Big History: Connecting Knowledge

Superb course. It's given me a much better perspective on the universe and our own history. It also asks some questions about what's in store for the universe, and us, which got me thinking about the future.

The videos generally don't feel too long. The course doesn't have much compulsory material, but it does have a lot of optional material to accompany the videos; I found this worked well for me, because I could more easily mould the course around my weekly life as I got busier or less busy.

Oh, and I found the short video on tips for reading hieroglyphs to be a pleasant surprise!

Should you take this course? Yes. Everyone should.

Just don't give up at week 2. The week starts off with a cautionary video about week 2 being more complicated, but not to give up. Pay attention to that video and keep going. Week 2's material is interesting, you can take your time, and it doesn't matter if (like me) you end up getting lost during some of the videos. It gets easier again from week 3 onwards.

I find this to be excellent in many aspects.

First of all, Big History itself is fascinating. It is the story of our universe and humanity itself, explained in a simple way which people of all fields can understand. I like the fact that it's supported by multiple content from various sources, which can help you to better gasp some concepts and dwell further into your topic of interest. I find it brilliant that the viewer is urged to challenge his views, as well as those presented in the course instead of just blindly accepting them. This is a nice introduction to the scientific method and sharpens your critical thinking, which is a skill we all seek to further develop. The instructor was successful in delivering his knowledge and passion to the viewer, and the visual aids assisted with better comprehension of the subject.