It's TED Talks Daily. I'm your host, Elise Hume. Today's talk imagines a future for higher education that diverges from the traditional route in academia. In his TEDx MIT talk from 2020, educator Tyler DeWitt asks, what are better and more relevant ways to help students learn today?

DeWitt's alternative path could fundamentally change things and serve countless more students.

It's graduation day at the small New England College where my dad taught.

It's a burst of color and excitement. When I was little, he'd carry me up on shoulders,

and I'd marvel at the pageantry. I loved the wizard-like academic robes that all the professors wore.

My father explained how you could tell what degree someone had in the school they'd gone to, based on the color and design of their gown and hood. It was like a diploma, a credential that you could wear.

I couldn't wait to have one of my own. My dad taught biochemistry for decades and was one of those

beloved professors.

Graduation for him was a frenzy of thankful hugs and handshakes, eager introductions to parents.

Countless careers in science and medicine were launched in his Bio-101 class, and it was clear he made a difference.

I suppose I inherited a love of teaching from my dad,

and I planned to be a professor, just like him.

I headed a grad school to do a PhD, studying microbiology and biochemistry.

But along the way, my dad's path and mine studying microbiology and biochemistry.

But along the way, my dad's path and mine started to diverge. During long days in lab, I got impatient.

I wanted to teach.

I didn't want to wait to graduate and do a postdoc,

spend years navigating a treacherous

job market.

So I turned to the internet, which was breaking down the barriers to entry and removing

the traditional gatekeepers in many established fields.

From my kitchen table, I started recording tutorial videos, teaching the basics of chemistry, using simple

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