Although it's still called the Experimental Study Group almost 25 years after its founding, today the program is not so much an experiment as a well-established alternative for freshmen who want a more personal learning experience. Established in 1969 by Professor George Valley with money from Edwin Land, ESG employs a system of undergraduate and graduate tutors, lecturers and professors to teach students in small groups or individually, allowing courses to be more attuned to their backgrounds and interests. The approach has proved consistently popular with the small but enthusiastic groups who take part. Comfortable couches and small tables lend an informal atmosphere to ESG's home on the sixth floor of Bldg 24, where there is also a kitchen, an Athena cluster and an engineering workshop.
Participants rejoin their classmates in the regular curriculum after their freshman year.
They're already creative and motivated. Students feel more responsible for their education because they have a personal commitment to it. During the fall semester, he taught a student 8.012, a course he had placed out of as a freshman. If you don't understand something, you can ask a question. And this is the small-group format par excellence.