padwiki

6 ms·

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Ask HN: Any tips on finding challenging JS/Rails contracts in the valley?
1 points by padwiki 14y ago|0 comments
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by padwiki 14y ago
Since Udacity is not exactly forthcoming on exactly what their business model will be, could you add some insight to exactly what the great business model is? Right now, I see the MITx and Stanford programs being a small loss per student co
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by padwiki 14y ago
Not to be too self promotional, but we're probably the closest to what you are describing. The biggest limitation is our course catalog is very small to start (bootstrapping). Over the next 12-18 months we should have a much more complete c
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by padwiki 14y ago
Having done my fair share of laser marquetry, let me first tell you that I truly appreciate the amount of work that goes into the whole process, and really respect what you are doing. The intricacy of these types of patterns makes for a ver
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by padwiki 14y ago
Our first class definitely has practical application, but it is still taught by a PHD and covers more ground at a higher level than the current college or university standard. If teaching applied material makes you a trade school, someone s
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by padwiki 15y ago
Sure, it's traditional if you are unable to meet accreditation standards on your own and have a spare $10mil in the bank. We can meet those standards on our own, however, we don't have a spare $10mil in the bank.
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by padwiki 15y ago
Thanks for the advice, We'll definitely work on making our guarantee more prominent. I've been considering an AMA on Reddit, even though I actually had to quit the site three months ago to get to where we are. AMAs on HN are a little tricky
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by padwiki 15y ago
1) There have been a few different experiments with self pacing and retention at schools like Oxford (and a college in Iowa of all places). The typical result is a significant increase in retention with lower stress. The problem, and fundam
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by padwiki 15y ago
As soon as we have users, we'll have user testimonials and reviews. It's part chicken and egg, I know, but it's the same problem any new product has. Someone has to be the first. Other than user reviews (and the free preview and money back
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by padwiki 15y ago
OU was a big inspiration for us. The bar we personally use is building a system designed for Silicon Valley. Pacing and availability are critical, as is maintaining a very high standard for classes. Right now, OU doesn't meet either require
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by padwiki 15y ago
I was hoping this comment would come up, actually. The real difference in just in time vs. just in case has to do with delivery, sequencing and retention. A broad, solid foundation sounds great on paper, but there are some hard realities th
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by padwiki 15y ago
The best way we can attract our first users is with having a course that is so valuable for our students that accreditation concerns become secondary. In this case, if you are looking for a high level class in Web App for Mobile, you probab
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by padwiki 15y ago
You would think so, but we actually can't even apply for regional accreditation until the first student graduates from a full degree program. Yes, the system is rigged against new entrants.
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by padwiki 15y ago
Well, the courses start at $200, we have a generous refund policy, and you can actually try the system and class out for free right now with a guest account. We don't even require a real email. Also, we have thought very seriously about the
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by padwiki 15y ago
We actually have to focus on results first and foremost. By the time we can even apply for accreditation (probably 3 years out) the issue of accreditation for reputation will be moot. But, you have to look at what the larger impact can be w
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by padwiki 15y ago
Shoot, you've gone ahead and skipped ahead to phase two of our master plan. Try not to tell our competitors...
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by padwiki 15y ago
Thanks for the feedback on the copy. It's always hard to find that balance between being informal and jokingly reference overused terms like "rockstar", and being unnecessarily stuffy. We'll definitely take your comments to heart though as
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by padwiki 15y ago
Excellent point, and a strategy we have built in the learning system part itself. As odd as it may sound though, I actually wouldn't want to go up against Stack Overflow. They are a much more dangerous competitor than Stanford.
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by padwiki 15y ago
It's blogger. Not really something we have control over.
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by padwiki 15y ago
No arguments on the long shot part, and you're right, focusing on accreditation does put some serious limitations on exactly how we can structure our business model. Not focusing on accreditation, however, means it is very easy to create a
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by padwiki 15y ago
The way I look at it, he name checked us, he just didn't know our name yet.
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We’re #3 on Paul Graham’s Frighteningly Ambitious Idea List(turingcollege.blogspot.com)
32 points by padwiki 15y ago|46 comments
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by padwiki 15y ago
Kurt, Kudos on having the cajones to do whatever it takes to make your dream a reality. Couple of tips: First and foremost, the pariSoma idea doesn't seem like the best bang for your buck. For a working space, Hacker Dojo (two blocks from m
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by padwiki 15y ago
Friendly tip. You might want to consider a font that has a little more weight to it. I had an extremely difficult time reading any of the text. Tried zooming in, moving to a different monitor, but eventually just gave up, even though I real
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by padwiki 15y ago
Ankur, Interested, but contact info not visible by default. Email at 1stdraft at google's mail service dot com. -B
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by padwiki 15y ago
Now that is genuinely interesting. Of course, the raw data is hidden behind a paywall, so we don't really know that "significant" means to the author, or whether the test included slides or just raw text. Still, this is one of those rare ti
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by padwiki 15y ago
We haven't officially launched yet, but I'll send you a note in about a week with an invite.
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by padwiki 15y ago
Not even close :)
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by padwiki 15y ago
As a "competitor", I think the biggest compliment I could pay you is this new system is the only LMS out there that even comes close to what we have built, both in content and presentation. Great job. Honestly, I'm hoping that your developm
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by padwiki 15y ago
Ok, I'll assume you are Ben or Tom for the purpose of this discussion. If I were in the position to really move the Khan system forward, I would focus on a few key areas. First, the teacher tools at Khan are fantastic for showing the flow o

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