divein coaching

An online course that people would really like to take

08 August 2013

A few weeks ago I enrolled into an online course related to data analysis that I was really looking forward to taking. The instructor was the primary person in the field, I had read his whole book once and a few chapters multiple times. What an opportunity then to be able to ask questions and get answers from the guy himself.

But then the course started. And the course was a reference to the book along with a pdf with some really simplistic questions, and a board controlled by a really well-intended teaching assistant.

Of course I was disappointed and ended up dropping the course after a couple days. But then this experience got me thinking about what is it that I would like to see in a large online course, large here meaning a place where the instructor cannot spend time with individual students, but instead has to create an environments where all of them can be managed as a group. Here are some thoughts:

  1. I would like to work on something that is similar to the task I am trying to accomplish. So, if it's a certain type of data analysis, I would like to do it from a to z. This also means that I don't want the task to be broken down into small pieces to only at the end find out how all the parts come together.
  2. I would like to have tips on where to search for information that might not be provided in the course static info and social
  3. I would like to learn about new tools and also where I could find additional tool. The latter would ideally include static sources of information such as traditional journals or lists as well as social sources where I can interact and ask questions
  4. I would like to learn from personal stories talking about their experience with what works and what not, biggest mistakes, early signs of success and whatever they would share while having a beer with me
  5. i would like the course to adapt to me
  6. i would like to make choices in relation to course path

by Ricardo Pietrobon

About Me

My name is Ricardo Pietrobon and I am interested in big data and situated cognition applied to immersive distance education.