

Ask HN: What motivates MOOC subscribers? - sunflash5

For those of you who take online classes from organizations like Coursera, EdX and Udemy, what motivated you to take the class?<p>I'm interested in MOOCs and wanted to get a perspective on what motivates people taking the class, how long they stick with the class, and what their biggest difficulties are.
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nixhope
My thoughts on some of the benefits of MOOCs:

\- Learning from professionals, industry/research leaders who can offer
personal experiences rather than discussing other peoples' research/results

\- University-level educational material for zero or no cost. A university
education is a massive commitment of time and money, and in many cases the
qualification itself, rather than the knowledge, is the end goal and thus the
investment is largely lost if you stop partway through

\- Convenience. Learn what you want, in your own time, at your own rate.

\- Internet/forum culture. The communities tend to be cooperative and
interested in teaching and explaining, and the atmosphere is positive. For
people used to forums this can be easier to deal with than a classroom
environment.

Overall, I find MOOCs tend to cover an excellent middle ground between the
rigid style of teaching commonly found in established educational institutions
and the individual learner mentality that educates itself by looking for
tutorials, reading books, and learning by doing.

As to "what motivates people to take MOOCs?", they are convenient options for
educating and furthering oneself. For some people, learning is a lifelong goal
or a fundamental interest in acquiring new knowledge/skills. Learning can be
useful for people looking to upskill in order to access new opportunities
(self-employment, change of careers/employer). I recommend it to people who
find themselves stuck in a rut (feel like life isn't going anywhere). Visible
progression has positive feedback and can be stimulating.

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nayefc
The material and what I'm learning. I finished 4 courses so far and what got
me through them is strong interest and the drive to learn the material. I only
enroll in a MOOC class that I am very interested in; which gets me to the end
of it. I've spent more time on some MOOC classes than on college courses for
an entire semester which I did not care about.

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agibsonccc
Simple: self directed education is simply a superior learning method for some.
Lectures in digestible formats alongside the ability to take on whatever
material you can think of. Frankly, I couldn't stand my university and felt
like I got almost nothing out of it. MOOCs have allowed me to really dive in
and explore more.

