Conversation

Replying to
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.
2
11
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.
2
15
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...)
2
13
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
1
13
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
2
7
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.
1
8
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
1
7
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
1
11
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
2
28
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.
1
1