edX: Change is Coming!

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by eriehiker, Dec 12, 2020.

Loading...
  1. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure I like the fact that you DON'T get credit from the Microbachelors' big-name course providers - ASU, Rice, NYU etc. If you read the fine print - credit is all granted by TESU (Thomas Edison State U. New Jersey). Great if you want to earn a Big 3 degree from TESU. But, for your $166 per, you won't be able to show off credits from the famous-name school that provided your instruction etc. Those TESU credits will likely work OK, but...
     
    Last edited: Dec 15, 2020
  2. nomaduser

    nomaduser Active Member

    and keep in mind that TESU credits won't come with letter grades. It will come with 'CR (Credit)' grade... so only few institutions will accept it for transfer.
     
    Johann likes this.
  3. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Thanks for the info. Big caveat.
     
  4. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    I don't foresee that. EdX is an initiative of two existing institutions, and its purpose is to work with those and other existing institutions. To compete with their partners would only undermine that.

    No argument here.
     
  5. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

  6. nomaduser

    nomaduser Active Member

    I hope Coursera will turn into something like Study.com. They should get all of their professional certificate programs evaluated by ACE so they can give ACE credits.
    Coursera is already better than study.com in terms of web design, brand, contents, etc. They're only missing ACE credits.
     
  7. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    As with EdX, Coursera is the platform, not the content developer and owner. The two models may not be easily distinguished by people who only want free or low cost courses, but they are actually quite different.
     
  8. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    Would prefer they work with universities to get their courses recognised as RA credit.

    I'm a bit tired of hearing the refrain 'knowledge is what is valued most!' and then having universities turn around and say 'oh no, sorry, that knowledge doesn't count for anything. Please pay us so you can get this same knowledge again. We promise it'll count this time.'
     
    Johann, Mac Juli and nomaduser like this.
  9. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Indeed. been there. Done that. Canadian Universities -and Colleges - please take note. I was compelled to take Basic Accounting at one College, once at University and TWICE at another University. I received an "A" all FOUR times. "Yes, but you didn't receive it HERE."

    The fourth time around, I was forced to take it for a different qualification than I had earned at the same school, after taking accounting the third time. I had the same professor - and she couldn't believe I had to do her class again (one year later). She went to bat for me with the admin. people - but nobody would budge - even for her. It's ALL about money.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
  10. SteveFoerster

    SteveFoerster Resident Gadfly Staff Member

    They are. That's why you see some degree programs now through EdX and Coursera now. What a MOOC provider is a lot less clear now that they're essentially acting as OPMs.
     
  11. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Their micromasters are awesome.
    I audited the courses for free and they were excellent as for the international law micromaster offered by Université Catholique De Louvain. I might pay 450 euro for the certificate sometime perhaps.
    With some creativity on your resume you could make employers who are not familiar with micromasters think it's an actual master.
     
  12. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    Anyone could. I wouldn't. Here's why: We know fully well that unscrupulous, opportunistic people actually do this -with no compunction. And the long-term results are bad for all. About the only thing I don't like about Micromasters is the name, and only because it tempts (easily-tempted) people into this kind of activity. A few people use the credential wrongly, and all Micromaster credentials risk getting an undeserved bad name.

    I can hear it now, two hiring managers talking: "I hired a guy before with one of those - he said it was a Master's degree and it wasn't. I ended up firing him because he was a fraud - couldn't do what he claimed. Not hiring any of those "Micromaster's" people ever again."

    But of course, the people who use these credentials improperly and represent them as what they aren't - don't care.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
    innen_oda likes this.
  13. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    Everyone has their own boundaries in matters like these I guess.
    Some use everything they can possibly use, to get that job they dreamt their whole life of, others do it differently.

    Micromasters contain on average 4 to 5 courses, while the full master's contains 12 courses on average.
    If those 4 or 5 courses are the core curriculum then I don't see why you would per se not be able to do what someone with the long master can. The long master will have a wider theoretical knowledge but the micromaster might just as well have the core skills taught in the long master, for a fraction of the time, effort and cost.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2020
  14. Johann

    Johann Well-Known Member

    I'm not saying the courses aren't good - or knowledge-packed. Just that representing the credential as something it isn't - is never justifiable, in my wheelhouse. Can lead to very Bad Mojo! By all means, dazzle them with what you learned - it's all about that.
     
  15. TeacherBelgium

    TeacherBelgium Well-Known Member

    As I said, everyone their own approach :)
     
  16. innen_oda

    innen_oda Active Member

    There are people who have been working in their field, without degrees, for multiple decades.

    No doubt they are wholly more competent and knowledgeable than some young graduate who's only just completed his degree.

    This still doesn't mean that that experienced fella can claim to have a degree.
     
  17. Lerner

    Lerner Well-Known Member

    In Russia this concept is popular among professionals.
    The Diploma of retraining is like adding another major to your degree.

    In the US one can graduate with double major, in the retraining offerings one can add to their degree another major.
    So if a person graduated with a degree in education they can get a retraining diploma in management and administration.
    This will be considered as a second major and accepted by employers. Especially employment with organizations and companies that are anal about eligibility.
    For example environmental protection or environment related jobs require specific degree or list of units in environmental and other sciences that must be included with the other then environmental degree.
    One can go get such retraining diploma.
    There were a few providers that got in trouble, they offered such retraining diplomas in medicine and people who earned such diplomas in short time were able to get jobs as MD's.
     
    SteveFoerster likes this.

Share This Page