Edudemic

Topics: google, khan, khan academy

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Google has just announced the winners of its 10 to the 100 project. While all 5 are terrific ideas, there is one in particular that caught my attention. It might because it was featured on Edudemic many moons ago (July 12, 2010).

First, here’s a helpful video by Google about what exactly this project is:

Now, let’s take a look at one of the big winners of the prize.

The Khan Academy is a non-profit educational organization that provides high-quality, free education to anyone, anywhere via an online library of more than 1,600 teaching videos. Google is providing $2 million to support the creation of more courses and to enable the Khan Academy to translate their core library into the world’s most widely spoken languages.

Here’s Edudemic’s take on Khan Academy:

There may be a big shift happening in the world of higher education and, surprise surprise, it’s because of social media. The latest example of how social media is turning the stodgy education system on its head  lies within YouTube and a series of videos produced by Salman Khan, creator of the Khan Academy channel.

What Is Khan Academy?

Former financial analyst Salman Khan has found a growing following among college students with his homemade lecture videos. The low-tech lessons – originally made to tutor his faraway cousins – are gaining popularity for their concise teaching format.

Reasons for the popularity:

• They’re short:  At 10 minutes each, they’re easier to digest than traditional hour-long lectures.
• They’re free: Khan offers the videos for no fee, though viewers have been happy to donate via a PayPal link
• There’s a learning curve: Though he’s well-versed in math and engineering, his lectures on less familiar subjects like history and science have required him to take a few crash-courses himself, meaning he and his “students” learn together.

The Push For No PhDs

While we’re not all as gifted and knowledgeable about a myriad of subjects like Khan, the popularity of the YouTube videos speaks volumes. There is currently a big push for online education, distance learning, and increasing the general accessibility of quality education.For example, the popularity of the Harvard Extension School has dramatically increased as the school allows for distance learning. It has allowed the school to offer high-quality education and even Harvard degrees to people who may not have been previously able to make it to Cambridge, MA.

So what would happen if schools did not require PhDs and instead relied on highly intelligent and informed teachers that didn’t have that coveted sheet of parchment that tells the world they just spent nearly a decade studying what they’re about to tell you?

While it would be slow or even impossible for most colleges to adopt this PhD-less attitude, it would certainly be an interesting change. In order for a change like this to happen, there would need to be studies performed and experiments done. For example, what if Group X of students had a year of classes with PhD professors while Group Y of students had classes with Salman Khan and other similar teachers? We’re guessing the results might surprise a few higher ed administrators.

Have Your Opinion Heard

What do you think? Would it be worthwhile to pursue changing the amount of value placed on PhDs and other terminal degrees? Is it a lost cause since professors want some validation after spending all that time and money on their degree? Weigh in down in the comments, take our poll, or mention @edudemic on Twitter to have your voice heard by thousands! (You never know, this could be the start of a big movement)