Learning is Learning. Perception is Perception.

Recently, I began visiting and signing-up for courses on Coursera.org. The idea I had was that any learning is good learning, and I have always enjoyed reading non-fiction, listening to podcasts, watching documentaries, and ... basically learning in general. The mantra "learn something new every day" is ingrained into the person I am and aspire to.

With these online, free, MOOCs (Massively Open Online Course) - there can be a sense of being in something ... "lesser" than a classroom or formal educational environment. So, part of me also wanted to explore the quality and content value from the perspective of someone that works in a formal educational environment. What were these MOOCs? How was the quality? Were they worth the effort of participation? Are they a way to bring quality education to the world? #2030NOW 

Getting Ready for the Courses

Starting with "Learning How to Learn" because it seemed a logical place to begin, I was placed in familiar territory (after all, I have been teaching for 17 years and am working on my Masters of Arts: Learning and Technology). While familiar to some extent, the course also offered me some new insight and perspectives. The familiarity of subject matter also aided in my ability to assess the course with a compare/contrast mentality. A way to see how it stacked-up against what would be a typical classroom or "formal" delivery model.

Motivation Required

For the experience, I think my motivation played a key role. Wanting to complete the course and learn the material was key to my continuing to visit and revisit the site to watch the lectures and take the quizzes. The subject matter wasn't onerous in terms of depth or complexity, but I came away from the experience feeling I had learnt something of value that I could put to practical use. 

Certificates Available

For those interested, you can also get a Coursera certificate once you complete courses and series of courses (referred to as specializations). Of course, I had to get one for my first completed course - and I also signed-up for some others to "unlock" some opportunities: a project assignment and some social media tools. 

However, I can see many of the course just being taken for the knowledge and interest. Completely free. I was impressed that even supporting material is often free or very inexpensive (to North American standards - $10 books and such)

Testing it on my Kids

Of course, learning how to learn is something we should develop as a skill much earlier in life. So - I decided to test the course on my kids! I have a 10 and 14 year-old and I gave both of them the opportunity to sign-up and take the course. The idea being that they would learn how to learn early and be better able to navigate school work, participate in other courses, and work off other sites (such as Khan Academy. 

My 10-year old gave it a try, but found it a bit too much to take on. This made sense as the material is not intended for this age group and the language and concepts would have been a stretch. I'm proud of him for making the initial effort however and he is returning to his Minecraft and programming courses! (he likes Arduino). 

For my 14-year old, I provided "motivation" in the form of a pumpkin spice latte and a Starbucks gift card for each week completed. She finished the first of the four weeks and did well on the quizzes. So, she now has some new knowledge and a few coffee-ish treats to look forward to. 

My Conclusion

The perception that learning outside of the classroom is somehow of lesser value or lesser quality than learning inside of the classroom needs to be changed. Especially amongst those that are seeking skilled people. The measurement of how well someone can perform should be ... how well they can perform. This will require new ways to seek, assess, and value all learning.

I was impressed with the course I took and am now continuing in some more specific areas around Social Media Marketing, Python Programming, and Data Science. In these cases, taking a series of courses along a "specialization". As well, I am taking a course: "What Future of Education". All while still working on my Masters.

There are many things to learn in this world - from the complex and specific: requiring special equipment, guidance, and time to those things we learn for interest. All of these can be accomplished in many ways. 

We need more people "micro-learning" or "learning just-in-time". The skills are real. The skills are valuable. After all, while perceptions take time to change - and the formal academic environments provide motivation, equipment, opportunity and value, when it comes to value judgments on how skills are acquired they are simply perceptions.

Learning is learning - and that should be the objective no matter where or how it is accomplished. The skill, ability, and knowledge is what makes it worthwhile.

Possibly the greatest requirement in learning is desire and commitment. For the right learners, there are opportunities to get education in many avenues. I am glad for MOOCs and I am glad for schools.