Re:Will MOOCs Destroy Academia?
by wwosik on Monday March 04, 2013 @12:23PM
(#5319240)
I've found MOOC to be a real new hobby of mine. I believe they have more value for a lifelong learner or a professional than for a bored 20-something.
I hold especially dearly edx courses (though I'm doing something at udacity and Stanford), which are "semi-self-paced", i.e. there is freedom, when and where you want to listen to them, say a bathtube after a long day. But there is also a stick in the form of (rather hard) homework and exams with a long but hard deadline. Maybe I'm too little self-disciplined, but those deadlines do help me with following the course. BTW, I've totally failed CS50x where deadlines are voluntary.
With my professional work and family duties I would never be able to attend a normal course during the day (in addition to a transatlantic travel to Boston). In addition, I don't need to engage in 4/5 courses at a time like I would have to at the university. On the other hand, the cost is not that much of the problem for me and I would probably be able to pay for the course or at least the final exam, which is how I suppose they are willing to monetize in the future. Of course, provided it's nowhere near $27k tuition ;)
To sum it up, I think there are rather few people that choose an MOOC instead of going to the university providing the MOOC, where "choose" means a real choice of people that could afford it and would be admitted. However, for the rest of us it is of an immense value.
I hold especially dearly edx courses (though I'm doing something at udacity and Stanford), which are "semi-self-paced", i.e. there is freedom, when and where you want to listen to them, say a bathtube after a long day. But there is also a stick in the form of (rather hard) homework and exams with a long but hard deadline. Maybe I'm too little self-disciplined, but those deadlines do help me with following the course. BTW, I've totally failed CS50x where deadlines are voluntary.
With my professional work and family duties I would never be able to attend a normal course during the day (in addition to a transatlantic travel to Boston). In addition, I don't need to engage in 4/5 courses at a time like I would have to at the university. On the other hand, the cost is not that much of the problem for me and I would probably be able to pay for the course or at least the final exam, which is how I suppose they are willing to monetize in the future. Of course, provided it's nowhere near $27k tuition ;)
To sum it up, I think there are rather few people that choose an MOOC instead of going to the university providing the MOOC, where "choose" means a real choice of people that could afford it and would be admitted. However, for the rest of us it is of an immense value.