The New York Times recently had a piece titled “Online Courses, Still Lacking That Third Dimension,” which surveyed various efforts to bring university courses online.  I’ve been fascinated by the idea of delivering world-class education around the world to any interested student, but I’ve come to realize there is a huge problem with scaling which the article touches on.

I once talked with current Yale admissions dean Jeff Brenzel, who in a previous life had started an educational programming company and recently led Yale’s efforts to film and upload courses to the Internet. I asked him why Yale would give away such a valuable resource that it spent so much money to develop, and his answer was that this information could benefit so many people. 

When I pressed him on whether that would be good for the university though, his answer was that people would always want to come to Yale to learn more because of the environment — the campus and the culture. The videos would in fact make more people want to come.

Students will always want to be in a place where those around them are as motivated as they are. This is the same reason why some people study in libraries even if they have a quiet room. Furthermore, students will always want a physical place in which they can interact with their peers. This desire stems from the physical space’s benefits of serendipitous encounters and easier personal interactions.

I have found that the personal relationships really do matter whether they be peer to peer or professor to pupil. So much is lost when you can’t just ask a question or get the counsel of a mentor. You just learn so much from being in the same physical space as others which can’t be so easily captured by the asynchronous interactions of Internet learning.

I’ve been delighted to learn my college classmates, Matt Brimer and Brad Hargreaves, recently transplanted some of the best elements of college and launched General Assembly, “an urban campus for entrepreneurs seeking to transform industry and culture through technology and design. [It] provides programming, space, and support services to foster collaborative practices and learning opportunities.” It basically is an amazing space in the heart of Manhattan where entrepreneurs can work out of and experts in technology/design can teach those interested. I’m sure they’ll eventually make their educational programs accessible over the Internet, but I’m even more positive that people will line up in even greater numbers for their classes and desk space.  

The best students want to learn and be surrounded by others who share that passion. The best learning comes from putting the best students and teachers together in the same space.  So while the best courses may be offered online, it will be hard to ever truly deliver the best education everywhere.