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Online, at home, and on the road, self education

816 views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  MazterCBlazter 
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I like to do everything on my own time and on my own terms. I work out at home, and take workout gear with me when I travel. I do not like to have a job with a set schedule and other people dictating to me what I am supposed to do.
I can relate!

I have always wanted to master the sciences.
Admirable and guaranteed to be enlightening; but I don't think anyone has ever "mastered" the sciences... we know an amazing amount of stuff... more than anyone could ever learn... but more importantly, there's an infinite amount of stuff we don't know, so there's never an end to what one can learn.
Nowadays with the internet, online videos, and a gigantic library at my fingertips, who needs to go to class? Desire to learn is one of the most important aspects of success in education.
It certainly is. I would just caution you, as a prospective self-directed learner, that there is far more pseudo-science and crap out there than there is real science, so be skeptical.

I have no special knowledge of TRU, but I have a long history with AU. Athabasca U was one of the early pioneers of distance ed, and they still have many of the world's experts working there. I know several of their faculty well, and they certainly have good introductory courses in the sciences.

I am starting by learning chemistry as a starting point. At the moment I am not too concerned with getting official credits. I still want to do this right, by acquiring complete and correct knowledge. I will concentrate on getting the official credits, diplomas, and degrees later.

How about study aids and methods? I suppose that an iPod, iPad, or Smartphone can be rigged into a flash card machine pretty easy, for reviewing and memorizing while on the go. Any other suggestions?
My first suggestion is to avoid memorizing. If you understand the concepts, you rarely need to memorize (although there are certainly exceptions). In chemistry, for example, if you can develop a good understanding of the principles on which the elements are organized into the periodic table, you don't need to memorize the periodic table, and more importantly, you'll understand why the elements react with each other to form compounds the way they do.

Enjoy your journey!
 
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