The course was informative on how to build, structure and develop the plot of our own stories. It was also very helpful in guiding us through the editing process. A useful course for aspiring writers.
Great information about plot and scene structure. The information about revision was entirely new to me - thank you! The exercises were good and difficult in a good way that helped me hone my writing.
par Mike Z
•I enjoyed the course and found it useful. The majority of the students don't seem to speak good english. That isn't a problem for their writing, but I feel like they have a hard time usefully evaluating my work due to the language barrier.
par Allison R C
•I got the most out of listening to the modules. I wish that there was some feedback from the instructor on the writing assignments. Everything is peer-reviewed only, and the quality of the feedback is quite poor.
par Noah S
•The course was a good motivator to start writing and keep writing every week. The lectures were short and generic. Nothing other than the very basics. The peer review system works okay but it certainly isn't great.
par Lisa G
•I understand the importance of reviewing other classmates work however with the time constraints of today's world, I believe it takes away from precious time that could be spent developing the craft of writing .
par SANCHEZ C M P
•La verdad es muy difícil aprender algo ya que nunca hay retroalimentación aparte de la que dan los compañeros del curso. Solo son videos muy abiertos para explicaciones que deberían ser concretas.
par Marc E S
•I was hoping the lectures would be more dense. My previous coursera courses where on data science, machine learning, etc. I somewhat feel that the content on those courses is twice or thrice more.
par nathan g
•Some of the instructions didn't seem to match the assignment and I think a lot of learners were confused. Needs more moderation. I did learn and found the challenges in the course useful.
par Sharon A D
•The instruction is clear and quite good, but what good is feedback if you cannot read it. I can see my grade but there is nowhere to see what my peers had to say about my work.
par Justin S
•the grading system could improve star selection process such as grammar; clarity; congruency; originality; captivation may broaden the critque of the story
par katherine l
•Materials were engaging. Some assignment direction was a little vague. Some professional interaction or review would help to supplement the peer review.
par Youssef A
•What's most beneficial about this course are the assignments rather than the videos. I do wish though we got some feedback from the instructor himself.
par S. J W
•Someone needs to review/proofread the final part and assignment. Many students were/are confused about the final assignment. Revise the video too.
par Paul C
•Too many interviews without delving into the core of the subject. There were some good tips but left feeling disappointed.
par Jesica M E D B
•The course is nice and informative. Unfortunately one can not do any of the pear rated assignments or pear reviews.
par Nima Y Z
•The course was very practical and I learned very useful content and tips.
par Mariana C
•Good morning. How can I unenroll? It is not what I expected. Thank you.
par Priya
•it would have been great if the final assignment had been grade
par ahmed i
•it seems good and hopefully will be valuable in my context
par Digant K
•So overly simple with a lack of details in the steps.
par Zamzam A
•I feel we need professional assignment reviews.
par Mohammed A
•Nice, informative, but basic and short.
par Yvette R
•The material is good in all the courses. The weakness is in the feedback, the crucial part of this course. This is true of all Coursera's writing courses. There are NO moderators, although it appears there are. Years ago, Coursera shifted from a cohort-structured (everyone starts and stops at the same time together) to a rolling enrollment model, where people can start anytime. I see the benefit to the latter, but in the former model, I was in a course with a number of students and we stayed together throughout the various modules of that course. We got to know each other's writings. We actually created learning groups within the class. It was amazing.
No one is checking in on the courses. That allows one to receive feedback that is actually nonexistent. For example, in one course, here is the feedback I receive
y
1
1
Yes that was the three sets of feedback I received for one assignment. All three students received credit for this feedback. It wasn't the first time I received the number "1" as feedback.
Now the rolling enrollment model means you rarely see the same writer's work which doesn't allow the writer to have a reader who watches them evolve and provides feedback in a meaningful way.
Many of the questions asked by the instructor in the feedback were close-ended questions which meant students could provide simply a yes or no responses.
I gained from reading the material. I rarely gained any meaningful feedback (maybe 20% of the time) even though the course tells us that feedback is the key aspect of this course.
par Juliana C
•The course is interesting, but the videos are not enough. The instructor is charismatic and friendly. I received very poor feedback from peers ('yes/no/good' answers without any useful information). I did get some useful feedback. And on the last assignment, the program algorithm doesn't match a reviewer which could force you to pay another month, just to get the last review and the certificate. The course is worth the $50, but the review/feedback system is terrible. I will not proceed with the remaining 4 courses (which would mean spending an additional $200). This is very sad, as I was excited about taking writing classes online. Maybe they can limit the number of participants and add a few TAs/mentors to give more valuable feedback.
par Patrick N
•I think I agree with most of the past comments about this course. It's an interesting introduction but lacking in real depth. Writing by numbers to make a sellable book was one comment. I was also disappointed in not getting feedback from more senior writers. Some of the writing you have to review is painful to read, not because it is written by non-native speakers but because the ideas aren't well developed. Still it is a useful course and I intend to complete it.