Coursera

18AD

SeaFields wrote: »

Just attempting part 1 of the homework. Definitely fairly taxing but enjoyable trying to solve them.


It seems that from now on looking at the homework before watching lectures would be an idea? And attempting questions as the concepts are covered individually?

I think I'm gonna proceed like that. I've got half of the first homework done. I get the feeling that the difficulty will escalate quickly.

I dropped Drugs and the Brain, cause it overlaps with astronomy and the openings lectures didn't look to my liking after all.

martyoo

Love Coursera. Lots of really cool courses on it.

SeaFields

18AD wrote: »

I think I'm gonna proceed like that. I've got half of the first homework done.

Yeah it seems the best way forward. As i said in an earlier post, in a classroom setting we would be doing calculations once a concept was introduced as it would be a proxy way of doing it that way at least

I get the feeling that the difficulty will escalate quickly.

Dont say that. I'm crap at maths!

For those who are interested, as well as Coursera and edX, which Aristotle mentions above, there's also Udacity, which is quite similar to both Coursera and edX. It doesn't offer the broad range of courses that Coursera offers, and most of its courses are technical in nature (e.g. mathematical or related to computer science), but courses can be studied at any time and at any pace — courses don't begin on specific dates, as with Coursera and edX, but can be studied at any time. I haven't used it, nor have I signed up, because none of the listed courses particularly interest me, but I'm sure someone reading this thread might enjoy some of their offered courses.

Turtwig

Thanks gvn,

Tempting me with even more coursework to sign up to.

Is anyone else finding the astronomy videos to be glitchy? It's a little annoying he's talking about something on the diagram and drawing on it but you only see black pixels at times.

18AD

Jernal wrote: »

Thanks gvn,

Tempting me with even more coursework to sign up to.

Is anyone else finding the astronomy videos to be glitchy? It's a little annoying he's talking about something on the diagram and drawing on it but you only see black pixels at times.

No, they're working grand for me.

SeaFields

No videos grand with me too.

Barnaboy

Finally finished my assignments after several hours working through the videos and questions. Doing the homework was far harder and much more mathematical than I really imagined. Did physics and maths at college but that was nearly 15 years ago. Also have had strong interest in astronomy for many years. I have read dozens of books and watched countless documentaries on tv. With my background I'm really surprised how hard it was. That said I'm delighted it's tough because it's really making me think!

My only worry is that I won't be able to spend as much time on it every week, especially with Christmas coming up.

Can't wait for week 2...

Turtwig

Connection on the fritz all weekend. Only able to start watching the last two videos now and then I gotta start into the homework. Here's the moment where I'm feel like banging my head because THTRAA doesn't have hard deadlines and yet somehow I find myself in the beautiful situation where I've spent more hours at it than I have at astronomy which I've got a looming deadline that's going to be a very tight call to meet with little time and almost no free time and the length of this unbroken sentence should serve as an indication as to how frantic I feel about all that.
Over all though, loving the coursera experience so far. The material has been of very good quality and enjoyable.

Right, gotta rush.

Is anyone else taking Drugs and the Brain?

I'm finding it ... slrightly difficult. The course assumes that the student has familiarity with protein chemistry, which wasn't listed as a specific requirement in the course description. I find that Lester, the instructor, glosses over seemingly important concepts without giving them due consideration, and often throws in terms and other jargon without giving proper definition. I've finished the first week, but I plan on spending a day or two going back over the lectures with a scientific dictionary in one hand, a chemistry text book in the other, and Wikipedia open all the while in the background. It's an incredibly interesting course, but it's quite challenging for someone who has not studied chemistry beyond the Leaving Cert. quite a few years ago.

Think Again was quite interesting this week, I found. The first week was rather boring, excepting the three optional lectures, which were fascinating, and which prompted me to search for a linguistics course, but this week has definitely provided topics with more substance.

skyfall2012

gvn wrote: »

Is anyone else taking Drugs and the Brain?

I'm finding it ... slrightly difficult. The course assumes that the student has familiarity with protein chemistry, which wasn't listed as a specific requirement in the course description. I find that Lester, the instructor, glosses over seemingly important concepts without giving them due consideration, and often throws in terms and other jargon without giving proper definition. I've finished the first week, but I plan on spending a day or two going back over the lectures with a scientific dictionary in one hand, a chemistry text book in the other, and Wikipedia open all the while in the background. It's an incredibly interesting course, but it's quite challenging for someone who has not studied chemistry beyond the Leaving Cert. quite a few years ago.

Think Again was quite interesting this week, I found. The first week was rather boring, excepting the three optional lectures, which were fascinating, and which prompted me to search for a linguistics course, but this week has definitely provided topics with more substance.

I am doing Think Again. I went to the studyroom a few times for an argument but nobody is discussing anything only standing around saying hello. I am not yet in a position to start a discussion as I don't know enough, but I thought they might have someone who could prompt the discussions. Anyhow I haven't listened to all this weeks lecture so best go do that first. I am a stay at home Mom, so have small windows of opportunity to get online. I am hoping this will start coming together for me soon.

SeaFields

Please tell me that others are finding week two of astronomy impossible?

18AD

SeaFields wrote: »

Please tell me that others are finding week two of astronomy impossible?

I have fallen drastically behind. I only have half the part A homework done.

SeaFields

I'm finding the maths just a step too far this week. Have been jumping around the questions working on solutions. Feck all success tbh. The course forums of a similar opinion. Disappointing so it is.

Barnaboy

SeaFields wrote: »

I'm finding the maths just a step too far this week. Have been jumping around the questions working on solutions. Feck all success tbh. The course forums of a similar opinion. Disappointing so it is.

Tbh I reckon it is just the quantity of material that is the problem in Week 2. He even admitted it himself in his weekly message.

I have found it really interesting, more than last week, but the amount of material is way over the top. I have got most of it now but really struggling with Part A Q8 and Q12 simply because I'm not 100% sure I have the right equations to work with. Part B was much easier to get through.

If you need any last minute help, let me know.

SeaFields

I have just read the two emails sent out today. They really took on board what was being said in the course forums and have completely restructured grading and deadlines. Thank God, might actually get through the maths now

Thanks for the offer barnaboy. Submitted the answers I had and will move on from here. Let us never speak of week 2 again :pac:

Barnaboy

SeaFields wrote: »

I have just read the two emails sent out today. They really took on board what was being said in the course forums and have completely restructured grading and deadlines. Thank God, might actually get through the maths now

Thanks for the offer barnaboy. Submitted the answers I had and will move on from here. Let us never speak of week 2 again :pac:

I was really surprised to see that e-mail. I'm not sure I agree with the three week extension for the homework- it seems overly generous and will significantly delay proper feedback. I'm afraid that I will have already forgotten some of the material by then.

However I'm delighted at the instant feedback 'error' in week 1 and it's return to the marking of homework. I would have got a nasty shock with my week 1 grades without it. Only when I submitted it did I realise how poorly I thought out the questions- I only answered 4/10 correctly. It really made me stop and return to the material and really think about the problem posed.

By the way I just reposted my homework for week 2 part A to get the instant feedback but it's not there :mad:

On the upside week 3 has started very gently, perhaps too gently! I have only watched the first two videos....

amacca

just checked out coursera due to this thread and impressed with what is on offer - thinking of doing a couple

slightly off topic.....but is there anything similar out there for more practical learning (not that any of the courses listed aren't relevant or applicable - I think most will know what I mean though)

eg: say engine maintenance (general principles/theory) or spray painting etc etc given by professionals/"experts"

of course I can find lots of poorly shot "how to" youtube videos etc but just wondering

Brussels Sprout

Nice one OP. Signed up for a course in R which is something I've been planning on learning for a while now.

scottie2hotty

Is there any point to putting the Coursera courses you've completed on your CV? Has anyone gotten any feedback from an employer after having done so?

I've done a couple and would like to have them on my CV just to show that I've been keeping busy while travelling. But I'm afraid that an employer might just laugh it away as a free internet course that's not recognised and therefore not noteworthy.

Turtwig

I too am wondering this. Completing these courses is no walk in the park and requires a good deal of commitment. I've definitely flunked the Astronomy course. If the prospective employers has knowledge of Coursera I'd say they'd know that but you can't really know.

Either way, for the time being free education is awesome.:)

chakotha

I came across this the other day it looks great.

I enrolled for Principles of Economics for Scientists without spotting that it started on January 7th. As some of the problem set deadlines and labs have passed I'll get nil for the labs and a possible 50% from the missed prob sets. It looks very interesting (if difficult) though, so I'll try and work through it anyway.

LadyMayBelle

Im interested in this but at the moment there are none that grab my interests, the ones that do seem to start in September.. are there any other sites you could suggest?

Edit: I just realised I can go back and do some that have been already comnpleted. Nice. I've signed up to the 'AdHD through the lifespan course' (I'm not sciencey or mathsy like the majority of courses). I've joined a course that started on jan 28th but not sure how that works... Do I get a cert if I do it in my own time considering its due to end next week?

r3nu4l

scottie2hotty wrote: »

Is there any point to putting the Coursera courses you've completed on your CV? Has anyone gotten any feedback from an employer after having done so?

I've done a couple and would like to have them on my CV just to show that I've been keeping busy while travelling. But I'm afraid that an employer might just laugh it away as a free internet course that's not recognised and therefore not noteworthy.

If you are worried about doing so then you could place it in your "Hobbies and Interests" section of the CV and then list courses you have completed under the subheading "personal development".

I've interviewed over a hundred people and read hundreds of CVs and to me, even if I thought that the courses weren't really comparable to an Open University course for example, it would still show development.

Put it this way, I am taking free online courses and they will be going on my CV!

Manach

They seem very interesting, and signed on for the Edx one with Michael Standel on Justice as I had just finished his book on the morality of markets.

minnow

TU Delft is offering two online courses from September:
Solar Energy
Introduction to Water Treatment

This Dutch Technical University is world-renowned for Engineering, so I can imagine the courses would be pretty good.

http://www.tudelft.nl/en/current/latest-news/article/detail/inschrijving-open-voor-gratis-online-cursussen-van-de-tu-delft/

Turtwig

minnow wrote: »

TU Delft is offering two online courses from September:
Solar Energy
Introduction to Water Treatment

This Dutch Technical University is world-renowned for Engineering, so I can imagine the courses would be pretty good.

http://www.tudelft.nl/en/current/latest-news/article/detail/inschrijving-open-voor-gratis-online-cursussen-van-de-tu-delft/

All I got was a page about cookies.




Cheers, the solar one looks interesting.

Haidee_Hammond

Hey, still interested in a Coursera/Udacity (I know you didn't mention it, but I like it) Dublin study group? O:-) Anyone else?

IvyTheTerrible

I'm going to be starting the EdX course "Introduction to Programming through Python" in October. The main reason is that most of the job ads in my field are now looking for knowledge of programming in Python and I have feck all knowledge of it.

r3nu4l

I've started the Introduction to Operations Management on Coursera. I'm also doing an online course in Lean/Six Sigma from Sligo IT shortly. Both courses should complement each other very well.