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Update FAQ language and order

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Authored-by: Waciuma Wanjohi <code@waciuma.com>
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Waciuma Wanjohi 2020-09-11 13:55:20 -05:00
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FAQ.md
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@ -8,12 +8,12 @@ Alternatively, you could [contribute](#CONTRIBUTING.md) an answer yourself.
## Contents
- [Are Coursera courses free to access?](#are-coursera-courses-free-to-access)
- [How can I review the math prerequisites?](#how-can-i-review-the-math-prerequisites)
- [What is a good course to learn a language (C++, Rust, Java, etc)?](#what-is-a-good-course-to-learn-a-particular-language)
- [Why is the Firebase OSSU app different/broken?](#why-is-the-firebase-ossu-app-different-or-broken)
- [In what order should I take the courses?](#in-what-order-should-i-take-the-courses)
- [Does every resource in the main curriculum have to be free?](#does-every-resource-in-the-main-curriculum-have-to-be-free)
- [Are Coursera courses free to access?](#are-coursera-courses-free-to-access)
- [Is it necessary to purchase the Verified Upgrade for edX courses?](#is-it-necessary-to-purchase-the-verified-upgrade-for-edx-courses)
- [Why do you recommend skipping the second half of CS50?](#why-do-you-recommend-skipping-the-second-half-of-cs50)
- [Why doesn't the curriculum cover/ignore topic X?](#why-doesnt-the-curriculum-coverignore-topic-x)
@ -22,29 +22,6 @@ Alternatively, you could [contribute](#CONTRIBUTING.md) an answer yourself.
## Questions
### Are Coursera courses free to access?
Some courses that require payment to access probably do exist on Coursera, but we don't put those on our curriculum.
All Coursera courses that we put on the curriculum must, at minimum, be **free to audit**.
For some courses, all course features are available for free;
for others (especially those that are part of a specialization), you may only be able to access the lecture videos.
(If you find the policies have changed for any courses on our curriculum, please tell us!)
Unfortunately, for some courses, Coursera's interface is [very aggressive](https://darkpatterns.org/) about convincing you that you have to pay.
You may see something like this on the course page:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/MxOcYZv.png" alt="Free Trial" style="width: 400px;"/>
When attempting to enroll in such a course:
- Click the blue "Enroll" or "Enroll Now" button.
- A pop-up will appear.
- **Do not click** "Start Free Trial", unless you do want to pay.
- Find the text that says "Audit this course" at the bottom.
- Click **Audit**.
![Audit this course](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/3349406/27321369-95ca12e6-55cc-11e7-9b5c-f8fedd8fd643.png)
### How can I review the math prerequisites?
Many OSSU students choose to review math topics that they have not studied recently.
OSSU recommends students use Khan Academy for such a review.
@ -90,15 +67,34 @@ At the same time, we recognize that education is a resource that requires paymen
Therefore, we respect the business model of websites like edX, which make their materials free but with some paid add-ons, like official certificates or extra interaction with course instructors.
So we only require that the *learning materials* of a resource be free to access, not that every possible add-on be free.
It would be ideal if graded assignments were always free but if we had this requirement, we would have to exclude any resource that doesn't have graded assignments at all.
It would be ideal if graded assignments were always free. In the event that free assessments are not available OSSU looks for alternate assessments to pair with a course.
### Are Coursera courses free to access?
Some courses that require payment to access probably do exist on Coursera, but we don't put those on our curriculum.
All Coursera courses that we put on the curriculum must, at minimum, be **free to audit**.
For some courses, all course features are available for free;
for others (especially those that are part of a specialization), you may only be able to access the lecture videos.
(If you find the policies have changed for any courses on our curriculum, please tell us!)
Unfortunately, for some courses, Coursera's interface is [very aggressive](https://darkpatterns.org/) about convincing you that you have to pay.
You may see something like this on the course page:
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/MxOcYZv.png" alt="Free Trial" style="width: 400px;"/>
When attempting to enroll in such a course:
- Click the blue "Enroll" or "Enroll Now" button.
- A pop-up will appear.
- **Do not click** "Start Free Trial", unless you do want to pay.
- Find the text that says "Audit this course" at the bottom.
- Click **Audit**.
![Audit this course](https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/3349406/27321369-95ca12e6-55cc-11e7-9b5c-f8fedd8fd643.png)
### Is it necessary to purchase the Verified Upgrade for edX courses?
If you just want to watch the videos, it is never necessary for any edX course on our curriculum.
CS50 doesn't use edX's grading system; it grades all assignments for free.
The [Software Development](https://www.edx.org/micromasters/software-development) courses have mostly free quizzes and assignments, but their Final Projects will only be graded by a human if you pay.
If you just want to watch the videos, it is never necessary for any edX course on our curriculum. Note that a number of edX courses only allow students to audit a course for the estimated number of weeks it takes to complete. Students should not begin a course until they are prepared to focus and complete the course.
### Why do you recommend skipping the second half of CS50?
@ -110,13 +106,7 @@ That being said, feel free to finish CS50 if you like it and want to.
### Why doesn't the curriculum cover/ignore topic X?
We have several goals that we have to balance:
- Ensure students learn the timeless principles of computer science in the best possible way, pedagogically speaking.
- Ensure students are given sufficient knowledge of today's systems to be employable in the near future.
- Ensure students are exposed to enough cutting-edge knowledge that they won't be left behind when technology changes, which it always does.
- Keep the curriculum brief enough that it can be completed in a reasonable amount of time.
Therefore, not everything can be included, but we strive to be eclectic so that students are both employable and well-armed for change.
You can read more about our curricular guidelines and the qualifications of the guidelines' authors [here](CURRICULAR_GUIDELINES.md). If you find a topic that is required by our guidelines and is not included in the curriculum, we should make a change! Read more about [contributing to a change](CONTRIBUTING.md).
### Why is the curriculum missing some pre-requisites?