The traditional university might not be the future, but neither is online learning.
The future is hyper niche groups of 5-10 people concentrated on a particular topic. Motivated and passionate “sceniuses” as Austin Kleon would say. Kleon presents the idea of scenius saying. Under this model, great ideas are often birthed by a group of creative individuals—artists, curators, thinkers, theorists, and other tastemakers—who make up an “ecology of talent.”
There are powerful network effects when great minds all have the opportunity to work in close proximity. They push the boundaries of what’s possible and drive forward progress. In a large classroom, or a lonely online course, it’s tough to connect with the tribe.
Millions of people feel disconnected from people like them. I know that’s how I felt. The solution is the human element, natural idea sharing and proximity. Those three things create magic.
It doesn’t take 20,000 people. It only takes a few people to start the scene. Those niches are the future of learning. Scalable and impactful and just what we need.