DIY U (eBook)

1. History : how college-for-all became part of the American dream

2. Sociology : human capital and meritocracy, race and class--can we build a system that works for everybody?

3. Economics : why college tuition is caught in a cost spiral, and how to stop it

4. Computer science : open content, virtual-reality and smartphone classrooms, serious games, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and robotic telescopes

5. Independent study : free and open-source education; vocational, experiential, and self-learning

6. Commencement : what the transformation of the university might mean for the future of humanity

7. Resource guide for a do-it-yourself education : a four part guide for the student who wants to hack her own education; includes a listing of web sites of organizations mentioned in the text.

lt;p>Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review-

Kamenetz, author of the alarming personal finance expose Generation Debt, drops another bombshell on the emerging cohort of young Americans, this time regarding higher education. While she mounts a standard (though illuminating) attack on spiraling tuition and the bottomless pit of student loans, Kamenetz also questions the fundamental assumptions of modern American education culture: the twin, contradictory ideas that college must be universally accessible, and that the smallest accepted denomination of educational currency is a bachelor's degree from a four-year, liberal arts institution. Kamenetz explores those ideas' fallacies as they play out daily in American classrooms, as well as students' myriad alternatives, from community colleges to online learning collectives. In great detail, Kamenetz explains the flawed economic models that underpin higher education, the faulty premises they maintain and the government's failures to address them. Kamenetz's approach is methodical and balanced, showcasing extensive research and thoughtfulness, while acknowledging one of the chief problems with reform: no one wants to experiment on their own child. This volume merits consideration from high school students and their parents, as well as educators preparing a generation for uncertain job prospects, an information economy still in its infancy, and the steady erosion of geographical barriers.