Why You Should Turn MOOCs Into Group Activities
MOOCs or massive open online courses can be very rewarding and a lot of fun. But why are they alone? Turn your next online course into a book club-style exercise.
I know, I know that you are taking online courses with people from all over the world, so you are not really alone when taking them. But you are still listening, reading, studying and conceptualizing all alone in front of the computer. Instead, I suggest meeting up with a couple of friends and turning one of these courses into something that looks like a real class.
First, MOOCs usually cost money and they can be quite expensive. There are many great free online classes out there , but many useful things will set you back $ 50 to $ 100 – even up to $ 1,500, depending on what you want to learn. If you bring together a couple of people who will take the class with them, the cost will be significantly reduced.
In addition, conducting these sessions in a group format makes it easier to discuss the ideas presented to you. Almost every online course has a forum or place where you can chat with other students, but this is not the same as having an open debate in person. You communicate faster when you can speak out loud, you can express your thoughts more clearly, and you learn more from the people you interact with. If you can’t understand a concept, one of your buddies will be able to explain it in a matter of seconds.
Finally, teaching these courses in a group personally helps you hold each other accountable. You know when someone does not strain because he has not appeared or there is no completed task in front of him, like everyone else. When you’re working with real people and not with pseudonyms in an online course forum, there is a lot more pressure to apply.
This setting may not work for all MOOCs; some of them require you to turn in tasks in order to continue. Others, however, require nothing more than time and dedication. For example, the popular MasterClass courses are great for this kind of group work. My friends and I got together in one place (this part is key), watched lectures, discussed and completed assignments for each other. We each had our own printout of course materials and tried to meet once a week. And while we didn’t actually take anything and didn’t even technically complete the course, we still learned a lot from the class. But listen, you don’t get any real credits or certifications in most of these courses anyway. So take your friends and go learn something. It’s fun.