Education should be for discovery, not for approval.

Students progress through three levels, or "Steppes" (like the steppes of Central Asia where the nomadic tribes wander).

Entering through Steppe One a student purchases a ticket to a class without knowing what the class will be about or who will teach it.  We say that to learn what you don't know, you must go into the unknown. Nomad University provides a "high quality of unknown" by tracking down the best teachers in any field.  By learning about a subject they may have thought "wasn't interesting" from a teacher who is "very interesting," students broaden their interdisciplinary horizons and discover good pastures for grazing they might never have come upon otherwise.

Steppe Two is more like a standard university curriculum. There is a catalog of courses and teachers who have been pre-screened by the students in Steppe One. The difference from the standard educational environment is that the direction of a given course can change at any time according to the interests of the class and the guidance of the teacher.  If something turns up which seems worthwhile, the content, form, and duration of the course can be adjusted to include it. As before, the students continue to evaluate the teachers, so that the quality of instruction is continuously refined.

Steppe Three is available to those who wish to master a particular subject or work closely with a specific teacher or group of teachers. The student can apply to become an apprentice and teaching assistant.

Eventually, in their capacity as teaching assistants, some of these students will become so proficient that they will start to receive high evaluation scores from the classes they are helping to teach.

At that point, we will offer them the opportunity to teach a Steppe One class themselves, where the assistant will face a group of ready learners who have no preconception of what they are about to be taught.  If the assistant passes this test and receives high scores from the students, they will then have "graduated" from our program and may be invited to stay on as part of the faculty.

Thus what is transmitted through the Nomad system is not a pre-determined body of information, but rather an organic, cross-disciplinary, embodied understanding along with the real ability to be a clear, coherent, inspiring teacher.  We believe that this capability is more important for education than any degree.  
 

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While the Nomad University caravan has been on the road since 1974, its travels in Cyberspace are just beginning. Please return to our oasis frequently for updates.

To communicate with us, send email to MainTent@nomaduniversity.com

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