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Qiaochu_Yuan comments on New applied rationality workshops (April, May, and July) - Less Wrong
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Most of the value that I got out of the January workshop was in having face-to-face contact with the instructors and the other students. This was enjoyable, impressed the units on me strongly, and led to many interesting, unplanned, and high-value conversations (e.g. one 5-minute conversation completely changed my attitude towards both nutrition and exercise, which I finally started paying attention to after the workshop). If you want something less squishy, networking is easier in person.
CFAR does extensive followups with workshop participants.
I think you're using the wrong reference class. Think about rationality as a martial art and ask yourself whether you think an online course centered around learning a martial art would be successful.
I can see the usefulness of networking. Though I don't feel like I'm in the phase of my life where I'd want to go to such lengths just to network and have excellent conversations. I could imagine that being worthwhile enough to me one day.
It's good to hear about the followups. They mentioned that in the original post, but I didn't know how extensive it was. I suppose it's unfair to demand concrete data, when dealing with such small sample sizes.
Reference class tennis, but I did learn dancing via youtube + a partner. A couple of years of dance classes were pretty useless compared to how much I learned after a month of study online.
I bet that partner thing was kind of important.
Are you suggesting that rationality takes the same level of one-on-one contact that dancing does?
I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble to go out and find rationality partners, if that's what it took. I'd still need the curriculum though.
Talking with a rational person who disagrees with you can be a great experience, if both of you prefer finding the truth above winning the discussion.
(I am not saying that the minicamps are about this. Just answering your question, out of context.)
I bet that "kind of important" thing was kind of an understatement.