The Professors Behind the MOOC Hype

chronicle.com

31 pointsiProject3 comments

I have yet to take a full-on MOOC, but I'd be happy if universities like Yale and Stanford just recorded and uploaded more of their top lecturers' classes. The quality of much of what's on iTunes U is simply phenomenal, and I'm greedy. Obviously the production of video and audio is not cheap, but surely it requires less time, effort and money than producing a course suitable for 28,000 students!

Random recommendation: Paul Freedman's lectures on the early Middle Ages are terrific. http://oyc.yale.edu/history/hist-210

For me there is a big difference, I prefer the focused 6 or 10 week approach taken by Coursera. Forces me to really keep on top of things week upon week, learning what I need to before completing whatever assignment they provide.

Guess it depends what you are in it for though.

Also, I like the look of that Middle Ages course. Ta for the link.

Before this, all of the articles I'd seen about MOOC's were vehemently (and baselessly) critical. It's nice to see them publish something informative.

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