Education is a pretty big deal. So when several colleges and universities make a website proposing some free courses, it’s another pretty big deal.
It is now possible to follow true courses from the prestigious Stanford, Berkeley and have this at home, comfortably installed. There are three great points using this method:
- The range of possibilities of courses is huge, with a lot of categories to learn (computer science, humanities and social science, healthcare medicine, mathematics, economics etc…) and the quality of the courses is really good. It is really like university, but, at home.
- The courses are free. Absolutely no charge. Some of the courses require prior knowledge or a book, but you can follow the lectures and learn a lot from that.
- You can take your time. The time to read the lectures carefully, to do your assignments at ease. This is really nice.
Coursera.org has open a huge category in education and proves that an online learning is possible. A new kind of learning is here, and maybe the future will hold certain exams like these. I hope so, it brings education everywhere and let the people be actor of their own path.
The only negative point is the “no diploma” effect, discouraging when the courses are harder, like “anyway it doesn’t affect anything in my life”. If these kind of technology were actually open to have a diploma, that would be great and a new path to education and work.
I can’t imagine the implications in the eduction system, but it is a great way to learn and to learn how to love learning. If only, this was official courses…