User:SpecOp Macavity/Invisible university

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[edit] What is the "invisible university"?

The term invisible university refers to any method of acquiring useful information that is generally not considered part of traditional education.

[edit] How it works

Let us say that three friends - a mechanic, a chef, and a computer technician - meet after work one night at the local bar for drinks and a chat.

During the course of the conversation, they each mention a minor problem that they themselves have been unable to resolve, but that one of the others can:

  • The computer technician's car needs aΟn oil change.
  • the mechanic's getting tired of having the same old cold-cut sandwiches for lunch.
  • The chef's computer needs a memory upgrade.

As they converse about the aforementioned situations, they agree to meet at the chef's house over the weekend, each one bringing various supplies relevant to the problem he's having - for example, the computer technician would bring fresh bottles of engine oil and a new oil filter, whereas the chef would pick up some new memory modules for his computer.

When they meet on the agreed-upon day, the mechanic demonstrates how to do an oil change, the chef shares some of his favorite sandwich recipes, and the computer technician teaches the other two the correct procedures for upgrading computer memory.

[edit] Other resources for the invisible university

However, the concept of the invisible university is not limited to real-world interaction - any medium that allows people to interact can be used by the invisible university, including:

  • Bulletin board systems
  • Call-in radio shows (e.g., the NPR shows Vox Pop and Car Talk)
  • Email listservs
  • Internet newsgroups
  • Internet Relay Chat channels
  • Postal mail services (also known as "snail mail")
  • Telephone calls
  • Wikis (e.g., WikiWog and Wog Coalition)
  • College courses offered over the Internet (e.g., classes offered using the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's OpenCourseWare system)

[edit] References

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