As it stands, MOOCs don't have the same recognition or importance in society as traditional education does. So naturally completion rates are going to be low. Doesn't mean the courses aren't good quality or the information being shared doesn't mean people's needs. Just means that the psychological contracts that people enter when they sign up for these courses are a lot less burdensome and easier to break than within higher education, which might even be a part of their draw.
For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
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Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#22Can I bounce an idea off Hacker News readers?
How about doing live events at which you simply play -- on an overhead screen -- the very best videos or courseware from the web on selected technical topics. You get the best possible presentation and the chance to mingle with people who are keen on the same subject. You'd still need a person to act as a moderator or host, but there would be no official speakers. Would you go to such a thing?
This idea came about because I was at a seminar recently with multiple presenters on technical topics. At least 90% of what was said is available on the web. And the average presentation was awful. Yet, the auditorium was packed. Two hundred people showed up to hear publicly available information presented by mediocre speakers, none of whom were experts in the field (just people interested in the topic).
This is a regularly held seminar and people come. A lot people like attending a talk even if we could have stayed home and watched a better video on the same technical topic. I think part of it is that some people absorb material better in a classroom setting and the other aspect is the chance to socialize and talk with like-minded people.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#23Why “complete” a MOOC though? Most MOOCs still have the same BS hoop jumping requirements as real courses alongside the meat of the course, but unlike real world courses theres no degree at the end. As a self learner I ruthlessly apply the 80/20 principle to maximize useful learning and move on. I’ve only completed a few that are mercifully all autograder based.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#24Maybe because the definition of completion for some of the courses includes a lot of things that aren’t valuable to the learner. I consider being able to skip lectures one of the benefits of online courses
Also because some of them don't let you really see what the content is unless you sign up. I have signed up for free online courses before just to check what they contain.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#25Can I bounce an idea off Hacker News readers? How about doing live events at which you simply play -- on an overhead screen -- the very best videos or courseware from the web on selected technical topics. You get the best possible presentation and the chance to mingle with people who are keen on the same subject. You'd still need a person to act as a moderator or host, but there would be no official speakers. Would y…
I think the issue isn't that people aren't learning properly, it's more due to with the recognition of work and time required for no tangible reward. It's the same reason it's really hard for most people to sit down and learn coding on their own. It's not because lectures are hard to watch, or they aren't learning effectively, it's because you aren't getting anything tangible from it. Bootcamps are the same way, you get a "certificate" but it doesn't really have much value, and people know it.
Getting a degree from a good school (I go to UT Austin actually) is different. That's why people go to college.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#26Why “complete” a MOOC though? Most MOOCs still have the same BS hoop jumping requirements as real courses alongside the meat of the course, but unlike real world courses theres no degree at the end. As a self learner I ruthlessly apply the 80/20 principle to maximize useful learning and move on. I’ve only completed a few that are mercifully all autograder based.
I loved the "achievement unlocked" feeling of completing online courses and getting a pdf saying "you did it!", so I tried to complete the classes for that (such a PDF has no real value, especially since I did classes on random topics I like, not job related).
I can see why Coursera/edx etc stopped giving out these certificates if you don't pay for them, but it has caused me to basically stop completing free online classes.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#27These are for MOOCs, not online degree courses, though. There's no certifications with these. You can't get an accounting, law, or medical degree, bachelor/associate certificate, or anything you'd need professional accreditation for. Maybe the completion rate is similar for people who buy books. I'd end up getting a book thinking it'd be an investment as it would be good as learning a subject. The next day I didn't r…
this is has a lot do with our attention span. it has slowly been in decline ever since scrolling took over. the running animation over content tires us out and it is hard for the eyes to follow and track lines.
whenever somebody asks me how do people read on the web?, I say: they don’t. people rarely read web pages word by word.
instead they scan for information with keywords, uninvested and disinterested, ala, lowered attention span, less commitment.
this behavior immediately translates to poor results on everything and MOOCs aren’t any different.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#28I think this emphasis on completion rates are a problem. I take a lot of MOOCs, but not all the content in said MOOCs are important. I just watch the parts of courses that are important or relevant to what I am doing, and call it a day.
For people learning from non-conventional sources, they are used to using bits and pieces from different online sources and building up their own courses and their own paths.
This fascination with completion rates is simply our propensity to value what we measure instead of measuring what we value.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#29I think coursera is amazing, i've finished a few courses signed up for a lot more. It's great, some i stopped because I wasn't really interested in, others I stopped because I got what I needed. I think it's truly amazing and I think completion is the wrong metric; maybe hours of instruction divided by average per course would be better.
Re: For Online Courses, Questions Over How Success is Measured (2014)
#30I assume this is just free courses. I’ve been an online instructor for a university for 4 years as a side gig. I’d say the completion rate is about 85%.