OSSU: Path to a free, self-taught education in computer science

Re:OSSU: Path to a free, self-taught education in computer s... by nicoburns on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @06:45AM (#27746552)

I think the reason fo this emphasis is that there are already plenty of resources for self-learning CS. Indeed a lot of the mainstream universities make their course materials available. The bit that is not typically available is the credential, so if we truly want to disrupt the edcuation model then that's the bit that needs to be solved.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:OSSU: Path to a free, self-taught education in computer s... by j45 on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @08:43AM (#27747704)

This type of logic would say there no point in having more than a few CS programs worldwide because it already exists.

Credentials historically are built in the brand of the institution, a clock which is starting to tick.

Would you care for the credential of an institution if it goes out of business in the next 3-5 years?

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:OSSU: Path to a free, self-taught education in computer s... by nicoburns on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @03:29PM (#27753187)

> This type of logic would say there no point in having more than a few CS programs worldwide because it already exists.

Well... yes. If they were all open programs then that may well be true. Of course there's value in diversity. But it does seem like a massive waste of resources that we have students paying thousands for tuition they could get much cheaper if it was shared around more widely.

> Would you care for the credential of an institution if it goes out of business in the next 3-5 years?

That depends entirely on whether my credential was still accepted beyond that point. But in any case, I don't see why a new credentialing organisation should last any less long than an older one.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:OSSU: Path to a free, self-taught education in computer s... by psiconaut on Tuesday July 06, 2021 @07:10AM (#27746762)

yes, but please consider that pursuing such disruption and getting a self-taught education might be orthogonal problems. event though there are many resources, I appreciate the effort put into curating a selection of those.

[ Parent | on HN ]