“On or around December 1910, human character changed,” wrote Virginia Woolf. “I am not saying that one went out, as one might into a garden, and there saw that a rose had flowered or a hen had laid an egg. The change was not sudden and definite like that, but a change there was, nevertheless.” […]
DIY Syllabi: Fantasy Literature
We start with the Greeks, as usual. This may be quixotic: the Greeks certainly had no notion of “fantasy.” The stories, or mýthoi, they told were part-religious, part-historical. There was no implication that they were false. But unlike the Hebrews, who were famously the People of the Book, the Greeks liked to modify their stories, […]
DIY Syllabi: Comparative Religion
When Nietzsche announced God’s death from the voice of a “madman” in 1882, he knew he wasn’t the first to deliver the news. In fact, in the context of the parable, it wasn’t even news: the madman is speaking to a group of atheists. What Nietzsche meant has been debated ever since (long story short, […]
Genetics and Skills [Infographic]
Some people are more predisposed to certain talents than others. Let’s take a look at which skills are often affected by genetics. Genetics doesn’t just determine our hair and eye colors. They are also an indicator of how we will behave in certain situations.
Behind the Scenes: An Interview with Developers of The Most Popular MOOC of All Time
Where user experience meets learning experience. What does it take to make a great online learning experience? Is it the instructor? The course content? The user platform? Most online learners would say you can recognize a great online course by some combination of all three of those factors: a dynamic instructor who can teach content […]
Mastering Distractions Online (A Guide)
How to Deal with Online Distractions We live in a world of endless distractions. If it’s not your email, it’s your Facebook; if it’s not your phone, it’s your tablet. One after the other, over and over, ad infinitum. This is the online world: a bee-boisterous hive, tantalizing us with its sweet, honeyed tangents, though […]