University 2.0

What would I want to see from a univerity of the future:

• being able to work with an advisor to design my own course of study/qualification to meet my unique learning goals
• a learning mentor who would help me find the resources and experience I would need to achieve my learning goals.
• a learning mentor who could help keep me motivated with plenty of feedback on how I was progressing towards my learning goals

Those learning resources and experiences would not necessarily have to be web based. They could be within my own community, stuff within my own work and life. They could be people I should meet and network with. They could be must read books or videos. It might even include a short, to the point, talk from an expert.

Being self-directed (supported with mentoring and feedback) and not based in scheduled class-room based experiences wouldn't take from the validity of the learning. Learning outcomes could still be assessed and validated. The learning could be benchmarked against that achieved by individuals with similar goals and interests.

What would matter was whether I was doing the training for interest or a future job. If for interest then the opinions of other experts in that field would matter, re my learning outcomes. If for a job then the opinions of those who might buy my skills would be important.

Reasons for doing such learning would therefore be:

• access to knowledge experts
• access to learning support to help acheive learning goals
• validating knowledge acquired against accepted levels in that field of interest (maybe for reasons of self worth or standing within a specific group)
  
• making yourself more employable

If you didn't need any of the above then you'll just continue to learn on your own.