tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post4458274311886709454..comments2023-08-17T10:18:24.628-04:00Comments on Multilitteratus Incognitus: MOOC thoughts closing out 2014Apostolos K. ("AK")http://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-79599131498768836272015-01-02T10:54:09.780-05:002015-01-02T10:54:09.780-05:00Thank you for sharing :) It's been a while sin...Thank you for sharing :) It's been a while since I've been back to Udacity. I don't think it's had much to do with the lack of certificates but more with the lack of time to do the coding specific tasks. I can easily sit and compose blog posts for cMOOCs when I am offline - and thus I can break up the tast into many little chunks. With Udacity I would need to dedicate a specific amount of time, uninterrupted, each day, in order to make progress and that's not the type of time I am able to give up at the moment. Even my doctoral work is split into many, smaller, offline pieces (and that gets graded!)Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8455468843833525066.post-5501370411013920302014-12-31T10:39:04.837-05:002014-12-31T10:39:04.837-05:002014 was the first year I've participated in c...2014 was the first year I've participated in cMOOCs: thoughtvectors.net and connectedcourses.net. This has been more social for me than the many xMOOCs I've done. My interaction on xMOOCs has been limited to forums -- mainly reading posts, and occasionally answering a question or sharing a resource. Many xMOOC students don't even use the forums. On the other hand, I know there have been active study groups for xMOOCs. But I haven't joined or sought them out. I think I might start looking for them.<br /><br />The cMOOCs have made me aware of the benefits of blogging. But so far I've failed to make a habit of it. I write a lot, but I find posting difficult. I think I need to start with sharing links, summaries, and quick thoughts, and avoid thinking of it as essay writing. Federated Wiki might help. Which reminds me that there's a third cMOOC (of a kind) where I've been an observer. Mike Caulfield and Ward Cunningham's Fedwiki Happening, http://tinyletter.com/m42/archive<br /><br /><br /><br />Certificates are funny. I don't really care, and they aren't likely to count for much -- but if it's there, I want it. Udacity has been the worst about switching to a pay model. I think 2013 was the last time I took a Udacity course. I'm not certain, but I heard that non-paying students don't even get access to the auto-grader for programming assignments anymore.<br /><br /><br />In Coursera, certificates depend on the school. Most of the Coursera courses I took in 2013 and 2014, including one I just finished, still offered a free certificate of completion. With so many MOOCs available, I've become more selective about what I sign up for. Once in, I usually try to do everything.Apostolos K. ("AK")https://www.blogger.com/profile/02198465120131968928noreply@blogger.com