Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

What caught my interest in this article was the set of needs described by Tony Bates's grandson - they tell us what universities are actually selling as benefits (as opposed to the popular conception):

  • largely hands-on
  • making new friends and possible connections
  • value for that kind of money

I take the third point to be a reiteration of the first two - the value isn't the knowledge per se but rather the hands-on aspect in an authentic environment, and of course the social connections. All this is nice if you can afford it - but if you can't, is it appropriate to simply substitute some knowledge-based online curriculum, and forget about the value?

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Aug 28, 2025 8:59 p.m.

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