BBC Maestro courses

Interesting, thank you for sharing.
It seems extremely expensive, presumably because those ‘big names’ don’t come cheap.
I’m surprised to see David Walliams’ name up there with the mighty Julia Donaldson and Malorie Blackman.
I was pretty certain that he has a ghostwriter.
The only one that I would be properly interested in is the Doreen Lawrence one.

Most educational courses are expensive - this isn't too bad by comparison if it's good; but it is too expensive to sign up to without knowing a bit more about it. Usually, you are paying for some sort of interaction with the facilitator, but this is all just video, so there is no way of checking that you are on track, and nobody marking your work (which realistically you couldn't expect for that price, expensive though it is). It does seem a lot to pay for access to a video and no more.

They are the reasons I'm hesitating, alongside the lack of info about the level of the courses or any entry requirements.

Yes, I agree with that.
I’d be interested in the Donaldson one, but it’s an area I’m already relatively knowledgeable about.

I don’t think that anyone can teach stand up comedy.

Which one/s interest you Doodledog?

A lot of them interest me, but particularly the Carol Ann Duffy poetry one. If I took the plunge, I would probably go for the subscription and access them all, though. The vegetarian cookery one would interest me too, and I'd definitely look at the Billy Connolly one, as I'd love to see the structure behind his comedy - he comes across as though he makes it up as he goes along, although of course he doesn't.

I’ve just seen that you can watch a free lesson.
Click on the course that interests you and you can access it there

Yes, it’s only £30 extra for the lot.
They are adding more too, which will be included.
Tim Rice and Helena Bonham Carter are in the pipeline.
Shall we watch a free lesson and compare notes?

I think they are quite good value really? the city lit courses are hundreds each course

This doesn't answer your question but I am struggling to see just how many courses are available at the moment for the all-in subscription. Not that many it seems.

I'm put off by the disclaimer Please note that any courses in the Upcoming Courses section may be released outside of your annual subscription period.

www.bbcmaestro.com/all-courses

It would be helpful to be able to see some clips or notes about of what each course covers.

Apparently launched in 2020, this, dated August 1 2022, says BBC Maestro have secured significant funds for growth:

businesscloud.co.uk/news/bbc-maestro-secures-significant-funding-for-growth/

I'm inclined to wait until the platform develops and more content is added.

JaneJudge

I think they are quite good value really? the city lit courses are hundreds each course

Yes, but the City Lit ones are interactive, and you get a real teacher, rather than a recording. I've done a lot of them, and they are usually good, but this is a different setup, which is why I was hoping that someone might have experience of it. I don't know if it would work for me. I also like the structure of a weekly meeting, which this doesn't offer.

I'm inclined to wait until the platform develops and more content is added.

Yes, that's what I've been thinking, but I don't know whether as they add new ones they will withdraw and reissue the courses, so that you will always have access to X number, but the titles will vary year on year, and be mixed and matched. That would be a sensible business model, as otherwise there would be less incentive to renew subscriptions, which is presumably what they want.

Doodledog

JaneJudge

I think they are quite good value really? the city lit courses are hundreds each course

Yes, but the City Lit ones are interactive, and you get a real teacher, rather than a recording. I've done a lot of them, and they are usually good, but this is a different setup, which is why I was hoping that someone might have experience of it. I don't know if it would work for me. I also like the structure of a weekly meeting, which this doesn't offer.

yes, that is true they have some interesting stuff on there atm

Ooh, I’d not heard of City Lit.
Thank you, off to look now.
Have you done one/ any Jane?

Under Do course have deadlines, It does say:

No, all our courses are self-paced and no courses will be removed from the site or ‘expire’. If you have an all-access annual subscription, you can watch any content while your subscription is valid.

These are the latest Ts&Cs dated 9 November 2022.

www.bbcmaestro.com/terms

Definitely a platform in progress.

Yes, I have done an introduction to language one and some art history type ones as some are pretty cheap too but I looked this morning and they have LOADS of really creative courses now

I missed that, NorthFace, thanks. I keep changing my mind .

I do a lot of courses of various types. I have exhausted most of the local possibilities, but got into Zoom ones in lockdown - and have done several City Lit ones in Creative Writing. They tell you what level they are (no entry requirements, but whether they are likely to be too basic or too advanced, which makes a big difference to what you get out of them).

I now know what works for me and what I dislike in courses, which differs for everyone, but I haven't done one like the Maestro ones seem to be. I think I might wait a while - I have a lot in the pipeline, and it's easy to overcommit to these things.

I know it's cheeky to let others be guinea pigs, but I'd definitely be interested to see what people think if they do sign up though.

I’ve tried a number of the free courses offered by the OU, Future Learn, MOOCs and so on but find them all a bit too passive, just content to read or watch and no one to interact with in any meaningful way. As an OU graduate, I’m no stranger to distance learning but at least there was a tutor to contact, assignments and feedback, monthly group meets and, for some modules, a discrete chat room to swap ideas with other students. I’m someone who needs a structure and interaction and deadlines otherwise I can drift. Locally, I enjoy WEA and am very glad to see it returning to class meets rather than Zoom. I like technology but it wasn’t a format that worked for me.

These look to me like lectures, hopefully inspiring and engaging ones.

Given the mention of City Lit, I don’t mean to derail this useful enquiry, but it’s a chance to alert anyone who doesn’t already know that there are myriad free online short courses:

- Open Learn ( Open University snippets) and Future Learn (courses from various Universities, free and paid for options)

- the American- based platforms (Coursera, and eg Yale and Harvard, sometimes known as MOOCs)

Plenty more.

I agree with all of that.

I did an MA over Zoom (because of Covid - it was meant to be a face to face one), and use it in my own teaching, so I think it can reasonably replicate in-person courses, plus it opens up geographical possibilities that aren't there otherwise. I'm not at all put off by it being online. It's the structure, interaction and deadlines that I need, too. Obviously there is no way of getting 5 hours of all of that with CAD for eighty quid, but I'm not sure that a video is likely to be worth it.

All the ones you mention are good, Cs783, but as NorthFace and I are saying, they are equivalent to giving you an online book and saying 'get on with it'. The Future Learn ones usually have a chat facility, so you can interact with other people, but as they are all in different time zones and accessing it in different ways there is no immediacy. I have started a few, but only completed the shortest ones with the smallest number of hours of commitment.

We are all different, and they may work for those with more discipline, but I really need to have something in my diary, and the knowledge that I will be asked questions or expected to feed back on what I've done in order to motivate me. That's what I meant by knowing what I need from online course.

Hello
Just reviving this thread - has anyone tried it yet?
I think I’m going to subscribe.