Open Source University and Curriculum's Disconnect from The Industry

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You may have heard of Open Source University and the EDU token. The project built on the Ethereum Blockchain that talks about how it will revolutionize education, the marketplace and learning. While almost everything these days that are built on the Blockchain is found to be 'revolutionary'. I think it is best to justify why Open Source University's project is truly revolutionary. For one, it addresses an important problem, which is the disconnection between our education system and many aspects of our lives.

Save for a few countries, most education system aim to put students through an assembly line, mass producing students for the working world. Personally, I have seen this and have ran studies on it. Many new education tools that are implemented fail because education occasionally does not take into account what the industry needs. Businesses are turning away from exam qualifications to other ways of hiring individuals because it is no longer reliable. Open Source University (OSU) plans to change this.

Education and The Job Market

The ultimate goal of education for many is not to score great results. Yes, learning is part of the process as well, but many strive to do well for the sake of getting a great job. Businesses hire base on the needs of the company and if you want the ideal worker, you have to train them from a young age. Education however is normally centralized and the curriculum is based on what policy makers think is best and not what the industry needs. With this lack of communication, change often takes up to ten years. This is because research and survey needs to be conducted to ascertain the industry's needs, before designing courses that cater to those needs.

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The Open Source University's platform however, solves this. The whitepaper indicates the presence of "open source degrees" that caters to a company's needs. For example if you want to work for Google, there would be a set of courses that you will be required to take. This makes the graduates more marketable. Furthermore, this is benefits all parties. The learners will have an idea as to what to study, the University can create courses that are more streamlined and relevant, companies can also hire workers that fit their needs. This cuts costs for the company, needing only to hire people with the relevant skill sets. This benefits the universities too as they can save resources on courses that may not have any relevance to the working world.

This makes the university more relevant and efficient, needing only the Open Source University's (OSU) platform to find out what courses to offer, instead of conducting long research to ascertain the industry's needs. In addition, students also benefit from the platform.

The Learners

You may be a University course developer reading this. Conversely, you may be a business owner looking to hire someone. However, it is undeniable that the biggest benefactor and client is you, the student. Imagine being at the crossroads of your life, wondering which course to take at the University. If you have been to education fairs you will know that everyone is looking to 'sell' you the best course. You will hear different sales people telling you how hireable you will be once you have graduated from their institution. The thing is, it is all a sales pitch. If we remove these sales people from the equation and place the power of choosing the ideal course in the learners' hands, that would be beneficial.

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For one, students will not drop out halfway through the course because it 'was not what they wanted'. Students will be more than likely to see themselves through graduation because they chose it and that graduation will lead them to doing something they love. In addition, everything that they will learn is relevant due to the planned pathways based of the communication between the University and the different companies.

This also decreases the likelihood of a person not getting hired after graduation. In addition, resumes will now be saved on the blockchain. You will no longer have to wonder what qualification to write on your resume because the information is readily available. It is also likely that the companies will call you for an interview because they have access to your skill set stored on the blockchain.

Eventual Government Support

If all the things mentioned above does not make Open Source University a great project, consider this final point, education normally has the largest budget in most countries. According to a study by OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development), the United States spends 12,000 dollars for each student and they are not the biggest spenders. The United States spends less when compared to countries such as the Republic of Korea, Denmark and Switzerland. Switzerland spends 22,000 dollars on each student.

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Aside from the growth potential of the EDU token, the platform will help these countries further bridge the gap between higher learning institutions, companies and the learners. It will not be surprising if eventual government support would come, adopting the platform to help boost the economy and skills of a nation's people. While this may be speculation, the trend is similar to the eventual adoption of tablets in school as well as learning management systems. All these innovation pales in comparison to how Open Source University can be used to change how education is administered in a country.

That is because while many of these new tools help in learning, they do not connect learning to the industry, nor do they decrease the uncertainty of being hired in the future.

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