Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by chl on Monday December 30, 2013 @08:32PM
(#6988359)
All in all, Eric Lander's 7.00x (Introduction to Biology) probably was the best of all the courses I completed in 2013. Lander is a fantastic lecturer -- it wasn't uncommon that his lectures (or shall I say performances) ended in applause.
Going beyond "just" videos and multiple-choice quizzes, the MITx folks built/assembled an impressive array of mostly web-based tools (e.g. a 3D molecule viewer, a molecule editor, a simplified version of genome viewers used by actual biologists) to support the learning enterprise.
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by jacalata on Monday December 30, 2013 @08:53PM
(#6988438)
I really enjoyed Programming Languages by Dan Grossman (U. Washington) on Coursera. Well organised course, smoothly run. https://class.coursera.org/proglang-002
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by waynerad on Monday December 30, 2013 @11:13PM
(#6988907)
Machine Learning. I thought it was a really tough class and took more time than they say (they say workload: 5-7 hours/week -- maybe if you are perfect and your code never has bugs that you need to spend time debugging -- the course is based on programming assignments in Octave where you have to demonstrate mastery of machine learning concepts), but I put in a lot of extra time, mastered everything, finished with a 100. Andrew Ng is a top-notch teacher, even though his speaking style is very low-key. https://www.coursera.org/course/ml
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by vijucat on Monday December 30, 2013 @11:56PM
(#6989054)
I finally made time for "Functional Programming in Scala" and it was fun.
However, I must add that when I tried to use Scala in the real-world, it was considerably more complicated due to implicits, CanBuildFrom, and other "invisible hands" (not merely synactic sugar, mind you).
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by krrishd on Monday December 30, 2013 @10:21PM
(#6988749)
I'm a high schooler. My knowledge is mainly in the front-end realm, with the vast majority of 'programming' I do being in JavaScript. Do you think I would be able to take it successfully?
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by lucasrp on Thursday January 09, 2014 @12:39PM
(#7031862)
Im a beginner um programming, and did machine learning course right after a introdutory course (CS50 and 6.00x at Edx).
I've been able to do the whole course, but only because i have good math skills. My impression is that math skills (calculus and linear algebra) are much more needed than coding skills in this course.
Re:Ask HN: What were some good MOOCs you participated in in ...
by krrishd on Thursday January 09, 2014 @04:20PM
(#7033346)
Im currently taking calculus, but im not sure if I have already dealt with linear algebra before. Is it its own subject, or does Algebra and Algebra II cover the content?
Going beyond "just" videos and multiple-choice quizzes, the MITx folks built/assembled an impressive array of mostly web-based tools (e.g. a 3D molecule viewer, a molecule editor, a simplified version of genome viewers used by actual biologists) to support the learning enterprise.
Here's a glowing review that (unlike my scribblings here) starts to do the 7.00x experience justice: http://okazakifragments.wordpress.com/2013/05/29/the-best-mo...
However, I must add that when I tried to use Scala in the real-world, it was considerably more complicated due to implicits, CanBuildFrom, and other "invisible hands" (not merely synactic sugar, mind you).
Introduced me to some new ideas about learning, and solidified some ambiguous thoughts I already had. Much fun.
I've been able to do the whole course, but only because i have good math skills. My impression is that math skills (calculus and linear algebra) are much more needed than coding skills in this course.