“If, in each hour, a man could learn a single fragment of some branch of knowledge, a single rule of some mechanical art, a single pleasing story or proverb – the acquisition of which would require no effort, what a vast stock of learning he might lay by”

John Amos Comenius

Ragged University is about the free exchange of knowledge and skills in social spaces. It is about people who love what they do sharing what they have invested their time in.

At the heart of this is that we should enjoy knowledge and talking over ideas whilst breaking bread.  Here are some aspects about what the Ragged University project is…

• It is about valuing knowledgeable people

• It is not about certificates

• It is about exploring what is possible

• It is not about CVs

• It is about creating something

• It is not about making money

The project is non-commercial and it’s aim is to act in the tradition which built the free education system of the United Kingdom today through the Ragged Schools. The events which are organised are all free and open for everyone to attend, and anyone can do a talk. It started in 2010 by a group of friends and has been running ever since.

Anyone can create learning events using available infrastructure (pubs, cafes, museums, libraries, businesses) and common technology (the internet, projectors, screens, laptops). Ragged University argues for free education and valuing knowledge wherever it may lay.

The coordination of the project and website is an open copy book which evolves over time.  Ideas are explored, activities take place, people share and those who get involved collectively and individually build from what happens.

It is experimental, it is an exploration and play-filled changing space which is also research focused and socially oriented; it is non-institutional and a construct which generates social documents that give reflections of various commons constituted of forms of non-financial wealth. It is one expression of the evolving symbiosis of ideas which belong to everybody but nobody can exclusively own.

What do you think education means ? You can read many different posts below about what has been explored over time since 2010 as discovery informs and evolves what happens in connection with and via the digital space which is this website:

Articles:

• A Bitesize History of The Ragged University
• A Crash Course in Social Capital
• A Rose Is Ragged By Any Other Name…
• A Theory Of Culture As A Framework For The Ragged Project
• A Word From The Janitor
• Adapting to Marginal Spaces: Floating Classrooms
• Collaboration and Distinguishing the Selfish from Self Interest
• Collaboration Between Edinburgh Palette and Ragged University by Karl Graham
• Collaboration: Ragged University with Edinburgh Fringe Live
• Collaboration: University of Manchester and Ragged University By Steve McIndoe
• Common Sense: A Theory of Inherent Knowledge
• Conference: Developing Social Capital; From Promises to Knowledge Exchange
• Conference: Inequalities in Historical Perspective
• Conversation on Education: John Salway and Alex Dunedin
• Creating A Ragged Event
• Development as Freedom: The Human Capabilities Approach
• Down The Ragged Road: A Story So Far…
• Economics: Special Exam
• Edinburgh Fringe Live: Bad Habits are Alright Now
• Education as Human Development
• Education History: A Brief History of Ragged Schools
• Education in the Negative Sense
• Education, Utopia, Necessity, and Existential Poverty
• Educational History: The Democratic Intellect; Scotland’s Pedagogical Tradition
• Facilitating Rather Than Prescribing: The Outcome Of Measuring
• Floating Classrooms: A Model For Mobile Teaching
• Glasgow Ragged University
• How Hard it is to Make Policy
• How The Ragged Uni Idea Came About by Grant Crozier
• How To Do Ragged University Events by Carrie Newman
• Inclusive Education and the Dialogue of Learning
• It’s About Individuals Not Groups
• Journal: Finding a Way to Participate
• Kintsugi: Learning To Love The Critical
• Lifelong Learning that learns for Life! by John Salway
• Live Better, Help Often & Wonder More: Presentation for Sunday Assembly
• Local Economies and Neighbourhood Renewal
• Manchester Takes Ownership of Ragged University
• Participation Now and Open University
• Presentation on the Free Education Network for John Morrison
• Prospective View: Creating Ragged Universities
• Ragged Digital Vision
• Ragged University as a model of education: Power differentials and problems of scale
• Ragged University Events Are Free Events
• Ragged University Graphic Design by Chris Behr
• Ragged University Has No Funding: Anyway, It Is Not About Money
• Ragged University Website Development Workshop Pilot by Mike Harkness
• Ragged University: ‘Something For Nothing’ by Don Ledingham
• Studying the Press: Alex Dunedin Answers Questions and Analyses Article From Journalist Kashmira Gander
• Successful Film Format Piloted
• The Beginnings of Ragged by Will Bentinck
• The Big Idea: Community Open Online Courses
• The Birth of the Floating Classroom
• The Differences Arise In Group Psychology
• The Digital Aims of The Ragged Project
• The Great Good Place: A Digest
• The Issues of Patronage and Seeking Patronage: A Thought Experiment in Response
• The Principal; Power and Professionalism in FE: Measuring Up To The Mean – Beggars Belief
• The Rough Etiquette of Ragged University
• The Story of the New Ragged Website
• The Ways in Which We Do Things…
• Twas The Rant Before Christmas: Absent Friends and Being Absent as a Friend
• Welcome to the Ragged University By Adam Smyth
• What is Informal Education ? Alex Dunedin Shares Ideas With Students at John Moores University
• What is it all about Brian?
• What Ragged University Is About
• Where Information Goes In And Nothing Comes Out
• Where to Begin
• Why Is Everyone Not A Demographic ? by Alex Dunedin
• Why Not To Chase Wealth And Status: A Community Project Perspective
• Winding up Ragged SCIO as a Charity: Miles and Miles to go Before I Sleep…
• Working Class Academics Conference: 14th – 15th July 2020