EdX offering 6 week on-line Intro to Sabremetrics Course (Free)

Ferm Sheller

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Just want to pass on something I just came across (sorry if this is being discussed elsewhere):
 
EdX, an web-based educational collaborative between several universities, is offering a free, 6 week on-line course in Intro Sabermetrics.  Starts May 8th.
 
See here for details.
 

SuperManny

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Ferm Sheller said:
Just want to pass on something I just came across (sorry if this is being discussed elsewhere):
 
EdX, an web-based educational collaborative between several universities, is offering a free, 6 week on-line course in Intro Sabermetrics.  Starts May 8th.
 
See here for details.
 
It looks very interesting, I signed up to audit the class as I'm not sure how much time I will have to commit. 
 

Ferm Sheller

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SuperManny,
 
One of the great things about EdX (when you audit) is that you get out of a course whatever you want.  If you skip modules or put in minimal effort, no one cares.  I took a 12-week course recently and skipped the last two weeks due to lack of interest in the topics of those weeks.
 
Also, as you may know, you can watch the class videos whenever you want after they are "released" each week.   
 

Ferm Sheller

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abs, what do you think about having a SoSH course discussion group for those who participate?  What forum is appropriate, this one?
 

Frisbetarian

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Andy is a brilliant man, a good friend, and has been teaching a Sabermetrics 101 class at Tufts (for credit) for years now. He knows his shit, and I'm sure this class will be amazing.
 

wibi

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Anyone know people who work with EDX?  I'm trying to reset my password but it wont send me the password reset email
 

gtg807y

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I signed up too. Never used edX before but it seems like a cool concept, and was very easy to get registered for the course.
 

Ferm Sheller

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For those of you who haven’t taken an EdX course, I audited one last year and found it to be very user friendly.  For example, as you are probably aware, each class is taped and therefore you can watch each one at a time that is good for you anytime during the timeframe that the course is open (six weeks in this case).  So, although the first Sabermetric class video is “released” on May 8th, if you know you won’t have time to start the course until after, say, the third class, you could still take the course.  In such a case, you simply would need to catch up sometime before the course ends.  (In an extreme example, you could watch all classes on the last day the course is open.)
 
Another thing I found very convenient is that a clickable transcript is provided on the same page as the class video.  This is convenient because it allows the viewer to skip to a particular point in the video merely by clicking on a particular, corresponding portion of the transcript.  Therefore, you can assure that you’re only spending time on material that’s of use to you.  (For example, let’s say the first part of the first class is spent covering basic rules of baseball that you’ve long known, you could scan the transcript to find a portion of the video that’s of interest to you.) 
 
All of the above was true of the course I audited, at least.  I don’t know if this course will be run differently, or if different rules apply for those who will be taking it for certificate credit.    
 

Ferm Sheller

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It's free to audit, but apparently they ask you to donate if you plan to take it for certificate credit.
 

dbn

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uncannymanny said:
Awesome thanks. I'll probably just kick them the $25 for not charging everyone.
 
That's what I did. Also, while I doubt that being "certified" will help me in my future, you never know.
 

wibi

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Is the only proof that you completed the course being done by certificate?  I only ask because my I'm pretty sure I just convinced my boss that I can take this course and get my continuing education requirement for the year out of the way but he needs proof I took the course.
 

Ferm Sheller

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wibi said:
Is the only proof that you completed the course being done by certificate?  I only ask because my I'm pretty sure I just convinced my boss that I can take this course and get my continuing education requirement for the year out of the way but he needs proof I took the course.
 
I'm not sure what kind of proof is required to satisfy your boss, but my account page shows that I successfully completed the course I audited and also shows my score.
 

Rice4HOF

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Just chiming in that I think this is great and I've signed up too.
 
Is there a limit on how many people can sign up? Should I encourage my followers on twitter etc to sign up, or would that be frowned upon?
 

Laser Show

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terrisus said:
It's probably mentioned somewhere, but, if you register initially for an Audit, is there an option to switch from an Audit registration to a Certified registration before it starts?
Yes.
 

metaprosthesis

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May 22, 2008
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This looks really cool.  I tried a Stats course on Coursera, but it wasn't interesting enough to get me to make time for it.  Now, make the course about baseball and I foresee no such problems.  Plus, my wife agreed to take the course with me.  Thanks for posting this!
 

PaulinMyrBch

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My kid is going to take it also. He's a baseball kid, HS senior currently taking prob/stats so he was wanting in once I explained it to him. Plus it will help bridge the gap between classroom and life which never hurts as kids head off to college.
 

OttoC

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I heard about this at least a month ago and I'll be auditing it to learn r and increase my SQL knowledge.
 

cjdmadcow

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I'd like to understand this aspect of the game much more and this looks interesting, particularly as I'm already 4-weeks thru an 8-week EdX course on Historical Relic Treasures and Cultural China: Part 1. Enjoying it, too.
 
I expect the Sabremetrics course to be more of a challenge to me!

 
 

Don Bradman

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I signed up as well to audit the course. Looking forward to it and the discussion here. Beyond the baseball stuff, I'm excited about becoming more adept using R, which I stumble through a bit for my job. It'll be nice to apply it to something more interesting, hopefully.
 

fuzzy_one

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Definitely going to do this.
 
I have a question for folks who've had a similar intro course, though: how crunchy and challenging is the math? My 12yo is a baseball-loving math whiz. I think he'll dig this, but I don't want to kill his interest by throwing him so far into the deep end that he sinks.
 

Ferm Sheller

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Take the course with him and if he can't hack it, teach a watered-down version to him on your own.  That's what I'm going to do with my 10 year-old son.
 

fuzzy_one

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He's the kind who's never met a math concept that he didn't assimilate more or less instantly. Handling multivariate alegbraic stuff pretty easily right now. Hasn't really done any trig or calculus, however. He's intrigued by baseball stats in a "calculate his LL team's averages, OBPs, etc. in his head while standing in the outfield" sort of way. Does some basic programming. 
 
College courses run the gamut from mildly challenging to brain-breaking, which is why I was asking.
 

fuzzy_one

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Ferm Sheller said:
Take the course with him and if he can't hack it, teach a watered-down version to him on your own.  That's what I'm going to do with my 10 year-old son.
 
That was my nascent plan. If you're doing it, too, then I like my chances.