The world of education in recent years has been offering increasingly credible alternatives to traditional universities.
I'm not talking about MOOCs (i.e. SkillShare, Udemy), which allows you to build a course of study "at your own pace", where however the knowledge is not in-depth, not certified and the experience is passive.
I am talking about the Cohort Based Courses (CBC), intensive and specific.
In CBCs, a group of students progress together in a path with frequent feedback.
I attended 2 CBCs, here is my experience in relation to the university.
Focus on the community and not on the content
In the university, people are bombarded with content; in the CBC, the goal is the synergistic advancement of the (many) participants in an excellent experience.
The contents are atomized and delivered both live and asynchronously.
The videos are well done and concise, with in-depth libraries.
Each CBC is a block of competence acquired in a short time
The experience is so captivating that one CBC leads to another.
Everyone can build their own curriculum, assemble their expertise, according to their own moment.
People focused on unloading on the ground
People are not embalmed in preparing for an exam, postponing the practice.
Participants focus on putting what they learn into practice right away, and creating true competence.
Platonic academy relationship between teachers, alumni, and students
Alumni provide incredible support.
Participants are proactive, they interact, they exchange tons of feedback.
During the Live Sessions, the chats explode and there is a competition to "get on the stage"
People activate in-depth classes on Zoom that rival the main ones.
Critical reflection
Besides, CBCs have to find a valid solution to certificate the skills.
How much does the lack of grading facilitate the "joy" of these courses?
For the moment, CBCs are not a substitute for universities, but a complement.
And they are the most beautiful expression of learning ever.
Give yourself a gift this 2022, try a Cohort-Based-Course.