3 ms·

My biggest gripe about udacity classes isn't the lack of quality, but the lack of depth. They offer a great service, and I really do feel like I've learned a lo

by AUmrysh 14y ago

My biggest gripe about udacity classes isn't the lack of quality, but the lack of depth. They offer a great service, and I really do feel like I've learned a lot by using their courses (especially the ones taught by Thrun), but some of the courses leave me feeling like the content was a bit thin.

evoxed 14y ago
Completely agree. In some cases it can work for you, i.e. an exciting class doesn't bog you down and lets you use your extra time to experiment, but there are plenty of classes where it just leaves you wanting more (firing up the Googles). Overall though I think one of Udacity's major strongpoints is approachability. If they can manage to preserve it while continuing to strengthen their offerings, say with an A and B class for primer and full course respectively, it seems like they could soon have something to offer for just about everyone.
mkhattab 14y ago
> My biggest gripe about udacity classes isn't the lack of quality, but the lack of depth. What I like about Udacity is that it's a good starting point. I can have a working foundation and dig in deeper on my own. This is better than the alternative I see as trying to catalog and classify information as a beginner which will, IMO, lead to failure and frustration.
epsylon 14y ago
The best way to deepen your knowledge is to buy books as a complementary. If you were interested by the AI class, for example, a good complement is Norvig / Russell's AI book, and if you want to know more about robotics Thrun's book is excellent as well. For every subject, even highly specialized ones, you can find a 600+ pages book which will cover the basics of that subject. I think people just don't know the amount of quality knowledge you can find in technical books nowadays. You will hardly ever find the same quality material available online — although from time to time you can find freely available PDF drafts or papers, but that is rare. These kind of books cover a lot of depth usually up to near-research level; if you want to dig even deeper you'll have to explore research papers. They (usually) cost between 40 and 80 euros / dollars; if you're on a dire financial situation, check out your local public library (or your university's if you're a student), they will most likely have the one you are looking for.

by AUmrysh 14y ago

evoxed 14y ago

Completely agree. In some cases it can work for you, i.e. an exciting class doesn't bog you down and lets you use your extra time to experiment, but there are plenty of classes where it just leaves you wanting more (firing up the Googles). Overall though I think one of Udacity's major strongpoints is approachability. If they can manage to preserve it while continuing to strengthen their offerings, say with an A and B class for primer and full course respectively, it seems like they could soon have something to offer for just about everyone.

mkhattab 14y ago

> My biggest gripe about udacity classes isn't the lack of quality, but the lack of depth. What I like about Udacity is that it's a good starting point. I can have a working foundation and dig in deeper on my own. This is better than the alternative I see as trying to catalog and classify information as a beginner which will, IMO, lead to failure and frustration.

epsylon 14y ago

The best way to deepen your knowledge is to buy books as a complementary. If you were interested by the AI class, for example, a good complement is Norvig / Russell's AI book, and if you want to know more about robotics Thrun's book is excellent as well. For every subject, even highly specialized ones, you can find a 600+ pages book which will cover the basics of that subject. I think people just don't know the amount of quality knowledge you can find in technical books nowadays. You will hardly ever find the same quality material available online — although from time to time you can find freely available PDF drafts or papers, but that is rare. These kind of books cover a lot of depth usually up to near-research level; if you want to dig even deeper you'll have to explore research papers. They (usually) cost between 40 and 80 euros / dollars; if you're on a dire financial situation, check out your local public library (or your university's if you're a student), they will most likely have the one you are looking for.