Re-imagining education

The Kahn methods of mini-lecture, testing and computerised feedback are obviously more easily accomplished in mathematics and the physical sciences than in the humanities. Something that appears complex, such as calculus, can be broken down into its simpler components such as algebra and graphical functions. In some ways the study of history works in reverse: while a narrative history seems to be a straightforward linear process, a list of causes and their effects, a true historical approach has to move beyond this.

For example, at any point in that process there were alternative pathways that could have been followed, and it is important to understand what these alternatives were and why one was chosen over others. A narrative history also focuses on what changed, but understanding the underlying continuity is also important, as De Tocqueville pointed out in his classic The Ancien Regime and the French Revolution. To bring out points like these could require a more complex interaction between the instructor and the student than is possible in the way the Khan Academy courses are set up. Despite these reservations, his courses on topics like the Cuban Missile Crisis https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/us-history/v/cuban-missile-crisis

are still very valuable accounts of the event, and the simulation of Rome around 320 AD https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/history/ancient-medieval/v/a-tour-through-ancient-rome-in-320-c-e is particularly enlightening

On Line education in the future

In the final section of The One World Classroom Khan raises a variety of issues that still need to be faced in education, and one of these is the issue of credentialing. Traditionally this is the degree from a university. One of the weaknesses that Khan sees in this is that the value of the degree is seen to depend on the prestige of the university. However a top ranking student from a 'red-brick' university could actually be far more capable than a low ranking student from a 'sandstone' university.

The presence of credentialing could also be a significant component in expanding the value of the current Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement where prestigious universities, including Melbourne University in Australia, are providing free online courses. While these course provide a certificate of completion, their value would be increased dramatically if they could contribute to an internationally recognised degree. To provide a valid rigorous assessment would cost money for participants this would be far less than paying for full time study.

I would recommend this book as a contribution to the debate on how the internet can be used to meet educational disadvantage, and as a fascinating story of how one person trying to help a family member with a problem came to help thousands.