Share

The following paper was originally presented as a weekly Learning Agreement Themes application in my Walden University Applied Management and Decision Sciences: Finance PhD course requirements. 

     Having a strong foundation of background knowledge upon which to build helps understand relationships between concepts and identify the most efficient methods to solve problems using the most compelling tools from a diverse skill set.  Having a teacher guide students through a formal curriculum helps ensure that all students are given the opportunity to benefit from epiphanies during learning, which cement problem-solving techniques and concepts for the remainder of their practical lives.  While being self-taught certainly attests of a student’s motivation, it also alerts that the student likely has glaring shortfalls in knowledge base; without a teacher to point out superficially-unrelated applications for a concept, the student has no reason to investigate those paths and knowledge becomes fragile.  In appendix 1, I illustrate this fragility of knowledge.  In one application, a qualified engineer solves a basic mathematical problem using the most complex route possible, thus introducing errors and missing the point of the exercise, which was to help identify a basic problem disguised as a more complex one.  I solve the same problem using More >