Should I Sign Up for MITx Courses This Semester?

[intelwanderer]

Hello,

so I've recently figured about MITx a month ago or so. I wish I knew back in February is all I can say! I've been going through the circuits demo and I must say it's really something else!

I just got the email about the courses for fall 2012. Should I sign up for one of these courses this semester? Solid State Chemistry is the one that interests me a lot, though Circuits is also a possibility.The trouble is, I don't want to overdo it on the technical courses(I'm taking Physics III, Intro Quantum, and Solid State Electronics this semester, and I need to do WELL, along with research. I don't really want to drop these courses either), and-while I love learning stuff for the sake of learning-I'm worried that the certificate at the end won't count as a "real class". Silly, I know, but my time is finite.

But I could be getting in on something really cool as it starts out. And after going through the circuits pages, I honestly think that this suits my learning style. (My university, UT Austin, is doing some online stuff of it's own. My intro Quantum course is mostly online, no textbook or anything, taught by the Assistant Dean who thought of it. Along with small groups instead of big lectures... I think this new style of teaching has spread around.)

Any advice? I'm going to show this to my family, maybe my brothers in high school could use it more easily than I can.

By the way, who else thinks that this is REALLY going to change a lot in education?

 

[Neek 007]

My question is, do these courses give you anything, other than some free knowledge? Does it mean anything to take these courses?

 

[twofish-quant]

I love learning stuff for the sake of learning-I'm worried that the certificate at the end won't count as a "real class". Silly, I know, but my time is finite.

This is actually a big problem. If all else fails, you can take the course online and then next semester take the class for credit. If you've already done all the material, it should be an easy-A.

Also this is something that you should talk to an academic adviser about. Just from their attitude, you can figure out how rough it's going to be to convert it into credit.

(My university, UT Austin, is doing some online stuff of it's own. My intro Quantum course is mostly online, no textbook or anything, taught by the Assistant Dean who thought of it. Along with small groups instead of big lectures... I think this new style of teaching has spread around.)

Yup.

By the way, who else thinks that this is REALLY going to change a lot in education?

Yup. That's one reason that you should talk to an academic adviser at UT Austin. You are something of a guinea pig.

 

[intelwanderer]

My question is, do these courses give you anything, other than some free knowledge? Does it mean anything to take these courses?

They give out a certificate of completion. I don't know what that is "worth" though. My guess in years to come, it will be recognized, but not right now. I can't predict the future though.

Also this is something that you should talk to an academic adviser about. Just from their attitude, you can figure out how rough it's going to be to convert it into credit.

Will do. Some advisors are great people. Key is to figure out which ones are, which I've done.

It seems as though the physics department is pioneering it. The engineering department is resistant to the changes though(I've just transferred from eng. to physics.

Unfortunately, it's going to probably be tough to change it to credit, just from my experience at UT. I wanted to take an upper level EE course this semester(Solid State Electronics), and the amount of **** I had to go through was unbelievable both because of the major, and because I was a freshman. I did it in the end though.

What I hope to do while visiting my parents is interesting my high school age brothers in MIT/UCB/Harvardx.