Letters
Congratulations to all the Graduates!
Around the world, students are graduating. If you’re one of them, or if someone close to you is graduating, congratulations!!! My family swapped pictures on WhatsApp recently and came across this one...
Learning & Education
Letters
Coursera Goes Public
I have a two-year-old daughter, and am expecting my son to be born later this week. When I think about what we can do to build a brighter future for our children, the most important thing is to create a foundation for education.
Letters
There’s No Substitute for Communication Skills
Engineers need strong technical skills to be successful. But many underestimate the importance of developing strong communication skills as well.
Letters
The Joy and Value of Life-Long Learning
My father recently celebrated a milestone: He has completed 146 online courses since 2012. His studies have spanned topics from creative writing to complexity theory. Ronald Ng is a great example of lifelong learning.
Letters
Learning for Humans, Learning for Machines
I’ve been trying to teach my toddler the alphabet. Despite having some educational experience, when she mispronounces a vowel for the nth time, I can’t help but feel like I’m doing it wrong.
Letters
Covid-19 and the Shift to Online Learning
I spoke on Tuesday at Coursera’s annual conference. It was the company’s most well-attended conference yet, and the first to be held online. Higher education is in for turbulent times.
Letters
Medical Applications of AI
This week’s issue of The Batch is all about medical applications of AI. Amid the current pandemic, the marriage of AI and medicine is more urgent than ever. My father is a practicing doctor, and I grew up seeing firsthand how the right...
Letters
Conferences in the Time of Covid
The Covid-19 pandemic is a tragedy that demands urgent and humane response. It’s also pushing us toward new ways of gathering and sharing information — and that may be a faint silver lining that might grow brighter over time.
Letters
Andrew on Lex Fridman's Podcast
I chatted recently with MIT researcher Lex Fridman on his Artificial Intelligence podcast, where we discussed our experiences teaching deep learning. It was the most fun I’ve had in an interview lately, and you can watch the video here.
Letters
The Value of Life-Long Learning
Many of us apply labels to ourselves that shape our identity. Some say, “I’m a sports fan,” and this attitude motivates behaviors such as cheering for the home team. Others identify themselves as introverts, extroverts, vegetarians, gamers...
Letters
The Best Way to Build a New Habit
I just finished reading BJ Fogg’s new book, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything. Fogg explains that the best way to build a new habit is to start small and succeed, rather than starting too big and giving up.
Letters
Recommended Educational Resources
One of the best gifts a friend gave me last year was recommending a book that I subsequently read and loved. She didn’t even have to buy it for me!