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by Penyngton 1244 days ago
The problem is that universities, at least in my experience here in the UK, are just getting more bureaucratised and less committed to pure (non-corporate/"enterprise") research. I don't trust them to reform anything and actually improve it.
2 comments
neodypsis 1244 days ago
I think it is crazy that master's programs in the UK can be just one year long.
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Penyngton 1244 days ago
Yes, my own MSc dissertation was very rushed and of low quality, unfortunately...
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neodypsis 1244 days ago
That can also happen in two-year long programs as well, especially in those that allow you for less than a semester from proposal to defense. I can certainly perceive a scaling issue in academia. Will MOOC-style initiatives be able to solve this problem in the future?
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Penyngton 1244 days ago
> That can also happen in two-year long programs as well, especially in those that allow you for less than a semester from proposal to defense.

I can imagine that. My own programme had two terms with exams in January and May/June, then the dissertation from June till September and it was a nightmare!

> I can certainly perceive a scaling issue in academia. Will MOOC-style initiatives be able to solve this problem in the future?

If I were running a university, I'd definitely move the large early undergrad courses to MOOCs to free up lecturers time for more advanced/specialised courses and direct supervision of students. It seems crazy to me that there are thousands of basic algorithms, calculus, etc courses being taught across the world by people who could use their time a lot more productively teaching the more specialised knowledge they have acquired through their research.

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stmball 1244 days ago
> If I were running a university, I'd definitely move the large early undergrad courses to MOOCs to free up lecturers time for more advanced/specialised courses and direct supervision of students. It seems crazy to me that there are thousands of basic algorithms, calculus, etc courses being taught across the world by people who could use their time a lot more productively teaching the more specialised knowledge they have acquired through their research.

Universities are in a position where they have to balance teaching quality with research output, and there's a tremendous amount of pressure for (I would say!) the majority of universities around student experience that I think is underplayed in this thinking. In my experience MOOCs are not a substitute for in-person teaching, and the move to this kind of content delivery during COVID was met with pretty universal student dissatisfaction, both from students and lecturers.

I think a more appropriate approach is for there to be more clearly defined system for teaching/researching - i.e. post-doctoral staff who have mainly teaching responsibilities and others who are mainly research based. This win-win is already the case in a number of institutions and departments I know, however I know a lot of staff on both sides who would like total separation if desired. It's not a positive student experience to have lecturers who openly do not want to be there!

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neodypsis 1244 days ago
> If I were running a university, I'd definitely move the large early undergrad courses to MOOCs to free up lecturers time for more advanced/specialised courses and direct supervision of students. It seems crazy to me that there are thousands of basic algorithms, calculus, etc courses being taught across the world by people who could use their time a lot more productively teaching the more specialised knowledge they have acquired through their research.

That's a very good idea. That could even free resources for allowing research opportunities for more students.

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shapefrog 1244 days ago
I trust they will reform everything (to suit our new corporate overlord).

I dont trust them to actually improve it.

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