Everyone runs into situations that go beyond their knowledge and expertise. Previously that meant that you would have to acquire training and knowledge from a reputable source, like a university and then show proof of that knowledge, like with a degree. That’s a problem for people who need to think fast.
Today that trend is slowly changing. Resources are easily distributed via online collaborations. University level courses are now available to anyone with an Internet connection and an interest. Innovators need information to complete projects and get ideas off the ground. So is it possible is it to actually teach a difficult subject without live instruction? The answer is a resounding, yes.
MIT’s Open Course Ware program has courses that range from Biology and Literature to Nuclear Science and Engineering. Their goal is to “Provide free, searchable access to MIT’s course materials for educators, students, and self-learners around the world.” The courses include a syllabus, coursework, labs, reading materials, assignments and related resources. They even have a complete video and audio series that allows you to watch and listen to professors lecturing.
Wikiversity is a wiki that hosts and promotes a flexible online learning environment. It’s not a university but it does have all the subjects that you would normally find at one. Their e-learning model is that “Existing “bricks and mortar” universities began as meeting places for scholarly individuals seeking knowledge and those with mastery of a subject who could act as teachers to guide the learning process. Wikiversity is a virtual meeting place for masters and scholars, a wiki that hosts and promotes a flexible online learning environment.”
I’ve always considered myself a jack of all trades. Online learning projects such as these have given me the resources to learn rapidly and complete projects that otherwise would have been left unfinished.
The book Lucky or Smart by Bo Peabody, the founder of Tripod may give you a little insight as to how important these types of learning materials are to innovators and entrepreneurs. In the chapter, “Entrepreneurs are B-Students. Managers are A-Students.,” Bo writes …
“B-students don’t know everything about anything and are excellent at nothing. B-students, however, know something about a lot of things, and they can complete almost any task with some modicum of success. Entrepreneurs are B-students. There is no one thing they do well. But there are many thing they do well enough.
A-students, on the other hand, know a lot about one thing, whether it is technology or marketing or sales and finance. And they do this thing extremely well. If they don’t do it well, it bothers them. A-students want to do things perfectly all the time. This is a very bad trait for an entrepreneur, but a very good trait for a manager.
The most important thing to realize when you’re a B-student entrepreneur is that you need A-student managers. You must listen to them. You have no choice. The good news is that A-students must also listen to B-students, because B-students know about aspects of life and business that A-students know nothing about. While most A-students are really good at one thing, they tend to be completely out to lunch when it comes to most everything else. On the other hand, B-students are really good at being sort of good at everything.
The sooner the B-students and the A-students understand and appreciate each other, the more productive everyone will be.”
While there is potential for both A and B students to want to learn with these type of projects it’s the B-students who need pertinent information at the spark of an idea.
