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Comment by tlammens | Hacker News Reader

According to the website http://cs229a.stanford.edu/ there are class meetings, according to the blogpost everything is done solitary?

Another difference with the course offered to the public is that there is an open ended project.

If he really wanted a harder class, why not take CS229 and not CS229A...

If you want something to be harder, to get more out of something you should pursue it yourself, not depend on others.

I see (online) education as a guide, not as the only source of input. Selfstudy and initiative is the most important thing.

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Class meetings were optional (which I did attend) and only a fraction of the students actually attended. I don't have a problem with cs229a being easier than 229, but the thing is a lot of other classes have now turned to the online format with no alternative (like 229 to 229a). Selfstudy is great, but sometimes the best way to learn is from a structured class.

<i> Selfstudy is great, but sometimes the best way to learn is from a structured class</i> Well lots of people might like to be treated like grown ups and not like the structured classes and who knows they might even write a letter asking for refund

I'm surprised you think being in a structured class is equivalent to being treated like a child. What school did you go to that did this?

I do not think structured classes is equivalent to being treated like a child.

It was intended as a general comment that some people might not like it and equate it like that based on his comment that only a fraction people actually attended it and maybe if it was made compulsory they might not like it and there is a probability that they will say that.

Just a point that what ever you do there will be some group that will not like it .

Hasn't education always been about providing systems that encourage people to challenge themselves and learn difficult things (and signalling)? I am sure that it has always been possible to go to the library and learn almost anything you might to. And, the internet has built upon that capability. So, its legitimate to criticise a class for not challenging you or not supporting you.

You say encourage to challenge themselves (Internal) and then say the course must challenge them (external factor). In any course the basics are thought and the student must take it on themselves to learn more and ask when they do not understand. If you have played any sport the basics are easy but you spend time and practice so if your coach says hit the ball from 10 yards and if you feel that is easy you can move back to hit the ball from further why do you expect the coach to tell you that.You can ask the prof for more complex examples or use the homework in a real world example. This seems to be a case about he gets the same marks as me and I know a lot more than him.

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