Divepod – summer program to learn computer science using an advisory model
https://divepod.to
The general design is that, rather than using a fixed curriculum, an advisor would put together a flexible learning plan and adapt to the student's interests and needs (introducing new topics, covering missing fundamentals, etc). And by involving students in the design process, we'll help them learn how to learn and eventually drive their own education. we'd cover non-technical topics, if they come up, including how to build your professional networks, how to work in teams, how to better communicate/persuade. The summer program is primarily designed for students in high school or university.
Part of what motivated us to start this program was recognizing that the engineers we enjoyed working with have a lot of self-directed experiences (making stuff out of interest/curiosity). And that the ability to self-learn gives people agency to improve themselves quicker and adapt to new things. But most kids/students don't get many opportunities to train these self-learning skills early on, when they'd be most impactful. Sometimes it's because they're too busy with the school grind or often their self-esteem is so compromised they give up too quickly. Since there are so many free and accessible instructional materials online, the "bottleneck" seems to be having someone to talk to, to figure out their interests, and to work things out.
I'm looking for comments/feedback! Curious to hear, if you could go back in time, how would you have designed your own education.