Best Online Courses

hook_dupin

Well-Known Member
I know this is a random question: what are some of the best online courses you've taken (doesn't have to be aviation related)? What made them good?
 
Many top college and universities offer online courses for free. Granted, when you complete the course you don't get a certificate or diploma... just the knowledge retained.
 
Many top college and universities offer online courses for free. Granted, when you complete the course you don't get a certificate or diploma... just the knowledge retained.

I'm trying to do something like that, but there's a wide spectrum of quality with the MOOCs... I want to know what works and what doesn't. Some background here: I started putting some of my private pilot ground lessons online. It's pretty basic...but I want to make it better. The thing is, I'm not quite sure what "better" means. Does better mean more animation? Including hand-out, PDFs, or printable material? Scheduled live video chat sessions? In-airplane video for maneuver demos? Quizzes?

I know what I think, but I don't know if I'm the norm (Ok...I'm sure I'm not the norm). I want to know what others think.... what makes an online course good?
 
I'm trying to do something like that, but there's a wide spectrum of quality with the MOOCs... I want to know what works and what doesn't. Some background here: I started putting some of my private pilot ground lessons online. It's pretty basic...but I want to make it better. The thing is, I'm not quite sure what "better" means. Does better mean more animation? Including hand-out, PDFs, or printable material? Scheduled live video chat sessions? In-airplane video for maneuver demos? Quizzes?

I know what I think, but I don't know if I'm the norm (Ok...I'm sure I'm not the norm). I want to know what others think.... what makes an online course good?

What makes it better is having students understand the material, so your presentation. Very cool premise though, you have given me a few ideas! I always like a clean look to animation and presentation. Nothing fancy 'try hard' but professional that shows the maker put time into it. Applicable free-bees are awesome.You could hold live chat sessions like an EAA seminar or a youtube channel on a live broadcast. Think of some AvWeb videos you'll see. Look at King Schools, the most annoying course work that works and sells thousands of copies. I personally like what this school does:

https://www.youtube.com/user/MzeroAFlightTraining

What makes an online class at least annoying is having the information everywhere and not being able to back track if you are working on something. Before you know it, you have 5 tabs open, 2 pdfs, and 3 word docs. That fine for someone like me who is used to it and can find what I need quickly, but to a newer online student (say 45 year old who is getting interested in flying and turned in cursive HS work) would be frustrated. Making the student find what they need has a time and place, which you could mold, but at first giving them what they need to know in a simple format would seem to work well. Think FOI motivation stuff applied to online learning.

Good idea, I might build off of it. If I was backup to speed on video edits I'd help!
 
Many top college and universities offer online courses for free. Granted, when you complete the course you don't get a certificate or diploma... just the knowledge retained.

Oh no! Learning something! I am going to be taking a few in the Fall that seem interesting and reciprocate with studies and interests of mine.
 
Many top college and universities offer online courses for free. Granted, when you complete the course you don't get a certificate or diploma... just the knowledge retained.

To follow-up on this, MIT offers free courses online called MIT Opencourseware. They actually videotape a ton of complete courses and post them online. I can't keep up with the material, but it's still interesting none-the-less.
 
To follow-up on this, MIT offers free courses online called MIT Opencourseware. They actually videotape a ton of complete courses and post them online. I can't keep up with the material, but it's still interesting none-the-less.
I think both Harvard and MIT offer all of their online courses for free.
 
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