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Comment by jb55 | Hacker News Reader

I have tried a lot of these new online courses that have been created but I still think they have missed the point, the point that khan academy got right. I don't want to plan my life around weekly assignments. I keep getting emails about about assignment deadlines, causing unneeded anxiety which puts off the whole learning experience.

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Some of the courses on Udacity no longer have assignment deadlines. I'm not certain what I think about this yet: on the one hand having hard deadlines means that each "semester" of students stays on the same page and the instructors can respond to the most pressing difficulties they are having. It also allows them to iteratively refine the courses without disrupting current students.

On the other hand, it can make things difficult for us in the working world who have to balance education with our work life! I'm taking three courses now, which I found out to be overly ambitious (I should probably spend time with my wife!) so I'll probably drop one.

I thought their revision the first time around was a good way of doing it. i.e. giving HW deadlines but at the end grading by the exam only if that was a better score. That way it's as if you get credit for staying on pace, but none taken away if you went at your own pace.

This is why I dropped the MITx course. I'm responsible and motivated, but I also work full-time and have a family that includes a 2-year old. This is the 21st Century for Pete's sake. I should be able to level-up on my own time frame and not Prof. Agarwal's.

Udacity follows a different model. You can submit assignments even after the deadline.

I am a big fan of the weekly assignments. Keeps me on track.

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