40K Online
Community => The Discussion Board => Topic started by: PaxImperator on June 4, 2013, 02:00:58 AM
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I'd heard about Coursera before, but it wasn't until I read an article about it in Leiden University's alumni magazine that I gave it a proper look. Unsurprisingly perhaps, the article was all about the first course Leiden University is offering via Coursera:
The Law of the European Union: An Introduction (https://www.coursera.org/course/introeulaw), taught by Prof. Dr. Stefaan Van den Bogaert
It looks like good fun, not to mention a useful supplement to my law studies at another educational institution. An introduction to EU and international law was on the first-year curriculum already, of course, but you never know what else there is to learn. Oh, and it's for free. :D
Is anyone else interested in this course or any of the other ones on offer? Any experiences with Coursera, good or bad? The value of these free online courses on your cv might be a bit suspect, but I don't see any downsides if they complement a traditional 'real' degree.
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It does look interesting, I agree.
It's definitely worthwhile, because any course that helps to explain how the EU actually works, and undermine the falsehoods spread by certain politicians, and elements of the media (especially in the UK), can only be a good thing.
I'm surprised that it's free, but given that it is, hopefully it will attract a wide range of participants.
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I thought this might pique your interest, Irisado. :)
Just now I got an e-mail newsletter from the university saying over 30,000 people have signed up. My jaw might have dropped when I read that. It's rather exciting how much interest there is. Under normal circumstances the faculty would have taught this course to maybe a few hundred students. The choice of EU law rather than, say, Dutch contract law, is certainly working out for the university.
As for it being free, I guess it will cease to be so once these courses start being accredited by governments. Better enjoy it while I can!
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30,000! They're going to need a lot of staff to teach that many students, so I hope that they're prepared.
I agree that it's fantastic to see that much interest though. Based on my experience of teaching EU politics, the more people know about how the EU works, the more favourable their impression towards it tends to be, so hopefully the same will be true for those who attend this course.
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From what I gather, lectures will take the form of videoclips and homework assignments/examinations will take the form of computer-graded multiple-choice questions and peer-reviewed open questions. I guess the only limit to the number of enrolments will be the website's bandwidth!
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I'm doing the "Introduction to Calculus" and "Introduction to Finance" as I thought they'd be interesting. You are right, they are online by video clips with online tests. Its totally free, but if you want a certificate to show that you have done it you need to sign up for their "Signature Track" which costs.
I find it quite good for learning things I wouldn't otherwise.