Why I Decided to Take a MOOC

See how PennState’s MOOCs Won this Author Over

In my research on online learning in the engineering world, I have heard a lot about Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs. At one point the research led me to an article by PRWeb interviewing Kathryn Jablokow, a PennState engineering professor, on her reactions to her recent MOOC. Though interesting in its own right, it also made me curious to see what else PennState had to offer.

The courses available seem geared towards current trends, which is perfect for getting an up-to-date education. There is even a course on Epidemics – though I’m sure we can thank “The Walking Dead” for much of its attendance. What’s more, by continuously taking these courses you can learn the basics of all the latest market, engineering, and tech trends without even spending a dime.

The MOOC that really caught my eye, “Energy, the Environment, and Our Future,” taught by award winning Professor of Geosciences, Richard B. Alley, has yet to begin. To say the environment is a hot topic nowadays would certainly be an understatement. I have always had an interest in the environment, though, so clearly this is the MOOC for me. I will look around some more, however, before I make a final decision.

The world of online learning is certainly vast. You can choose from a seemingly infinite number of subjects, and you don’t necessarily need a background in the topic you are studying. If you are an engineer that wants to learn about 18th century art, there is a MOOC out there for you. Just type it into Google, I checked.

In the growing competitiveness of the modern economy, it is also best to keep one’s mind sharp and knowledge up to date. This is especially true for licence-holding engineers in regions that require education updates to retain licensure. They’re an affordable and convenient way to achieve this goal, and they have even inspired a new LinkedIn MOOC recording feature.

Returning to the PRWeb article, Jablokow also cites the difficulties of MOOCs, including the challenges in giving proper student feedback. Though she balances that out by praising the quick feedback offered by discussion forums. With so many different aspects to weight, it seems that I will have to play the journalist and judge MOOCs for myself. Perhaps a series of reviews will be in order?

Written by

Shawn Wasserman

For over 10 years, Shawn Wasserman has informed, inspired and engaged the engineering community through online content. As a senior writer at WTWH media, he produces branded content to help engineers streamline their operations via new tools, technologies and software. While a senior editor at Engineering.com, Shawn wrote stories about CAE, simulation, PLM, CAD, IoT, AI and more. During his time as the blog manager at Ansys, Shawn produced content featuring stories, tips, tricks and interesting use cases for CAE technologies. Shawn holds a master’s degree in Bioengineering from the University of Guelph and an undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.