Clare Henney: Coursera

Back in 2009, I was invited by a friend to take an online course in Creative Thinking with the University of New South Wales (Australia). It was a pilot project of the College of St. Benilde and I took it along with several students from both Australia and the Philippines. It was such a good experience for me that when a friend of mine mentioned an site where you could take online classes for free I had to visit it and see if I could give it a try. Coursera, according to their website, is a group that partners with top universities around the world and offers courses for everyone to take for free. They aim to make world-class education accessible to more people to help people improve their lives and the lives of people around them. I went through the course selection on the site and most classes go for 6-8 weeks and require 8-10 hours of work a week. There is a wide range of courses for prospective students to choose from. I signed up for the Introduction to Sustainability class and so far I’m still on the fence about what I think about it.

The previous online class I took was easier than this one. My class with UNSW did not have quizzes but had projects and assignments instead. The forums where students can interact where much easier to navigate in the UNSW one compared to Coursera. The load of materials to read and watch are also heavier in Coursera – although I realized that watching the video lectures you pretty much get the information on the reading materials anyway.

The setup in general I’d have to say was easier with UNSW. From what I’ve read from other people taking the course though, it might depend on the professor so I can’t say for certain that Coursera in itself is not at par with the previous online class I took. I was having some hesitation on continuing the course during the first week but I’ve decided to follow some of my “classmates” and stick it out for a while longer to see how it goes. The class just isn’t what I expected it to be so far but maybe – hopefully – that will change as it goes. If not, I’ll try another course and see if it’s any different. I signed up for a Greek Mythology class so that might be a little easier for me. If any of you are interested in expanding your knowledge at the convenience of your home, you might want to give Coursera a try. It’s a good (and generous) concept and I think that more people should participate and benefit from it.