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Or, conversely, we may observe the same problem that MOOCs have — it’s _very_ hard to motivate the average person to sit at a computer and learn some topic whic

Or, conversely, we may observe the same problem that MOOCs have — it’s _very_ hard to motivate the average person to sit at a computer and learn some topic which is boring to them. Engagement is low. Computers are great for reinforcing the rote part of learning. They are currently terrible for getting students motivated or over mental blocks. Those issues can be addressed by well designed programs, but US teachers were largely unprepared for this abrupt change in format.

mattkrause 7y ago
Not sure it's fair to compare compulsory (or even well-motviated) education with most MOOCs. I have a PhD and a research job, so I think it's fair to say that I can learn independently and like doing so. And yet, my Coursera account is full of half-completed classes that weren't quite what I wanted: too easy, too hard, topic isn't what I wanted, presentation isn't my style, etc. It looks, in short, just like my Netflix queue and that isn't surprising because they're both things I do in my pajamas. The situation would be very different if there were actual consequences for finishing these MOOCs (or Lost).