I am pleased with my record of taking over 100 MOOCs, but I am nowhere near some people’s tally. Garuba Ojo Fredericks (Fred) from Nigeria has completed over 400 MOOCs in a wide range of subjects. His Coursera and edX accomplishments pages are impressive!

How did Fred manage to complete so many courses?

Fred studies online courses for about 5 hours a day as well as his paid work and postgraduate studies. Fred discovered a passion for online learning after a recommendation from his friend Christopher (who now lives in Utah, USA with his family). Weekends are often spent on binge study, completing assignments, doing research and submitting to meet up with stipulated deadlines.

Fred can handle up to three or four courses concurrently. Taking related courses at the same time makes the workload easier.

What was Fred’s first online course?

The challenges of global poverty offered by MIT via edX with Professors Esther Duflo and Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee on edX in 2013 was Fred’s first course. He quickly took more courses and soon found the Coursera platform, which he prefers.

Watching Daphne Koller’s TED Talk from June 2012 was inspirational. This video has been viewed over 2.5 million times by people all around the world.

Fred earned many free Statements of Accomplishment (Coursera) and Honor Code Certificates (edX) before they were replaced with paid Verified Certificates. He is very grateful to Coursera for making financial aid available and has earned many course and specialization certificates after applying for financial aid.

After Verified Certificates arrived, Fred took a few courses again because he loved the bold appearance of the University’s name and logo on the certificate.

Fred is also happy to go back and re-watch downloaded lecture videos. This enables him to refresh his memory and apply points from the online courses to his current studies. He has found online learning helps greatly with his formal assignments and courses.

Some of Fred’s favourite courses

• Democratic Development by Larry Diamonds, Stanford University (Coursera)
• Justice by Michael J.Sandel, Harvard University (Edx)
• Moralities of Everyday Life, Paul Bloom, Yale University (Coursera)
• The Music of the Beatles by John Covach, University of Rochester (Coursera)
• Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley and Terrence Sejnowski, University of California, San Diego (Coursera).

Fred’s Collections of Courses

In 2019, the Coursera Community discussion forum manager asked for learners’ recommendations for collections of courses for either career or hobby purposes. Fred’s 21^st Century Leadership Skills collection was published on Coursera. I was fascinated to see that among the Specializations and single courses was The Music of the Beatles. Fred appreciated the course featuring the Beatles’ music, attitude to work, resilience, team spirit, negotiation skill, focus, hard work, and finding time to be happy among themselves and creating happiness for other people everywhere they went. Another course for my to-do list! I’m also interested to see if the course mentions the breakdown of the group in later years.

Fred has also made a collection of courses helpful for Project Management which can be viewed on this Coursera Community page. Skills learned by studying the courses in this collection include understanding the project life cycle, how to work to schedule, and successfully initiate, plan, execute, control, and monitor the process. Also, learn how to negotiate with and positively influence all stakeholders along the entire project value chain.

Cost of Online Study

Even with financial aid providing free certificates, there is a cost involved. Computers and software for study, plus data download costs have added up over the years.

What is Fred Studying at University?

After a degree in business management, Fred is now studying a postgraduate diploma (PGD) in political science and international relations, before moving on to a Masters and then to a PhD. He looks forward to completing these in the next five years or thereabouts, possibly in Europe, America, Australia or New Zealand.

Fred’s current long-term ambition is to work in the R and D department of a multinational firm or perhaps teach college and share knowledge with the students. He is also continuing with his MOOC studies and plans to bring his tally of completed MOOCs up to 500 by 2022 or 2023.

A Final Thought

As well as gaining knowledge in a wide range of subjects, online courses can help with your formal studies and career.

By Pat Bowden, published February 25, 2020.