Daphne Koller: What we're learning from online education

The speaker discusses the challenges of accessing quality education globally, highlighting issues in South Africa and the US. They introduce Coursera, an online platform offering free courses from top universities, aiming to democratize education. The platform's structure includes real course experiences, personalized learning, and a global student community. The use of technology for grading and feedback is emphasized, along with the potential for online education to revolutionize learning and foster innovation worldwide.

What was a significant consequence of the educational system in South Africa during apartheid?

• Increased funding for education

• Limited access to quality education for the majority

• Equal educational opportunities for all

• Rapid technological advancements in education

What has been a major issue with higher education in the United States?

• Rising tuition costs

• High employment rates for graduates

• Abundance of job opportunities for all graduates

• Decreasing tuition fees

What was the enrollment size of the Stanford Machine Learning class when offered to the public?

• 10,000 students

• 100,000 students

• 50,000 students

• 400 students

What is a key feature of Coursera courses that differentiates them from traditional online courses?

• Real course experience with deadlines and grades

• Lack of deadlines

• Only available to Stanford students

• No interaction with instructors

How does Coursera handle grading for large numbers of students?

• Not grading assignments

• Using technology and peer grading

• Only grading multiple-choice questions

• Hiring thousands of teaching assistants

What is one of the benefits of the global community formed around Coursera courses?

• Increased isolation of learners

• Quick response times to questions

• Limited interaction among students

• No collaboration opportunities

What is a potential benefit of using data from online courses?

• Data-driven insights into learning strategies

• Hypothesis-driven research

• Limited understanding of student learning

• No impact on educational methods

What is the '2 sigma problem' in education?

• A challenge in providing individual tutoring to all students

• A method to decrease student performance

• A strategy to reduce educational costs

• A way to eliminate standardized testing

How can technology help address the '2 sigma problem'?

• By reducing the number of available courses

• By eliminating the need for any form of assessment

• By providing personalized learning experiences

• By replacing all teachers with computers

What is the speaker's view on the future role of universities?

• Universities will become obsolete

• Universities should focus on active learning

• Universities should only offer online courses

• Universities should eliminate all lectures