Category Archives: Continuing education

Befuddled Puppy

12 Thursday Jan 2012

Posted by in Continuing education

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Customer service matters in most competitive industries that I know (the cable companies’ government-sanctioned monopolies being the exception that proves the rule).  So it still surprises me that many traditional universities don’t get this.

The other week I was looking at some of the continuing education options at NYU (yes, history courses…but I was also considering stats and computer programming…launching this blog has done wonders for my interests!).  There’s terrific breadth to NYU’s offerings, all listed online. In fact, relative to other local universities like Columbia and the New School, NYU’s online continuing ed site is a breeze to navigate.

Problem is, there’s no resource I know of out there to understand how good any one course is at any university (if you know of any, please email me at matt [at] historicalness [dot] com).  There’s no detailed course syllabus….or student reviews of the professor…or student reviews of the course overall.  So how do you know what you’re getting for your money?

I called NYU, trying to get a sense at least for a detailed syllabus.  After three phone calls and two emails to the instructor, I still hadn’t gotten anything.  I was one befuddled puppy.

How about some love!

So instead I went looking for alternative resources and found some learning materials at Lynda.com and Khan Academy (both of which I’ve described in an earlier post).

Here’s the tale of the tape:

  • Price: $25 (for 1 month subscription to Lynda.com; Khan Academy is free) vs. at least $500-$1,000 for a university program (and much more if you’re taking it for credit)
  • Time to start: Immediate vs. Waiting for course to start (could be months as in my case)
  • Class schedule: When my schedule permits vs. Mandated evenings or weekends.

I certainly miss the class setting that a university program provides.  But for me the cost/benefit trade-off of the online sites more than compensated — and at the very least made the barrier to trying them negligible.

With an increasing number of university and non-university options out there, some institutions have figured out what good customer service looks like.  Many, however, are caught in the past.

Two Favorite Websites

27 Tuesday Dec 2011

Posted by in Continuing education, Khan Academy, Lynda.com

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We live in an amazing time when there are a ton of accessible and valuable resources to learn almost anything imaginable.  In effect, we can begin or continue our education whenever it suits us and learn whatever we’re curious about.

Today, the continuing education industry is loosely divided between the degree-granting and non-degree granting markets.  Examples include:

  • Degree-granting institutions: This market is exploding as professionals, who already have an undergraduate degree, seek additional credentialing (either certificates or degrees) required for their jobs; to bolster pay; to improve the possibility for a promotion; and/or to change careers.  Although every major state university has a continuing education program, leaders include: University of Maryland, University of Washington, Harvard, MIT, and NYU.  (I’ve excluded the for-profits which offer undergrad and graduate degrees.)
  • Non-degree granting institutions: This market includes a slew of different offerings — everything from DVDs by mail (e.g. The Teaching Company); a university’s alumni programs; local lecture series (e.g. the 92nd Street Y), university open learning initiatives (e.g. MIT’s OpenCourseWare, Open Yale Courses, and Stanford on iTunes); and independent companies/websites.

In this last sub-segment, lately I can’t get enough of two websites: Khan Academy and Lynda.com.  Both are fantastic resources for all kinds of learners — whether you’re a student, professional, or individual who’s just curious about the world, these are incredible places to spend a lot or a little amount of time.

Interested in how the Hawaiian islands formed? How to understand the periodic table? The scale of the solar system?  The cause of heart disease and heart attacks?  The art of the northern Renaissance?  How the FICA tax works?  Newton’s laws of motion?  Khan Academy is the place for you.

Interested in understanding the foundations of photography composition?  How to use Microsoft Excel?  Eager for an intro to HTML?  Curious about all things related to design?  Lynda.com is the place for you.

I’ve summarized below the key features of each site as they’re a bit different, but equally valuable.

Content

Format

Price
Khan Academy Wide range of academic and practical topics (2,600 videos and counting).  Its strength is science and math — to date, only a few history topics are covered but I suspect it’ll do more in the future. Video, each topic session is about ~10 minutes long (range 6-25 minutes). Free (it’s a non-profit)
Lynda.com Wide range of professional courses (non-degree), including photography, design, web and interactive design, and business, etc. Video, each course is a few hours long (range 2-6 hours) $25/mo for unlimited use.  Add $12/mo if you want to download all course files.

The breadth of topics covered by each is remarkable — but more importantly, the courses/videos on each are clear and easy to digest.  I would be shocked if they didn’t clarify for you topics which had always somehow seemed baffling.

It’s good to have favorite things!