Comments on: Learning Together http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/ The personal web site of Brendon J. Wilson, a software developer living in Vancouver, British Columbia. Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:27:08 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: barce http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-295 barce Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-295 An interesting book to read about the production of knowledge is Feyerabend's _Against Method_. It touches a lot upon what you wrote in your last paragraph: "[N]o amount of formal education will provide a solution to the problem." Cheers, Barce An interesting book to read about the production of knowledge is Feyerabend’s _Against Method_. It touches a lot upon what you wrote in your last paragraph: “[N]o amount of formal education will provide a solution to the problem.”

Cheers,
Barce

]]> By: Jesse Malm http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-296 Jesse Malm Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-296 Are there any ways to meet a group of diverse people other than spending upwards of $20K per year, not to mention opportunity costs? Are there any ways to meet a group of diverse people other than spending upwards of $20K per year, not to mention opportunity costs?

]]> By: Brendon J. Wilson http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-297 Brendon J. Wilson Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-297 Sure Jesse! It's called going to work. ;-) But seriously, although I'm guessing your question was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it's legitimate nonetheless. And I think the answer I gave above, although also tongue-in-cheek, is equally legitimate. That said, it still seems odd that as a society we're increasingly requiring degrees as qualifiers while the practical value these degrees bestow on students is decreasing at an accelerating pace. I wonder: will we see this continue indefinitely or will there come a time when high school graduates evaluate the prospect of crushing lifelong debt incurred pursuing higher education and decide to simply roll up their sleeves and go into business for themselves instead? Sure Jesse! It’s called going to work. ;-)
But seriously, although I’m guessing your question was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, it’s legitimate nonetheless. And I think the answer I gave above, although also tongue-in-cheek, is equally legitimate.

That said, it still seems odd that as a society we’re increasingly requiring degrees as qualifiers while the practical value these degrees bestow on students is decreasing at an accelerating pace. I wonder: will we see this continue indefinitely or will there come a time when high school graduates evaluate the prospect of crushing lifelong debt incurred pursuing higher education and decide to simply roll up their sleeves and go into business for themselves instead?

]]> By: Kevin Cheng http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-298 Kevin Cheng Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-298 Sheesh. Talk about collective consciousness. Posted on the same day: http://louisrosenfeld.com/home/bloug_archive/000326.html Sheesh. Talk about collective consciousness. Posted on the same day: http://louisrosenfeld.com/home/bloug_archive/000326.html

]]> By: Andrew Tinka http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-299 Andrew Tinka Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-299 To be fair, most of us here went to university in professional disciplines. Law, med, and business school are and always have been about separating people into silos and equipping them with a professional language... and for better or for worse, engineering and comp sci have evolved into pseudo-professional programs, focusing only on maximizing the precious post-graduation-employment percentage. I don't know if a B.A. readies people to work with others of diverse backgrounds. I doubt it, really. But it's worth remembering that once upon a time, the "professional" phase of a student's development only started <em>after</em> two to four years of good ol' liberal arts. To be fair, most of us here went to university in professional disciplines. Law, med, and business school are and always have been about separating people into silos and equipping them with a professional language… and for better or for worse, engineering and comp sci have evolved into pseudo-professional programs, focusing only on maximizing the precious post-graduation-employment percentage.

I don’t know if a B.A. readies people to work with others of diverse backgrounds. I doubt it, really. But it’s worth remembering that once upon a time, the “professional” phase of a student’s development only started after two to four years of good ol’ liberal arts.

]]> By: Arnel Lim http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/2004/12/16/learning-together/#comment-300 Arnel Lim Tue, 30 Nov 1999 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brendonwilson.com/blog/?p=210#comment-300 Actually, last year there was a combined 2-term Commerce/Engineering course being taught at UBC... the commerce students handled the market studies and the engineers did the actual design and prototype. Actually, last year there was a combined 2-term Commerce/Engineering course being taught at UBC… the commerce students handled the market studies and the engineers did the actual design and prototype.

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