

Peter Norvig's TED talk reflecting on the online AI course - ColinWright
http://fm.schmoller.net/2012/07/peter-norvigs-ted-talk-about-the-ai-course.html

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Suncho
It's interesting that he discusses due dates as a motivator and as a way
keeping everyone synced up. This is something that Udacity later dropped. I
wonder why they dropped them and whether the change is having the effect they
want.

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swalsh
I can't speak for why they dropped them, but I can tell you from my own
experience due dates were more of a demotivating factor for me. I signed up
for the AI class. I diligently went through the classes (and was learning a
lot!) however I then had to travel to Japan for work. I went a few weeks where
I literally didn't have a minute to spend on the classwork, so I fell behind.
Once I missed a due date I lost motivation to continue. :\

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brildum
But do you think you did so well early in the term as a result of the
deadlines? Perhaps it had no impact, but I'd argue that a lot of people need
that requirement to stay on track.

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tedsuo
I found that it worked both ways. When I started, the deadlines kept me
motivated. But when real life intruded, and I had to take a break for several
weeks, that fact that I was behind was a demotivator. A good middle ground
might be "unlocking" the classes - there is a two week deadline per lesson,
but it only starts when I begin the lesson.

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chimi
The greatest thing about all the online courses is the pragmatism that comes
with so many forms of education being presented in such a public light. We
will learn so much more about teaching through these systems than ever before.

I've taken several online courses now and one of the greatest things I've
learned is _how_ I learn.

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musashibaka
I signed up for this online course and it was great! I unfortunately didn't
make it through the entire class -- work deadline hit hard during mid-terms.
But, I would definitely love to sign-up and finish the course if and when it
is offered again. Even now I still find myself going over new chapters in the
text on my own -- good stuff.

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Udo
This has been my experience as well. I signed up for both the ML and the AI
class, they were very well done - but I couldn't make time every week to see
it through to the end. I think in these cases a more flexible schedule would
work much better.

