Experimental College

In the Pioneer Press on September 26, 2007, there was an article about an experimental free college at Macalester. I do think it’s a good idea in general however. So many people in the Twin Cities have knowledge about things that they can pass on to others. For free with no credit, it is a perfect opportunity for them to pass that knowledge on to others. There were classes on everything from the Green Party to singing. There is a debate on whether or not the students should get actual credit for the course. I believe that they shouldn’t get credit, at least until it’s more structured. Potentially you can have a freshman teaching juniors and seniors as well as members of the community in a class that costs money. Most people, especially parents, would be less than thrilled about this set up when they pay tuition. In some cases, a freshman may be very knowledgeable about a topic. However, to start charging runs into problems of paying the teachers of the class and judging whether someone passes or not. Most of the classes now, since they are free, have no tests or homework because there is no need to know if they learned. I think it’s perfect for someone to do this just to expand his or her own education. It’s unfair though to give out as much credit for attending a class taught by a regular community member as for a licensed professor and have the student come out with an equal degree.
Another thing that confuses me is how so many college students have time to take a class for no credit. With regular classes and jobs, most students are busy enough. I think the program should be aimed more towards the community rather than college students. Typical people may have time to take a class just to learn something new. It seems like the college is trying to encourage more non-students to come to classes. I think doing this would stop a lot of the controversy because those people also probably don’t care if they get college credit. It seems like a good program as is and I believe allowing it to simply be for learning and meeting people rather than worrying about money is the best bet for it.