Caroluna wrote:
I've never studied anything with Coursera before. There are assignments you can turn in?
I've only taken programming or math related courses so far. In those, there are assignments you turn in by uploading to a server which checks your answers. Of course, in those courses there's very cut-and-dried answers so it's easy for a computer to check your work. I'm not sure if that's possible in a course with more subjective assignments. Though maybe they figured out a way.
Even if you don't turn in assignments for a grade, there will certainly be projects assigned to get you to try things out on the various software packages, since part of the syllabus is to learn to use those tools.
Caroluna wrote:
What happens if you "abandon ship" -- does the instructor know?
There didn't used to be a way to abandon ship. Now I'm looking at the "Your Courses" page on my account and it has an "Un-Enroll" link. I'm guessing no one will notice if you leave, sometimes there are tens of thousands of people signed up for these things. Often, since the lectures are prerecorded, the lecturer isn't even part of the current course, they just have a TA manning the questions forum.
It doesn't matter too much either way, if you sign up all they give you is a certificate of completion with your grade on it. It doesn't go on any permanent record or anything. They have yet to figure out how to do these as "real", for-credit courses. (Though the instruction has been on par with everything I experienced in my engineering undergraduate work.)
Caroluna wrote:
Gradually what happened was, we would show up to class, he would turn us loose to work on individual projects, and would answer any questions we had one on one. But no more lectures. Instead the prof would tell wild and crazy stories.
That sounds like Master Namer Elodin from "Name of the Wind". (obscure reference of the day)
Caroluna wrote:
Anyway, it was a great experience, but definitely not as described in the course catalog.
Digital Sound Design 102:Professor Whimwaddle will regale you with tales from his misbegotten youth as an audiophile. Any learning will be on your free time.
P.S. Glad to see you back, Caroluna. I hope all the birds are well and that your son is a master Bassist by now.
