# Coursera users? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 23, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336 "2014-03-23T03:24:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/1 "2014-03-23T03:24:54Z")
Coursera looks quite good. I’m currently taking the Model Thinking class and it reminds me of the courses I enjoyed in uni. > **[Model Thinking](https://www.coursera.org/learn/model-thinking?from_restricted_preview=1&course_id=971869&r=https:%2F%2Fclass.coursera.org%2Fmodelthinking-006)** > > Offered by University of Michigan. We live in a complex world with diverse people, firms, and governments whose behaviors aggregate to ... Enroll for free. I’ve also signed up for the introduction to irrational behavior and the organizational analysis courses. Any recommendations? Any to avoid? Also interested in other free online resources, but should add that part of my motivation is to get certs to put on LinkedIn, so stuff like Intro to the French Revolution might be less appealing. ---
**Author:** ![Helena330](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/helena330/32/531_2.png) [@Helena330](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena330)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/2 "2014-03-23T04:26:47Z")
> **[Learn the Latest Tech Skills; Advance Your Career | Udacity](https://www.udacity.com/)** > > Learn online and advance your career with courses in programming, data science, artificial intelligence, digital marketing, and more. Gain in-demand technical skills. Join today! > **[edX | Build new skills. Advance your career.](https://www.edx.org/)** > > Discover thousands of offerings — from free courses to full degrees — delivered by world-class partners like Harvard, Google, Amazon and more. I just finished a Morality class that was my eighth on Coursera. It’s almost over now, but you might look at Think Again’s next offering, as Duke offers a verified certificate for it, as well as a three-class Data Analysis specialization credential. There are two other more technical specializations, too. ---
**Author:** ![Miss\_Gnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miss_gnomer/32/3466_2.png) [@Miss\_Gnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miss_Gnomer)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/3 "2014-03-23T11:18:51Z")
I’ve done a couple of courses … they vary hugely! Some are just online lectures, whereas other courses use e-learning resources/techniques (and technology!!!). The peer assessment is good and bad - good if you get someone who is knowledgeable and able to give good feedback; bad when they may not speak english as a first language and don’t understand your work or just have a different opinion! ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/4 "2014-03-23T12:20:20Z")
Congratulations of taking Model Thinking - a brilliant course IMHO. I have completed \> 20 online classes so far, mostly with Coursera, but also with Udacity, edX and a really fun math class with the Santa Fe Instutute. I have started but not completed a similar number. I don’t see any problem in not completing a class, in fact I believe it is one of the strengths of these platforms that you can try them with no obligation. I can usually tell after the first week if the class is right for me - if I find I am looking forward to week 2 I continue with full commitment, if not I stop and put my energies into the ones I do enjoy. My main tip is to try and stay ahead of the game when doing the coursework and complete as early as your real life will allow. The forums are full of people whining because their internet connection failed 10 minutes before a deadline, or they submitted 3 seconds before a deadline but were rejected because the server was busy and took a few seconds to process it. Sign up for a mixture of classes you think will be useful and ones that just look fun. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/5 "2014-03-23T20:32:15Z")
> [@Helena330](#): > > It’s almost over now, but you might look at Think Again’s next offering, as Duke offers a verified certificate for it, as well as a three-class Data Analysis specialization credential. There are two other more technical specializations, too. Is Think Again from Udacity, edX, or Coursera? ---
**Author:** ![ticker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@ticker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ticker)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2014, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/6 "2014-03-23T21:13:15Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > Is Think Again from Udacity, edX, or Coursera? Coursera: [https://www.coursera.org/course/thinkagain](https://www.coursera.org/course/thinkagain) ---
**Author:** ![steadierfooting](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@steadierfooting](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steadierfooting)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2014, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coursera-users/684336/7 "2014-03-24T02:11:45Z")
I’ve been using coursera since it first rolled out, and before that (and still do) took many online classes on youtube. Coursera has a nice interface, and many surprisingly interesting topics that I otherwise would not have sought out. I tend to subscribe to many, drop about 90%, but 10% will follow through. My favorites tend to be engaging professors with high production quality. The thing I like about youtube is the classes are from like 5 to 10 years ago, so you can buy the textbook on [half.com](http://half.com) for about a dollar. I liked it for the science stuff (bio, chem, anatomy) but there is a really good one on the history of the new testament, and one on the history of infectious diseases. As for coursera, my favorites that caught me by surprise were one on dinosaurs, one on the US food system, astronomy, and the history of the slave south. Many are tech classes, and should appeal to me (I am a healthcare data analyst) but to me most of it is not real world applicable (like most of the computer classes I took as an undergrad)