Why would one ask this question? I ask it because I was reading about AcademicEarth. AcademicEarth is just another in a long line of tools that are making it easier for people to educate themselves. iTunes U (how annoying is it that you can’t access this via the web), Flat World Knowledge, Wikipedia, and many other sites provide access to world class teachers and research to anyone who can access the Web. It makes it increasingly difficult for an institution to know if it was their curriculum and staff that produced the learning outcomes they seek. In an increasingly assesment oriented climate I would think this access to outside resources makes the results of assessment almost meaningless. I think it also makes one wonder just what it is that distinguishes institutions from one another. So what should education look like in the 21st century?