[kefka]

> Well, I can see that's a factor, but not necessarily an overriding one. As someone who's taught at uni myself (not pure maths) we are not usually that cynical or fond of serving up "detritus". It's not as if we lack for valuable and interesting stuff to teach if we go through foundations too quickly, and we aren't paid just for teaching. Anyway, I think most do benefit from a quite painstakingly incrementalist approach to maths; me taking that too far and sometimes getting stuck is a personal failing.

Possibly so, but I never went in any of the grad programs. Most of the lower classes are taught by AI's and contract-based "instructors" paid by the uni on a per credit-hour basis. And much of the time, the department shovels the syllabus and required areas to them for the students.

And unfortunately, this avenue of teaching very much shows. You have instructors who have some semblance of caring, but not terribly much. They teach weeder classes with the intent of failing much of the class. Whomever is teaching isn't always able to explain what's going on in an area - they can do the process, but can't explain why their actions work.

Perhaps it is a jaded viewpoint. But after spending way too much money in "Higher Ed", along with working at an institution, I know the game. And I'm sure it's better if you're a post-doc with prestige or on that track. But the rest of us are spoon-fed bland crumbs these days, and pumped-and-dumped for excessive scholastic loans to get a job to pay the loans back with.

> If you go to a good uni, at least by postgrad level you do have that kind of access, and, if you get along, you retain it for free after you leave.

Yep, and if you're not on that track, the access isn't there. I'd be willing to pay for it directly. Google had a program quite a while back, of paying experts for direct guidance in specific fields. Too bad they cancelled it.

[contingo]

I did have bad experiences with bad lecturers as an undergrad (hello, here is a handout, now I will project the handout on a screen, now I will read what's on the screen without any elaboration, goodbye), but they were the exception. Obviously this depends hugely on the exact institution in question. And yes, many are now increasingly functioning as blandly corporate battery student farms...

> Yep, and if you're not on that track, the access isn't there.

Actually I'd also be interested in such a scheme, now that I'm exploring ideas far away from my original research area. Although if you have a bona fide interest to discuss something technical and specific with an academic who has the relevant expertise, I've found they can be pretty approachable, even if you email them out of the blue to ask for a chat... but I do have the right sort of background to do that I suppose.