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Udacity - free online education for real

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40hz:
In case you missed IainB's earlier forum thread here, Udacity is an online site that offers college level courses free of charge.

Unlike most other free course sites, Udacity provides interactive class environments (where appropriate), along with actual instructor feedback, graded exams, and a certificate of completion for passing the exam. Noted robotics expert and former Stanford University professor Sebastian Thrun founded Udacity with a dream and the ambitious goal to someday offer a recognized Masters Degree that would not cost the recipient more than $100. If successful, Udacity could finally break the high tuition "paper chase" graduate degrees have largely become for American university students.

The WSJ did a write-up on what it's all about. Read it here.

I just received an e-mail from Udacity announcing their upcoming intro stats course. It includes a challenge for high school students that those of you who are may be interested in looking into. Here's the e-mail:

Hi 40hz,

I am writing you to ask a personal favor. I am trying to break the student record for the largest online class ever taught with my new class "Intro to Statistics", which will begin June 25th.  Sign up, forward this e-mail to your friends and family and let's set a new record!

We've also launched a challenge for high school students.  Winners will get a trip to Stanford University and I will be delighted to give a tour of my lab!


Thanks,
Sebastian Thrun, Professor

--- End quote ---

I'm in the middle of two Udacity courses right now and I've been quite happy with my experiences so far. Check it out! :Thmbsup:

Udacity's homepage can be found here.
 8)

zridling:
Indeed, Udacity is great. Along with Khan Academy, et al., I'm hoping these will be the beginning of the end of the college-industrial complex that rockets so many young people (in the US at least) into crippling debt before they get a decent job.

mouser:
By the way, Sebastian Thrun is a fantastic researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence and has written some great stuff.

TaoPhoenix:
Indeed, Udacity is great. Along with Khan Academy, et al., I'm hoping these will be the beginning of the end of the college-industrial complex that rockets so many young people (in the US at least) into crippling debt before they get a decent job.
-zridling (June 19, 2012, 03:05 PM)
--- End quote ---

A tricky question will be precisely what jobs a "Udacity Graduate" can get. So far they do okay providing an "interesting experience" but we'll have to see if it's anything more than a hobby. (This year - I know all about how it's easy to disparage something in year 1 and then by year 5 it's a force of nature.)

40hz:
A tricky question will be precisely what jobs a "Udacity Graduate" can get. So far they do okay providing an "interesting experience" but we'll have to see if it's anything more than a hobby.
-TaoPhoenix (June 19, 2012, 07:52 PM)
--- End quote ---

The same could be said for my friend's daughter who took on 6 digits worth of debt getting a undergraduate and graduate degree from a "name" school. She's been out since May and is still looking... :o

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