I'm taking two free on-line palaeontology courses! Of interest to others here?

[ceratopsian]

I've just signed up for two free on-line palaeontogy courses, both run by the University of Alberta through www.coursera.org.  I thought they might be of interest to others on this forum.

The first is entitled "Palaeontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds".  The blurb reads, "Palaeontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds is a five-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of the origins of birds. This course examines the anatomy, diversity, and evolution of theropod dinosaurs in relation to the origin of birds. Students explore various hypotheses for the origin of flight."  The instructors are Phil Currie and Angelica Torrices.  It starts on 25th January.

The second is "Palaeontology: Ancient Marine Reptiles".  This "is a four-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of the evolutionary changes that occur when air-breathing terrestrial animals return to water. This course examines the diversity, adaptations, convergence, and phylogenetic relationships of extinct marine reptiles. Students will explore three major groups of marine reptiles: ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and mosasaurs."  The start date is given as Feb. 2016.  (Perhaps when the other course ends??)

This time last year I followed the other free on-line University of Alberta course, "Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology".  This is being run again from 4th January.
https://www.coursera.org/course/dino101
They describe it as "a 12-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of non-avian dinosaurs. Topics covered: anatomy, eating, locomotion, growth, environmental and behavioral adaptations, origins and extinction. Lessons are delivered from museums, fossil-preparation labs and dig sites. Estimated workload: 3-5 hrs/week."  I loved it.  It wasn't degree level but it taught me some things I didn't know and refreshed things I'd once known. My dinosaur interests had been semi-dormant for several years and this really kickstarted it again.  The course was run really well - last year each weekly lesson had a video or videos (a bit like watching a TV series on your favourite topic!), supported by a written chapter covering the same material.  In addition, each chapter was supported by sundry links to on-line material you could pursue or not as you wished.  Each lesson had a little multiple choice quiz at the end.  All sorts of people enrolled, from 8 year olds working through the course with a parent, to much older people like me.  You could take the work at your own pace - a lesson a week as set, but if you wanted to race ahead you could or move more slowly, you could.  There was also a forum as support for queries etc.  There is a lot more info. on the Dino101 course if you follow the link I gave above - I guess it might be slightly different this time round but the basics will be the same.  (The other two courses don't give more info than I quote.)

The way it works is the courses are free if you don't want a certificate.  If you want a certificate, there is a smallish fee.  (You need a webcam if you want a certificate, I believe, as they want a record of you doing the tests.)

I thought I should post this, just in case someone else here might enjoy one of the courses.

[Lanthanotus]

Thanks for sharing, ceratopsian .... really considering doing the 101. Just read Fastovsky's and Weishampel's Dinosaurs so that could be a fine backup and training for my English understanding.

[ceratopsian]

It would probably be good for that.  Last year the video presenter spoke very clearly and quite slowly, plus you can of course pause and rewind if you miss something.  I think (though I'm not 100% sure) that you could also get sub-titles.

[docronnie]

Thanks for sharing! I just hope, I have the time for it...

[PaleoMatt]

Thanks, I'll look into this when I have the time.

[Lanthanotus]

I began the course last night and it's a really well done introduction, however as of yet the course is at it's very basics, so people knowing a thing or two about dinosaurs will not have much new in the first lessons. Still, I also enrolled for the Origin of Birds course and will continue the basic course. Thanks once more for sharing, Cera.

[ceratopsian]

I agree that a dinosaur expert won't find that much new.  I found it quite easy to go through but an enjoyable refresher.  Also enjoyable when they spoke about specific fossils in the university's collection, or new techniques that weren't around the last time I read much about dinosaurs, e.g. finite element analysis.  It also gave me something to expand from.  I quickly acquired several text books beyond the scope of the course and built upon the basics it offered.

[Minmiminime]

Signed up  I'm so pleased I found this thread! Thank you for sharing!

[ceratopsian]

You are very welcome!

[Mamasaurus]

This sounds very intriguing indeed. I may have to schedule some time in for one of these courses. Thank you for sharing! 

[fleshanthos]

I had posted last year that I thought the delivery in Dino 101 could use alot of help.
But the material was pretty good.

Some of the quiz questions didn't use grammar correctly.

In regards to marine 'reptiles', there was a course at a University in the US about the origins of life (which it was not about; only about early single cellular life) where a prof reported his prof postulating that Ichthyosaurs had marsupial-like pouches for the young to hide in. Like, WHAT?!?
Apparently, he thought this because so many fossils are found with babies half in the mother.
In what way does a pouch on the bottom of a MARINE swimming air breather make sense?!?

[docronnie]

I already signed up, but not enrolled into one yet.  Will finish a medical convention first, then I'll give it a go. 

[btb300]

Many thanks for sharing, I have enrolled into "Palaeontology: Theropod Dinosaurs and the Origin of Birds", and really enjoy it so far, although I am only at week 2. But I think it will get better and better 

[ceratopsian]

Glad some of you found this helpful.  I've successfully finished both the therapods and the origin of birds and the Mesozoic marine reptiles courses.  I enjoyed both and as I knew not a great deal about Mesozoic marine reptiles beyond the basics anyone interested in palaeontology picks up, I feel rather more in touch with the subject.  Currently I'm three-quarters of the way through the University of Alberta's third new palaeontology course, Early Vertebrate Evolution.  Basically it's a quick skip through the origins of vertebrates, then a quick skip through the evolution of fishes in the Palaeozoic.  Again, not hugely detailed but good for someone like me with an interest in palaeontology but not much knowledge of early fishes etc.