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I don't get why MOOCs are so focused on video. I think many people enjoy the relaxed experience of watching a video more than reading, but why ignore people who

by arikrak 12y ago

I don't get why MOOCs are so focused on video. I think many people enjoy the relaxed experience of watching a video more than reading, but why ignore people who rather jump right into a text? A text is easier to skim search and reference than a video, and easier to keep up-to-date for the creators. However, I think the best option is a combination of text with visual and interactive content, such as graphical representation of complex ideas and manipulable formulas or code.

bayesianhorse 12y ago
One advantage of videos is the emotional component. It seems like students do enjoy videos over whatever text the instructors provide. Another advantage is the subtle leakage of the instructor's opinions and thought processes. At least I perceive video to be slightly better in this regard.
petercooper 12y ago
A text is easier to skim search and reference than a video That's great when you're refreshing or referencing, but when you're learning something from scratch, text presents an easier opportunity to "skim" and miss things than video which sorta decides the speed of the treadmill for you. I'm the author of a book and the amount of queries I get that were answered on the previous page.. I think many people just don't read every word in books they read (but I sympathize, because neither do I).
- arikrak 12y ago
  Right, you need to learn by doing and cannot just passively watch a video or read a text. To learn a topic like programming, you need to practice it. So a good format is to combine a text with small questions and coding challenges. If the user is unsure of how to solve something, it's easier to look it up in the text they read than in a video they watched. And hopefully they'll recognize that the question is asking something they can answer on their own without emailing the author. (Though once the text is online, there should be some kind of forum there to ask questions anyways.) (PS - I'm actually looking for programming authors or bloggers who would be interested in publishing online with questions and programming challenges.)

by arikrak 12y ago

bayesianhorse 12y ago

One advantage of videos is the emotional component. It seems like students do enjoy videos over whatever text the instructors provide. Another advantage is the subtle leakage of the instructor's opinions and thought processes. At least I perceive video to be slightly better in this regard.

petercooper 12y ago

A text is easier to skim search and reference than a video That's great when you're refreshing or referencing, but when you're learning something from scratch, text presents an easier opportunity to "skim" and miss things than video which sorta decides the speed of the treadmill for you. I'm the author of a book and the amount of queries I get that were answered on the previous page.. I think many people just don't read every word in books they read (but I sympathize, because neither do I).

arikrak 12y ago
Right, you need to learn by doing and cannot just passively watch a video or read a text. To learn a topic like programming, you need to practice it. So a good format is to combine a text with small questions and coding challenges. If the user is unsure of how to solve something, it's easier to look it up in the text they read than in a video they watched. And hopefully they'll recognize that the question is asking something they can answer on their own without emailing the author. (Though once the text is online, there should be some kind of forum there to ask questions anyways.) (PS - I'm actually looking for programming authors or bloggers who would be interested in publishing online with questions and programming challenges.)