E-Learning

[Lucifer van Satan]

Did you ever take any online classes on sites like Coursera, edX, Udacity etc.?
How many times and on which subjects did you get certified?

I have taken 3 classes from Coursera and 2 form edX and got certified as well (currently taking 8).
They were about cryptography, computer science, AI, math and philosophy. The professors were form the most prestigious universities in the world, making the classes very engaging and rich in content. These kind of self-paced classes are more welcome than regular school schedule-based classes.

Do tell about your experience.

 

[Valentas]

What experience do you want to hear about? Most of the courses I've taken were tough. Very tough, especially MIT style Intro to CS last fall. It was hardcore for me but I plunged through.

Now it looks like a joke, too easy

Then, I took another course in the subject I hated in school - physics, mainly because Walter Lewin promised that I'll love physics learning with him. And I certainly did. The guy is a legend and his lectures and support from edx community helped a lot. Now I could go and pass state exam in physics easily

Also, I took courses on udacity, also on physics because I liked the idea of measuring latitude of where I am by hitting a wooden stick into the ground and use trig to work this out. :}

And of course coursera. The king of courses. The best couse I've ever taken there was Machine Learning from Stanford guy. I did not understand everything but it certainly hit home what can be achieved in this field.

 

[Pyropyro]

I had a WIPO (World Intellectual Property Class) distance learning course on Books and other Publications due to my old job. I've barely passed the course.

After moping due to not getting a high grade, I felt exhilarated. I wasn't able to pass with flying colors in the international academic scene BUT I can survive survive it. I just need to get better.

Can't wait to get another course once I get my certificate printed and shown to my former bosses.

 

[Lucifer van Satan]

What experience do you want to hear about? Most of the courses I've taken were tough. Very tough, especially MIT style Intro to CS last fall. It was hardcore for me but I plunged through.

Now it looks like a joke, too easy

Then, I took another course in the subject I hated in school - physics, mainly because Walter Lewin promised that I'll love physics learning with him. And I certainly did. The guy is a legend and his lectures and support from edx community helped a lot. Now I could go and pass state exam in physics easily

Also, I took courses on udacity, also on physics because I liked the idea of measuring latitude of where I am by hitting a wooden stick into the ground and use trig to work this out. :}

And of course coursera. The king of courses. The best couse I've ever taken there was Machine Learning from Stanford guy. I did not understand everything but it certainly hit home what can be achieved in this field.

Glad to hear you plunged through the Intro to CS

I am actually taking the next season of Machine Learning, glad to hear you liked it and the professor, now I'm looking forward it even more.

As to physics, you might want to see this:

https://www.coursera.org/course/analyze

This ought to be A LOT different form the physics we learned in high school, for it is more focused on the scientific part of it, rather than just problem solving.
Hope you like it

 

[Valentas]

My days on e-learning are over unfortunately. The schedule at Edinburgh in Informatics course and probable part-time work in IT industry will leave little time to learn. Thanks for suggestion though.

 

[Chad]

I just enrolled in several course starting this month and next.

I taking courses in
2 courses in Criminology (a computer forensic course in evolutionary crime theory)
1 course in Business Basics (I have no educational experiences in business and I want to learn more)
1 course Psychology (I am taking a introduction psychology course to better understand if my wish to father my education in Criminal psychology)

I am also taking a course in ancient Greek history just for fun.

 

[TwinkleBat]

I adore online courses. I love the breadth, the freedom, the cost, the ability to just drop out when I get bored with absolutely no consequences, and more. I probably spend most of my free time doing these courses, and I'm in college taking regular classes too. I'm probably on coursera the most; at my most recent count, I have something like 17 certs from coursera, and a couple each from edx and udacity. I've enrolled in dozens, some of which I've audited and some dropped, and I'm enrolled in at least 12 right now, though I don't know how many I'll see through to completion.

I don't like the fact that many people don't consider the certificates worth the paper they're printed on. I've tried to use them to bypass prerequisites to no avail. So, now, I mostly just learn for myself.

 

[r4ch3l]

Taking the Machine Learning class this round through Coursera. Anyone got any words of advice before I begin? Things to look out for, time to budget, what to brush up on before it starts, etc.?

I went through all the Codecademy tracks for practice and to pick up some new things (JavaScript and basics of Ruby) and have taken one other course (Cryptography) through Coursera. Codecademy has its issues and some courses are much better than others but I recommend it to anyone getting started with programming. Helps ease you into the mindset and get momentum.

 

[~~~]

^what was the crypto course like?

 

[ℜεмїηїs¢εη¢ε]

I signed up for a couple of Coursera classes but abandoned them after a week.

 

[r4ch3l]

Fun Coursera class starting this week some of you may like: "Beauty, Form, and Function: An Exploration of Symmetry"

Machine Learning is starting up again March 3rd. This article profiles some of the people who took the class with very little exposure to programming and went on to win some prizes for machine learning-related contests.

For those interested in learning programming there is a three-part track starting in late March that looks comprehensive but also moves at at practical and steady pace.