MOOC
Do you ever wonder how good are you at giving interviews? I can definitely say I get too nervous and confused.
Or do you ever feel you are running out of time to complete a task? Maybe you don't sit back and think about time management.
I am sure you always refer to Youtube when you don't understand a concept or you want to learn something new.
From learning software building to software usage, developing soft skills to boosting
your mental health, MOOCs have a course to teach you almost anything.
Be it Science, Engineering, Management or Humanities!
What are MOOCs??
MOOC or Massive Online Open Course, are online courses which are accessible to all, with the only prerequisite being the Internet. The term MOOC was first coined by Dave Cormier in the year 2008, during his time at the University of Prince Edward Island.
The whole idea behind MOOCs is to provide a learning platform free of cost and ensure that quality education is accessible to all.
Platforms like Coursera, Udemy and others have monetized as they provide certificates from respected universities such as Oxford, Pennsylvania, Michigan and more.
What is so massive about a MOOC?
In the recent years, MOOCs have been popular with an estimate of 450+ universities offering a total of about 2500 courses across the world. It is an interesting fact to know that globally there are about 18 million students enrolled in various MOOCs.
A majority of those enrolled were found to be high school students who wanted to explore their career options, undergraduates who wished to learn more on an international platform and graduates who wanted to improve their skillset.
Why MOOCs are popular?
In an MOOC course, you will not only learn the theory but do projects, complete assignments, attempt quizzes and gain practical knowledge. Watching videos is easy but practicing them will sharpen your skill. MOOCs have discussion forums and you also get a certificate for learning that skill.
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NPTEL - The Indian MOOC
The National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning(NPTEL) is the MOOC provider promoted and funded by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), with 7 IITs and IISc as its partner institutes.
Also, It is interesting to know that the NPTEL channel has about 149 million views and 400,000 subscribers.
NPTEL in collaboration with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). It conducts proctored exams held in more than 50 cities across India, whereas other MOOC providers conduct online exams without any such supervision.
NPTEL and IET
IET is one of the top 100 Local Chapters, thus is hereby recognized as an ACTIVE Local Chapter.
In our college it is mandatory for every student to enroll themselves in an MOOC Course per semester if they want a B.Tech Hons. Degree. The courses are Absolutely free but if you want a certificate, you have to take the exam. The fees of the exam is ₹1000 but luckily, the college pays for you. So, one course is free for you per sem. The college has already decided which course it is going to be.
In the first semester, you have to opt for a course named "Developing soft skills and personality", according to college. This shows not only academic skills are important but also your personality matters a lot. Both seniors and teachers will tell you how important it is to have a confident attitude and an attractive personality.
You can even enroll yourself in other courses
to learn and grow.
You can even prepare for competitive exams such as GATE with the help of NPTEL.
Coursera and IET
The courses on Coursera are very costly to buy and it knows this. Therefore, it provides an option for financial aid where you can fill an application stating that you can't pay the full amount or any amount. Due to Covid-19 Pandemic, Coursera launched an initiative to help the universities affected by it. The institutions that took part in it were highly benefited as the courses were provided for free to the students of that particular institution. This way, students had the opportunity to do as many courses as they could from April to July. Moreover, the time span has been extended. Our College also grabbed this great opportunity.
So now that we have a rough idea on what a MOOC is, I guess it is about time we start registering. With tons of free courses to explore, we should try to make the best of it!