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.
Conversation
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
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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.
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11/ That leaves Weird Topics as the ideal market for a free agent grad-school type world of courses. 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...)
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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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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Replying to
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)
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Replying to
I don't think it's a fair comparison. A Master Course (in whatever esoteric skill) is aimed at producing an outcome (improving ability in XYZ). Music is simply enjoyment and there is no premium on it achieving it's purpose *faster*. Ties to ur new article.
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The economics are like music not the product
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