My fellow blogger Suds recently wrote about Independent Studies at Tuck. As I am taking one this term I thought I’d add a few words to add to his description.
Independent studies are common at Tuck, I believe, because of the tight bonds that form with faculty. Since all classes are small, and professors are incredibly accessible, it’s common for students to follow up a course with a more in-depth look at the subject area.
In my case, this has occurred with Prof. Ron Adner. I took his Entrepreneurship & Innovation Ecosystems course in the Fall, then joined his Research-to-Practice on the same subject, and we are now collaborating on a series of papers that will combine his academic research with applications to digital media (which is of personal and professional interest to me).
Because the independent study is just that, independent, it requires more work from the student. There is no fixed schedule: you determine the course of study and work out a schedule with your adviser.
I have blogged in the past about my experience with the Research-to-Practice seminars and will continue to do so for the Independent Study. So far Prof. Adner and I have identified several areas of interest and are preparing articles that, if correct, should have strong implications for the digital media business.
I’ll end my post with this teaser: traditionally books have been valued based on copies sold, but with current technology we may well be entering an era where “time spent reading” is as valuable, if not more. More on this in the future…
Read the full article: Independent Studies (a personal take)