Coursera/Berklee "revamp"

V8

Seems like they've done away with the set date approach and now you can enroll anytime, progress at your own pace & set your own deadlines...

Not sure how the peer review assignments are going to work - IMO, that was the best part of the Songwriting course, but the quality of the materials available is impressive - worth the effort if any of the courses tickle your fancy.

https://www.coursera.org/courses?query=music

Vikster

I am busy with the intro to guitar course. The way the peer review works is that you submit your modules to soundcloud and provide them with a link. The students then get to choose from a list of other students. Usually every student has to review 5 other students. So once you have reviewed 5 and you have been succesfully reviewed then you pass the module. The other students can provide detail of whether they think you met the requirements or not and can provide a comment of what they thought of your submission.

That does not stop you from moving to the next module and you can carry on regardless. I find the new way much easier in terms of completing it on my own time. I have very little time to give to practising, never mind completing the online course in a set frame and my internet connection at home is poor. However I am not sure whether the actual submissions are properly graded. As a beginner I cannot give proper feedback on what they might be doing wrong, but the course material is very interesting.

V8

Vikster wrote: I am busy with the intro to guitar course. The way the peer review works is that you submit your modules to soundcloud and provide them with a link. The students then get to choose from a list of other students. Usually every student has to review 5 other students. So once you have reviewed 5 and you have been succesfully reviewed then you pass the module. The other students can provide detail of whether they think you met the requirements or not and can provide a comment of what they thought of your submission.

That does not stop you from moving to the next module and you can carry on regardless. I find the new way much easier in terms of completing it on my own time. I have very little time to give to practising, never mind completing the online course in a set frame and my internet connection at home is poor. However I am not sure whether the actual submissions are properly graded. As a beginner I cannot give proper feedback on what they might be doing wrong, but the course material is very interesting.

Ahh okay - thanks! I was wondering how they managed the peer reviews w/o set deadlines. I reckon I prefer the free-er flowing way they've now got.

From the three I've done, peer reviews have always drawn a lot of criticism - IMO, many are there spectating and their crits are shallow/non existent. Those are there to learn and take it seriously and give very useful feedback.

But the course material is about as good as it gets for mahala...and the structured approach is great if you can sit and dedicate regular time to developing your skills.

Keep at it Vikster!

domhatch

V8 wrote: But the course material is about as good as it gets for mahala...and the structured approach is great if you can sit and dedicate regular time to developing your skills.

for mahala? if i take a look at the courses, it looks like each one now costs $49, as opposed to the songwriting course which used to be free. now, i still reckon that's not bad value if you look at what you get. or am i missing a trick and there's a way to get it all - free and mahala?

coz then i'm in like flynn. i might be in either way for the whole patootie
dh|

ezietsman

domhatch wrote:
V8 wrote: But the course material is about as good as it gets for mahala...and the structured approach is great if you can sit and dedicate regular time to developing your skills.
for mahala? if i take a look at the courses, it looks like each one now costs $49, as opposed to the songwriting course which used to be free. now, i still reckon that's not bad value if you look at what you get. or am i missing a trick and there's a way to get it all - free and mahala?

coz then i'm in like flynn. i might be in either way for the whole patootie
dh|

It only costs money if you want the certificate. Otherwise it is free.

domhatch

ez wrote: It only costs money if you want the certificate. Otherwise it is free.

aha and eureka. thanks ez. btw, on the albion, guess what the problem was? cable from the head to the cab; all else was good. just replaced the cable. who'da thunk it? r200 later and all is good.

thanks for the help on both counts mate
dh|

V8

ez wrote:
domhatch wrote:
V8 wrote: But the course material is about as good as it gets for mahala...and the structured approach is great if you can sit and dedicate regular time to developing your skills.
for mahala? if i take a look at the courses, it looks like each one now costs $49, as opposed to the songwriting course which used to be free. now, i still reckon that's not bad value if you look at what you get. or am i missing a trick and there's a way to get it all - free and mahala?

coz then i'm in like flynn. i might be in either way for the whole patootie
dh|
It only costs money if you want the certificate. Otherwise it is free.

Yip - they seem to be pushing their certifications & specializations (in this case Modern Musician) with this revamp. But when you enroll, there's a popup where you can choose the specialization (196USD for 3 courses + capstone), certification (49USD per course) or just take the course w/o either option (Free!).

What value is the specialization/certificate - no idea - never really went into it, perhaps they count towards credits for other Berklee courses.

What I do know if that if you are very active on the discussion forums - you can earn additional 10% (1% per post) and the top rated forumite has a opportunity to earn a bursary towards the full-fat Berklee Online course (600USD+).