If colleges were to accept the mission of helping each student to learn as much and as well as possible, the organization of education would change. In that the three fundamental practices of education--classes, semesters, and grades--are counterproductive to the goal of maximizing student learning and exist only to meet administrative and fiscal requirements, they would no longer serve as the bases of education. Individualized instruction, such as that currently demonstrated in the computerized systems at Miami-Dade Community College, would free instructors to do those tasks which only humans can do--understanding individual learning problems and offering personal encouragement--and would force administrators to find new measures of learning productivity on the parts of both student and teacher. The goal of maximum learning for individuals is best captured by the concept of mastery learning, which makes achievement a constant, and which has both cognitive and affective advantages. Another issue in this view of educational change is that of the adult, non-traditional student, who is more self-directed, more pragmatic, and more experienced than the younger student. Treating these adult students like adults would involve acknowledging their orientation toward competence improvement, and individualizing instruction and curriculum. (MB)