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Re: [Phys-L] MOOC proliferation



I don't think that anyone disagrees that lectures should be good, but the
studies done so far have shown that all lectures that cover the same
material result in the same low gains. There is absolutely no evidence that
anyone has come up with a conventional lecture which works better.
Interactive lectures of course ala Mazur do work better. The limit to what
can be done with a conventionsl lecture is fairly low.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX



Also note that online lectures are, well, lectures. There is
a limit to what can be done with lectures. Some students
respond to lectures better than others. Still, the fact
remains that lectures are being given every day in lots of
places. I say if you're going to give a lecture, you should
at least make sure it is an above-average lecture. And with
online lectures, it is easy to make it optional, for the
students who want a lecture. For students, this is in some
sense the ultimate in school choice: If you don't like what
your local school is offering, you can find something online.