of contacts or a source of elite prestige. Traditional universities will probably survive on students who want those things.
The thing that WGU lacks is breadth of majors. I could see such a system replacing[1] traditional universities in the next couple of decades, but it has to expand to cover more majors, and it needs more than one school doing it. But if it happens, the way it's going to happen is by managers and recruiters realizing that it's better because it's provable.
[1] Well, such a system could replace traditional universities as a source of knowledge. It can't replace them as a source of contacts or a source of elite prestige. Traditional universities will probably survive on students who want those things.