31–40 of 80 posts
Like any degree, Gatech's program has a permanent academic record, rules for grade quality in order to not be on academic probation, etc.
If you don't have the incentives in place, then many people will find excuses to not commit. MOOCs are lacking those incentives.
Can 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…
There was a dedicated volunteer who prepared a 1-2 page summary of the lecture before the meeting, and a note taker for the discussion.
The lectures in the playlist are by the top people in the field (various viewpoints represented) so it was a great learning experience. Groups were 10-15 people and discussions were all worthwhile. Not sure how this would scale to 15+, but the watch-best-lecture-available-and-then-discuss-in-groups is definitely a good model. [at least one data point]
That’s because overwhelmingly people don’t care about learning, they care about certification. The completion rates for online degrees are vastly higher because people get that piece of paper that marks one as an intelligent, hard working conformist. They have to care enough to apply, and pay for a course. I don’t know how much higher the completion rate is for EdX or Coursera students that pay for verified certifica…
I’m not sure people don’t care about learning, I’m certain I’m not the only one that’s gone through a lot of stuff on OCW on my own. I think people are more likely to jump through specific hoops if they get something out of it, that has little to do with learning though.
They’re nerds of whatever persuasion. Normal people work on their three hours of tv a day, nerds learn about Nabokov or the Assyrians or decide that it would be better to work through a modern introduction to algebra than Euclid for fun.
I 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 fas…
I 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 fas…
It's interesting that so many people have trouble even considering that there might be other ways to approach education.
I'd assume completion rate for something that you actually paid would be way higher.
These 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, lower…
Most course creators do absolutely no video editing. Sure they slap in an intro but that's it.
So you'll get a lot of umms, & silence, waiting for the creator to gather their thoughts.
There's also a lot of filler content. So a 2 hour course might have 1.5 hours of history, reasons for the course, setting things up and 30 minutes of useful stuff.
So I watch most videos at 1.5x speed or more. I also download Udemy videos for offline view - therefore, Udemy doesn't know which courses I've left untouched, started, abandoned halfway or completed.
I 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 fas…