4 ms·
Just to provide a counterexample: for me, the hard deadlines are really helpful. That, along with the near-instant feedback, are what make the experience so muc
by vilya 14y ago
Just to provide a counterexample: for me, the hard deadlines are really helpful. That, along with the near-instant feedback, are what make the experience so much better than just watching a series of lecture videos. They act as a motivating factor & help prevent me from getting too sidetracked by things where I wouldn't be learning as much.
Maybe that's an area where online classes can innovate further: hard deadlines could be optional. People like me who want them could enable them when they start a course; people like you who don't, could disable them instead.
- Rickasaurus 14y agoI also like the sense of accomplishment in finishing a class with a high grade and time constraints. It's like beating a video game on hard :).
- SatvikBeri 14y agoThere are several studies showing that hard deadlines usually result in better performance and higher completion rates, so you're not alone[1]. It also has the advantage of creating a community on the same page as you are. So there's no clear-cut answer. Making hard deadlines optional could very well cause more damage and less completion even if it's better for a few individuals. I hope that Coursera is collecting analytics on how people perform with different types of deadlines, so that they can come up with the best overall solution. [1]: http://pss.sagepub.com/content/13/3/219.short http://pss.sagepub.com/content/13/3/219.short