Just noticed this quote in email today from Satya Nadella (Microsoft’s new CEO) to staff:
…
Who am I?
I am 46. I’ve been married for 22 years and we have 3 kids. And like anyone else, a lot of what I do and how I think has been shaped by my family and my overall life experiences. Many who know me say I am also defined by my curiosity and thirst for learning. I buy more books than I can finish. I sign up for more online courses than I can complete. I fundamentally believe that if you are not learning new things, you stop doing great and useful things. So family, curiosity and hunger for knowledge all define me.
…
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/feb14/02-04mail2.aspx
Nice quote highlighting one of the many reasons completion (in the traditional sense of do eery task including the last one) is a questionable metric for these courses.
Not just that people may complete course over several iterations, or may get what they came for before the end of course , or may ‘complete’ via participation, networking or many things other than ‘doing the final task’…
but that curious, engaged people will knowingly sign up to lots of things knowing they can’t complete everything, but that’s a triumph not a failing. Biting off more than one can chew is good.