Yup. Three year History degree. Attended precisely one lecture. Course really rested on one to ones, guided reading, seminars, weekly essays and the social awkwardness inherent in arriving at your tutorial with nothing to say of any interest. In one memorable of course, all of the above appeared entirely voluntary. (Oddly, while I did absolutely no work when taking that particular course, I effectively retook the course with extreme intensity in the two weeks before final exams, and almost all of the information is still retained today.) This system (was) more extreme in the humanities, however. Sci/Math/engineering students (and to lesser extent economics) appeared to require of students a capability to absorb large amounts of data in hourly lumps from a single source. I don't quite understand why that is a great model for learning whether delivered in person or remotely.

I cna confirm it was a parody. (or at least, a sarcastic commentary on the sort of rhetorical sleight of hand you describe, and how effective it can be)