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UsableThought
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I'm currently in the 5th week of the 9-week Coursera course on first-level math logic, "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking," created by Keith Devlin of Stanford. I'm an older adult doing self-study, in hopes of brushing up my high school math & adding the other necessary math skills to eventually tackle non-Calculus physics. That's my minimum goal.
Devlin's course is excellent; however I was surprised & even shocked to learn from him a few days ago (he still shows up in the class forums to answer questions here & there) that although he originated this MOOC as the first math MOOC ever, and really enjoyed it in its original incarnation, he is disappointed by the revisions to the format forced upon him by Coursera's re-design; and therefore, once this semester is over, he will no longer be actively participating in the class for future semesters. He talks about the change in Coursera format in this recent blog post at mooctalk.org:
He doesn't talk in this post about the precise nature of the downgrades to Coursera features; but I gather that whatever they were, they have resulted in far less interactivity than was previously the case. And if you read the comments on that blog piece, you'll find that others seem to feel the same way about the change in Coursera, and are seeking other platforms (as is Devlin) for a greater degree of interactivity and quality than Coursera apparently now offers.
Even so, what I like about Devlin's course in its current incarnation are three features in particular:
My question is, for anybody who has experience & an opinion, what's the quality of other Coursera math courses these days? You can compare to the Devlin course if you know about that course, or to the feature set I describe above, or just in general, in terms of interactivity and feedback offered to students. I had been thinking of taking further Coursera math courses, and I probably would do so, if I knew they were of the same quality; but Devlin's disappointment in the redesign, even though he phrases it very politely, is giving me second thoughts. If a given course is free I can always find out for myself, I guess.
P.S. I searched the forum for threads with Coursera in the title, and got two hits; but neither touches upon my question:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/opinions-of-moocs-through-coursera.788427/
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/coursera-question.693826/
Devlin's course is excellent; however I was surprised & even shocked to learn from him a few days ago (he still shows up in the class forums to answer questions here & there) that although he originated this MOOC as the first math MOOC ever, and really enjoyed it in its original incarnation, he is disappointed by the revisions to the format forced upon him by Coursera's re-design; and therefore, once this semester is over, he will no longer be actively participating in the class for future semesters. He talks about the change in Coursera format in this recent blog post at mooctalk.org:
. . . faced with a need to generate revenue in order to survive as a company, Coursera rebuilt their course platform, tailoring it to a more production-line, largely instruction-based approach to education than the “Let’s take a typical, highly interactive Stanford course structure and make it available on the Web” that inspired many of the original MOOC pioneers, of which I was one.
Coursera‘s shift . . . was totally understandable, given their need to survive as a for-profit company. Unfortunately, many of the features they eliminated from their original platform left my course completely un-runnable.
It has taken almost a year, working with a Coursera engineer, for me to rebuild my original MOOC into something that will run on the new platform. That new edition of MathThink, as we insiders all called the course, launches on January 9. On the whole, I am pretty happy with it. I think many people will find it useful. But it is no longer the course I originally created (or rather, ported from the real classroom to a virtual one), and after the first run in early 2017, I will no longer play an active role.
He doesn't talk in this post about the precise nature of the downgrades to Coursera features; but I gather that whatever they were, they have resulted in far less interactivity than was previously the case. And if you read the comments on that blog piece, you'll find that others seem to feel the same way about the change in Coursera, and are seeking other platforms (as is Devlin) for a greater degree of interactivity and quality than Coursera apparently now offers.
Even so, what I like about Devlin's course in its current incarnation are three features in particular:
- The videos are done really well; Devlin is not only an excellent speaker, but quizzes have been built into the video interface to make sure you're paying attention & not rushing. Compared to typical videos such as those at Kahn Academy, these stand out. I actually want to watch them. I don't get bored or impatient as I do with Kahn.
- Devlin wrote a book for the course; the content is about the same as in the videos. The effect is synergistic. I also consult other books & web sites on logic, of course.
- The forums are set up with not only Devlin (who pops in only now & again), but also "mentors", so if you can phrase a reasonable question, you're guaranteed of getting at least one if not more answers. The mentors vary in quality, but they all put forth a good effort to help. Discussion with other students also occurs, and though this too varies in quality, it can sometimes be very satisfying. Not as good as a real-life study group but better I think than studying entirely alone.
My question is, for anybody who has experience & an opinion, what's the quality of other Coursera math courses these days? You can compare to the Devlin course if you know about that course, or to the feature set I describe above, or just in general, in terms of interactivity and feedback offered to students. I had been thinking of taking further Coursera math courses, and I probably would do so, if I knew they were of the same quality; but Devlin's disappointment in the redesign, even though he phrases it very politely, is giving me second thoughts. If a given course is free I can always find out for myself, I guess.
P.S. I searched the forum for threads with Coursera in the title, and got two hits; but neither touches upon my question:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/opinions-of-moocs-through-coursera.788427/
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/coursera-question.693826/
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