I am the kind of person who works very hard when compelled to - I need deadlines or some such pressure to work hard. But, if someone told me that there was this rewarding work that I could do if I wished to, it would never get done.
So, when I registered for a couple of Coursera courses, I told myself that I must see these through and prove to myself that I can motivate myself without external pressures. Guess what- I haven't completed the courses. No surprise.
But it is almost everyone- not just me. There is a 90% dropout by one estimate.
"Some users -- including stay-at-home parents or retirees -- may sign up for the same reason they do a Sunday crossword puzzle, said Yvonne Belanger, the head of assessment and planning for the Center for Instructional Technology at Duke University.
But I swear my reason for enrolling is not the same as that common to the retirees mentioned here.
So, when I registered for a couple of Coursera courses, I told myself that I must see these through and prove to myself that I can motivate myself without external pressures. Guess what- I haven't completed the courses. No surprise.
But it is almost everyone- not just me. There is a 90% dropout by one estimate.
"Some users -- including stay-at-home parents or retirees -- may sign up for the same reason they do a Sunday crossword puzzle, said Yvonne Belanger, the head of assessment and planning for the Center for Instructional Technology at Duke University.
But I swear my reason for enrolling is not the same as that common to the retirees mentioned here.
I was really interested in the courses, but somehow day to day chores always go up on my list of priorities.
2 comments:
L, its so very similar in my case too. I enrolled in my first MOOC in Coursera with so much enthusiasm but had to drop out. Thought I'll make use of the reading materials and videos later, which I did to a certain extent. Completed two of the courses this year finally. But it was because I devoted myself for a significant hours each day. The encouragement provided by the success of these courses however failed to boost the remaining numerous courses I am still enrolled into. Even though on paper it sounds doable (and it is), it is not as easy to do it as one would like too without a constant effort. And there are certain courses which are in fact pretty rigorous. I still try to save all the reading materials et.al in the hope that I'll go back to them when the schedule becomes lighter. Sigh! And thanks for the comment on the picture. I almost believed my blog was dead and so the conversations.
Modern exile, good to hear from you. I have seen some of your lovely pictures. Yes such is human nature....we are so full of good intentions but the actions lag far behind. Glad you did a couple of the courses at least.
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