Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master tough subjects
Deep Teaching Solutions · View on Coursera ↗
Taught by Dr. Barbara Oakley, Dr. Terrence Sejnowski
Personal DevelopmentComputer Science
About the course
This course gives you easy access to the invaluable learning techniques used by experts in art, music, literature, math, science, sports, and many other disciplines. We’ll learn about how the brain uses two very different learning modes and how it encapsulates (“chunks”) information. We’ll also cover illusions of learning, memory techniques, dealing with procrastination, and best practices shown by research to be most effective in helping you master tough subjects. Using these approaches, no
The dissent
The most-upvoted critical review (206 votes, 1.0★).
“this course states tons of info that is obvious. I mean tons. at one point the instructor says if there is a class review before a test it would be a good idea to attend. At another point her colleague says you can get a lot of intellectual stimulation by having smart peers to talk to. They also say your brain will work better if you exercise and get a good night's sleep. Are you serious? This is your advice? Could this be any more obvious? The course is filled with obvious statements like this making it much longer than it needs to be. Seriously, it could be cut in half if not by two thirds. They also tell you the names of different chemicals in your brain. How this helps you learn better I don't know. There are a few good pieces of advice here and there. It's a shame you have to listen to so many lectures to hear them. They could have cut out the obvious stuff and got to the point much quicker.”
Coursera's 4.8 comes from 93,311 ratings. Of those, 0.5% are 1–2★.
Starisk reads the reviews learners voted most helpful, and weights each by the square root of its votes: a review with 80 upvotes counts about five times one with 2. Unvoted reviews are not skipped out of laziness — by this model they carry no evidence that other students endorsed them.
That measures what the most-endorsed reviews say, not “true quality.” The rating distribution above is the whole population, so you can see the sample next to it.
Reviews read on 22 Oct 2026.Read them on Coursera ↗