Online MIT Circuits and Electronics Course - FREE - not spam :-)

[Bluestrat]

Hey all, The New York Times had an article today about Universities offering online courses for free and I found this one offered by MIT.

Here's a description: "6.002x (Circuits and Electronics) is an experimental on-line adaptation of MIT's first undergraduate analog design course: 6.002. This course will run, free of charge, for students worldwide from March 5, 2012 through June 8, 2012."

Here's a link to the page to sign up. https://6002x.mitx.mit.edu/#

I thought some of the forum members might be interested in checking this out. It is an intro class to circuits. And it's FREE 

[madbean]

I signed up a couple of weeks ago. Other than a confirmation email, I haven't received anything about the actual start of the class, though.

[madbean]

Oh, NM. I just logged in and there is some stuff there...thanks for the reminder---I almost missed the first day of class!

There's still time to register, peoples! Get your learnin.

[raulduke]

There isn't much information on the website, so I was wondering if you guys can help:

Do you end up with some kind of certification at the end of it (I assume you would have to pay if you did)?

Is the course open to US citizens only?

Are there assignments, projects etc. that have to be completed to continue the course?

Any info would be most appreciated.

[Bluestrat]

There isn't much information on the website, so I was wondering if you guys can help:

Do you end up with some kind of certification at the end of it (I assume you would have to pay if you did)?

Is the course open to US citizens only?

Are there assignments, projects etc. that have to be completed to continue the course?

Any info would be most appreciated.

As far as I can tell this is open worldwide. Some of the online courses from these top schools (Stanford) offer a certificate without the schools name on it. Check out the NYT's article. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/05/education/moocs-large-courses-open-to-all-topple-campus-walls.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha26

[raulduke]

Wow thanks for linking to the article; made for a really interesting lunchtime read.

University fees in the UK are now ridiculous; I see these courses as the way forward. Especially if they are funded by selling the details to recruitors. Its a win win situation as the people that do well in the course will get a chance of getting employment from their efforts.

Looks like its back to school for me...

[Jargo]

Waiting for class to begin!

I got my "pencil"!! :-)

[DutchMF]

I would love to do this, but I can't find the time..... 10 hrs a week is just to much with a wife, a full-time job, some courses for that job and some time-consuming hobbies.. Looks mighty interesting though, keep me posted on how it's going. Maybe they'll do a rerun next year?

Paul

[TNblueshawk]

How was class? I almost signed up but didn't thinking it would really be too far past me at this point in my learning curve.

[gtr2]

I'm already struggling.  I find that some of the concepts/practice problems are not as clearly explained as I expected.  The lectures do not cover all the info that is needed for the practice questions and I spent a lot of time so far reading through the book in order to fill the gaps.  I haven't seen some of that kind of math since High School.  I don't think I have enough time or math chops to dedicate to it.  They say 10 hrs a week, I'm almost at 10 hrs and still haven't finished the lab or homework yet...

Josh

[redbean]

I think it's great that MIT is offering this online course. However, the math requirement and sign-up process makes this course prohibitive for some people, and not so fun (to me). My solution has been to talk to professors at various local universities to see if I can just sit in their classes, filling an empty seat so to speak. So far, I have been able to do this several times and the classes I "took" have been the most fun compared to all the other courses I paid for and had to take. All fun and NO WORK! 

I have no certificates nor any proof, but I have a couple dozen hours of science classes, and I think (hope) I learned more than when I registered and actually worked in previous classes. I certainly had more fun. Next year I think I'll try to "sign up" for some biology and chemistry classes, if there's no more astrophysics classes available.

[TNblueshawk]

I'm already struggling.  I find that some of the concepts/practice problems are not as clearly explained as I expected.  The lectures do not cover all the info that is needed for the practice questions and I spent a lot of time so far reading through the book in order to fill the gaps.  I haven't seen some of that kind of math since High School.  I don't think I have enough time or math chops to dedicate to it.  They say 10 hrs a week, I'm almost at 10 hrs and still haven't finished the lab or homework yet...

Josh

Glad I didn't jump in as it sounds like a lot more knowledge was needed in advance or let's call it some refresher knowledge maybe if you are talking math from high school. I mean the fact is being in the business world in my case, there is not much call for real math if you know what I mean so I've forgotten everything really. The thing that scared me away was the physics requirement. Er...majoring in Finance and a general MBA, I sure as heck didn't take a physics class 

[gtr2]

I'm finding that some of the questions you really have to dig for missing info.

ex.  I needed to use a power equation that I didn't find in the text or lecture to answer a practice problem.  Maybe I missed it in the text but if it's that important it should be in the lecture as well.  I had to did up a discussion question in their forum.  I'm just finding that it's not necessarily the best organized in terms of flow and information.

Josh

[TNblueshawk]

I'm finding that some of the questions you really have to dig for missing info.

ex.  I needed to use a power equation that I didn't find in the text or lecture to answer a practice problem.  Maybe I missed it in the text but if it's that important it should be in the lecture as well.  I had to did up a discussion question in their forum.  I'm just finding that it's not necessarily the best organized in terms of flow and information.

Josh

Man you are giving me flashbacks to school and how mad I'd get when that would happen, nothing in the lecture or the book but yet I have answers I've got to give 

[Jargo]

Damn, late as usual, but I swear I never got the email saying that class had started!