My MOOC course, Design of Everyday Things, is now up and running. One day
one there were roughly 8000 people doing the exercises. (30,000 have
signed up.)
Is this wonderful or is this the end of the world as we know it?
Some comments.
1. This course is short: we estimated two weeks, although one person
completed in two days (I suspect this was an expert, perhaps an instructor
of design, taking the course out of curiosity. The final project this
person submitted was of professional quality, something I would not expect
of a real student.) The course covers Chapters 1 and 2 of the revised and
expanded edition of Design of Everyday Things (DOET2). Future courses will
cover the rest of the book -- four courses in all.
2. The intention of the course is to titillate students, to get
them interested in design. Those who then become interested will be likely
candidates for entrance into real design courses and programs. This course
is not intended to replace professional education. There is no mentoring of
projects, but there is peer commentary and review. I personally respond to
many submissions, but I can only review a tiny percentage of the students.
3. The Udacity model for these courses is to help people expand their
knowledge, to decide if they wish to change jobs, or perhaps to catch up in
a field they learned a long time ago. This course is not intended for
college credit, although many college courses might wish to use it as
supplements in a design course. (If I were actively teaching, I would
assign some of the videos or exercises.)
4. Note: there are NO lectures. The longest video is roughly 2 minutes,
maybe 3. There are many demonstrations and many assignments. Self graded,
done with no expectation except what the student might learn.
5. I have been amazed by the quality of the responses. Note: students
gain no credentials from this course: no grade, no certificate. Nothing. So
they do it because they want to. 8,000!
I know a lot of you will hate this. Why? Why would you hate something thart
might entice students to take your courses? MOOCs are not necessarily
competition: they are complements.
My MOOC has many deficiencies. But it is a beginning. (Note that Coursera
has at least two design courses that I know of, both taught by very good
people, one in Engineering Design, the other in Computer Science/Cognitive
science (Scott has a PhD in CS and an MA from RISD).
Before you comment, sign up and see what is inside (info below). It is free.
Don
Don Norman
Nielsen Norman Group, IDEO Fellow
[log in to unmask] www.jnd.org http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/
Book: "Design of Everyday Things: Revised and Expanded<http://amzn.to/ZOMyys>"
(DOET2).
Course: Udacity On-Line course based on
DOET2<https://www.udacity.com/course/design101>
(free).
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