Recently I have heard about and checked out some of the online course offerings by Stanford and MIT. I knew about MIT open courseware and the wealth of knowledge offered with the multitude of classes they provided. Then I recently heard that Stanford was offering courses online where anyone in the world can participate as if they were in the class. Interactive assignments are given, so you are able to take advantage of high level courses from an elite university for free. While you don’t receive college credit, you do receive a statement of achievement if you complete the course. This apparently has expanded to other university partners, as found on www.coursera.org.
The list of courses in various subjects is expanding. MIT has joined in with their own version, MITx, (mitx.mit.edu) where students learn in an online community. MIT students, as well as students around the world, can participate. I also recently came across another website, www.udacity.com, offering online interactive courses geared specifically towards computer science.
I am excited at this fantastic opportunity for new learning, not only for students but for myself. You can listen to university professors and industry standouts teaching actual classes and try the assignments yourself. I have mentioned it to a few of my more motivated and interested students to check out. Some of my students come to me self-taught in programming. They have been learning online for many years, because computer science is not taught in their schools. For students who really show an interest in computer science, this can be a way for them to delve more deeply into some higher level topics where they are supported by university educators and a community of like-minded learners. It can give them a taste for what to expect if they were to pursue a computer science major in college. And for students who don’t have access to computer science courses in their school, it is an alternate way to learn in a guided way.
What do you think of these online courses?
Do you think they will encourage more people to learn about computer science?
How will they change how we learn?
Karen Lang
CSTA 9-12 Representative