By Kris Magnusson and Laurie Anderson, Vancouver Sun. Since medieval times, universities have served a critical role in the building of prosperous, democratic and civil societies. Universities have traditionally been centres for the creation and dissemination of specialized knowledge. The expectation was that students would go to a “place of learning,” and acquire knowledge by listening to an expert or master. During time, as more students wanted to acquire knowledge, small gatherings were replaced by attendance in classrooms and lecture halls, but the emphasis remained on the master who possessed knowledge. Universities still issue master’s degrees, indicating that the holder of such a degree has “mastered” the complexity and depth of a subject area. More...