Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world – Nelson Mandela
MOOCs or Massive Open Online Courses are changing the way we learn.
Growing up in a time before the Internet, I was brought up to equate education with going to “school/college/university”, memorising, route learning, exams, a competition to prove how smart I was and a route to land a “dream job” paying the big buck$.
The opportunity to learn and attend university was a privilege of the chosen few who were blessed with the brains and/or had access to the funds to make this dream a reality. Many a parent would have spent a lifetime saving up to then mortgage or sell off their home to finance their (or their child’s) dream of a university education.
But things have changed since then. Today world class universities are offering free courses online led by leading faculty members to anyone who has access to the Internet.
It’s amazing for me to witness the democratization of education that has been used throughout the ages to keep people locked in their respective social classes.
What strikes me is that education is now:
- Free – Yes that right, no fees, payments or cost attached. It’s completely free. Just sign up and see. This beats taking out a loan or having to borrow money to get an education.
- Accessible – no prerequisites, no quotas, no restrictions, no one to tell you you can’t learn that because <fill in the blanks>. Also no need for specific time commitments, learn at your own pace.
- Customizable – you choose what you want to learn and what’s relevant to your needs. No need to sit through something just because it’s part of the curriculum. No more “one size fits all”, learning but you blaze your own trail. Pick and choose what you want to learn and what will equip you to best deal with your situation.
Of course, traditional universities and colleges have their place in teaching and equipping the next generation but that is fast changing as they adapt to remain relevant in the digital revolution.
MOOCs promote life-long learning and finally make learning fun so you can finally learn what you are passionate about.
Check out this TED talk on Bring on the Learning Revolution! by Ken Robinson.
And go here for the latest MOOCs offered by edX.
There are many others out there so google and grow.
Exodus 