If you have not enrolled in MOOCs before, or are unsure about enrolling in one, here are 5 reasons you should consider enrolling in a MOOC today.
1. Credit Transfers!
Yes, this is probably (by far) the most popular reason why our NTU peers have enrolled in MOOCs. Under NTU’s MOOC Scheme, some courses on Coursera, EdX, and FutureLearn are pre-approved for credit transfers! This means that you can receive Academic Units (AUs) towards graduation from completing these courses, and they even be used to fulfil General Education Requirement Prescribed Electives (GER-PE) and Major PE. These MOOCs provide you with a meaningful way to utilise your semester breaks and are a great way to keep your mind academically active and ready to take on the next semester! With MOOCs, you can study topics beyond the regular NTU curriculum, such as Blockchain Technologies, Big Data, and Organisational Analysis, and have them count towards your graduation requirements!
2. Learn Practical Skills!
Even if you have already fulfilled your elective requirements for graduation, MOOCs can provide you with an opportunity to learn practical skills. Whether you are searching for an internship opportunity or are graduating soon, you can expand your skill repertoire and pick up relevant and in-demand skill sets with MOOCs. Set yourself apart from the other candidates – Learn a new programming language for a project, or pick up Analytics skills like Power BI and SAS for the business-minded students. As careers and work become increasingly multidisciplinary, it’s always good to have a little something ‘extra’ in your toolbox – you’ll never know when your secret weapon will come in handy!
3. Learn a Language
Is the Level 1 language course you’ve been eyeing oversubscribed again this semester? MOOCs might be able to help you fulfil your polyglot dreams! Language Edu-Tech platforms like Duolingo and Memrise have exploded in demand and interest over the past year, especially during the first wave of global lockdowns. Still, if you have tried using any of these platforms, you probably know that it is difficult to stay disciplined and focused for your daily revisions (Trust me, I’ve tried!). With MOOCs, you can join a global community of learners and participate in discussion forums where you can practice language skills and discuss lesson content with others online. While the MOOCs are probably not enough for you to be fluent in the language in just over 8 weeks, I’m sure it makes for a good ‘tourist prep’ for your next overseas trip (hopefully really soon!).
4. Certifications!
“If you’ve completed a course and nobody is there to see it, did y-” I’m just kidding, the knowledge from the courses should be incentivising enough for you to try them out. Still, a little credential never hurts. For platforms like Coursera, EdX, and FutureLearn, while you can explore the course content for free, there is also the option to pay for certifications, which will be granted to you upon completion of the course. Luckily, for all NTU Students, as NTU is a partner university of Coursera, you can register for a Campus Account with your NTU Email to obtain free certifications for selected courses. These certifications also come with a unique validation link for you to share your credentials in your resume, and on platforms like LinkedIn as well. While these certifications probably wouldn’t help you instantly land your dream job, they do prove that you have some understanding of the subject and show your capacity for self-directed learning and self-improvement.
5. Pick Up a Hobby (Seriously!)
MOOCs are not all about “skills” and “improvement” – they can be purely fun too! Learn to cook from Harvard Physicists, or learn how to play the Guitar from the Berklee College of Music (you can get free certification with an NTU Campus Account for this course too!). From cooking to music, and from finance to art, MOOCs are one of many platforms where you can learn anything you like – through the connectedness of the Internet. You can also find like-minded individuals from around the world on the discussion forums, and expand your horizons without even leaving your room.
Hopefully, this list of reasons has allowed you to learn more about the various MOOCs offered online, and gave you some reasons to consider enrolling in them. Take your pick – from Climate Change to Machine Learning, MOOCs provide a platform for you to learn fascinating topics beyond our usual curriculum at your own pace. Don’t worry though, you don’t have to complete the MOOCs if the courses turned out to be too advanced, or if you simply needed a break. I’ve picked up twice as many MOOCs as I have completed! (Which I’ll probably complete soon…? I hope!)
For those of you who are unsure of where to start, here’s a recommendation – The Science of Well-Being on Coursera by Yale University. In times like these, it’s always good to take a step back, learn more about yourself, and gain a little introspection. (And oh, it’s a free course eligible for a credit transfer too!)
