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How To Audit Courses

What is Learning?

“The activity or process of gaining new knowledge or skills by studying, practicing, being taught, or experiencing something” ~Merriam Webster

Learning Through Institutions

1. Structured
2. Sequential
3. Compulsory
4. Experiential Other forms of education, such as home-schooling, also share several of these qualities.

Autodidactic Learning

• You determine the topic you study, the source you learn from, and when you learn it.
  1. Flexible
  2. Non-Sequential
  3. Other Incentives
  4. Independent
• Self-proclaimed “unlettered man.”
• Less than 3 years of formal schooling.
• Partly taught himself how to code.
• Learning on the Internet.

Ask Yourself…

• What do I want to learn?
• Why do I want to learn it?
• When do I want to learn it?
• Are there prerequisites?
• Are these resources accurate and trustworthy?

Learning on the Web

• Once you “learn” how to learn on the web, you can achieve anything!
• The ability to learn on the web is among the most valuable skills you can have.

What Does It Mean to ‘Audit’?

What is Auditing a Course?

• Access to lectures/notes.
• No grade/credit.
• No assignment feedback.
• Often remote.
• Usually inexpensive or free.

History of Auditing

Why Should You Audit Courses?

Bridging Formal Education with Self-Guided Learning

• Formal + Self-Guided = Auditing
• Structured curriculum.
• Often produced by accredited institutions.
• Flexible and customizable content selection.
• Public and free!

Use Case #1 : You’re Considering Applying to a Program

• Explore a department and their faculty.
• See the types of instruction.
• Discover if areas covered match your interests.

Use Case #2: You’re Already an Enrolled Student

• Supplement your current courses with relevant material.
• Explore academic interests at low cost without risking grades.
• Potentially take courses not offered at your school.

Use Case #3: You’re Looking to Upskill/Change Careers

• Explore new subjects and career areas.
• Build context for necessary competence for career change.
• Stay competitive within your job or industry.

Use Case #4: You’re Looking to Freshen Up On a Topic

• Pick up former skills.
• Build experience with new frameworks/models.
• Develop a more advanced understanding of previously familiar topics.

Use Case #5: You’re Just Intellectually Curious!

• Pick up a language/framework for an upcoming interview.
• Gain practical experience through project-based courses.
• Prepare for an upcoming class on a certain topic.

How to Choose the Right Topic

Assess Your Interests

• What fascinates you?
• Is there anything you want to create that requires knowledge on a topic?
• How excited are you to spend your free time learning about this topic?

Assess Your Skill Level

• How much do you know about your chosen topic?
• Have you had formal exposure to or instruction on this topic in the past?

Assess Your Goals

• Why did you choose this topic?
• Are you aiming to build a project or pass an interview?
• What specifically about your chosen topic do you want to use or better understand?

Insight

• Ensure your topic aligns with your goals.
• Popular topics: python, algorithms, data structures.
• Experiment before committing!

How to Choose the Right Course

What’s your learning style?

• How do you prefer to learn?
• Visual: Do you prefer to learn with graphical depictions such as charts/images?
• Auditory: Do you prefer to learn when listening to others present, such as in lectures?
• Kinesthetic: Do you prefer to learn through creating hands-on projects?
• Reading/Writing: Do you prefer to learn by completing worksheets, notes, or flashcards?

What’s Your Time Commitment?

• How depth the course?
• How much content & assignment they offer?
• Experiment before committing!
• Adjust with your schedule and goals.

Where Do You Want To Learn From?

• Which institution and how the content being deliver?
• Trustworthy institution.
• Tutor style.

Examining Courses

1. Course description.
2. Syllabus (outline of course).
3. Prerequisites.
4. Explore course pages.
5. Sample courses.

How Do You Define Success?

• Know what the course offers before you dive in!
• Is it match with your goals?
• Track your progress!

Making the Most of Your Audit

• Set realistic schedules. Evaluate how you can work a course audit into your schedule.
• Be organized! Make an actionable plan and stick to it as best you can. Set a reasonable schedule for yourself.
• Be consistent! Ensure you are studying at the pace you set for yourself. Re-evaluate if issues arise.
• Be studious! Review material frequently! Stay disciplined and try to avoid multitasking while learning.
• Be motivated! Set short-term goals and reward yourself when you achieve them!
• Be persistent! It’s impossible to “fail” when you’re in charge! If you’re struggling with something, take your time.
• Be accountable! Find someone to ask you about the course, or put yourself into a position to be asked about your progress.
• Don’t code alone!
• Obtaining help. Ask for help at Stack Overflow, GitHub Forums, or a programming community Discord server.
• Speeding through courses. Move at a pace where you’re confident in your understanding of the material.
• Textbooks. Sites like FreeCodeCamp and College Compendium provide ways to find free textbooks.
• Complementary Learning.
• Additional Enrichment. Dive into the details with academic papers from sites like PapersWithCode.

Common Pitfalls

• Time mismanagement. Setting enough time aside for your audit can be difficult. Consistently re-adjust your schedule as needed.
• Getting distracted. Many students lose energy or interest. TV, social media, and more can also take up valuable time.
• Not engaging with other learners. Take advantage of other means of social learning online!

Ways To Confirm Your Knowledge

• Quiz yourself; Flashcards - Quizlet, Brainscape, Anki.
• Have others quiz you; Join an online community.
• Try and apply the knowledge in some way; Build a project.

Next Steps

• Consider auditing courses sequentially to build on previous concepts.
• Consider mixing and matching courses from various sources.
• Prioritize foundational math. Calculus, Statistics, Linear Algebra, Discrete Math.
• There’s always more to learn!

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