Serena Williams teaches tennis, Stephen Curry the right technique for getting a basketball through the net, Gordon Ramsey instructs cooking, Jodie Foster explains directing, Neil Gaiman, storytelling, and Neil deGrasse Tyson, scientific thinking. These are not just people who are leaders in their field. They are people whom we have admired for a long time. We have consistently consumed their content for years, in some cases, decades. We have an emotional connection with them that derives from the personal significance that we have attached to the ideal we have of these celebrities.

A large audience has followed Jodie Foster's career since her role in "The Silence of the Lambs," perhaps even before. Some people have chosen a career in science thanks to the outreach work of Neil deGrasse Tyson. Others became ardent fans of tennis or basketball after following the athletic trajectories of Serena Williams and Stephen Curry.

The objective of a MasterClass ad is not to sell the idea of learning a discipline or area of theoretical study; it is to bring you close to your heroes and convince you that they will share the secret of what makes them geniuses. However, is the promise fulfilled?

The MasterClass website offers an annual membership for USD 180 that allows access to all the courses in its catalog, nearly four times the price of Domestika's annual plan without a discount. What is the added value of paying this sum instead of just subscribing to a less expensive, similar platform?

First of all, the production values are surprisingly high for an instructional video or tutorial. All the elements, the technical part, the photography, the narrative, the lighting, the shooting angles, all the aspects of production are very well presented. The visual experience when accessing any of these courses is undoubtedly outstanding. It will make the same impression as seeing any of these instructors exercise the disciplines for which we admire them.

The reading materials are complete and useful supplements to the video lessons and provide a more in-depth perspective on what underlies the skills and trajectories of the instructors. The video lessons are presented in brief and agile formats so as not to overwhelm viewers and to be comfortable for audiences at different levels of mastery in diverse disciplines.

On the other hand, the platform does not provide direct access to experts who are instructing us. While the videos do have a question and answer section that can be helpful to clarify a couple of specific questions, they do not provide followup on learning any of the items that instructors teach.

There are also no efficient ways to create a community of apprentices who remain in communication and grow together. The essential elements for continuing education include the social aspects, feedback, and interactions with people who are learning the same thing. The contents of the MasterClass site are presented more as a unilateral experience, in which we only receive the experiences and knowledge of the instructors.

If we approach the courses as vignettes of entertainment, simple instruction, and inspiration, then these sessions work perfectly. As spectators, we may be glued to the screen watching Gordon Ramsey do wonders on a cutting board or Steve Martin explaining how he built a comedy career without considering himself funny in the first place. These are the components of a fascinating story, not necessarily a practical lesson, but isn't that what the MasterClass ad was selling us in the first place? In a situation of prolonged isolation, do we always need to be exposed to effective learning? There are more practical courses offered, perhaps less entertaining, with concrete lessons and efficient tracking tools. Whether a product like MasterClass works or not will depend entirely on what the learner or viewer is seeking.

If what you want is a specific program that helps you master an area of study or discipline, a MasterClass may not be the best option for you. However, if you want to have a one-on-one experience with an expert whom you admire and want to know more about how he or she exercises their crafts, then acquiring a course of this profile might serve this purpose perfectly.

Have you taken a MasterClass or any other course on a platform that advertises courses taught by experts who have become famous in their disciplines? Tell us how you felt about the experience in the comments.

Translation by Daniel Wetta.

Continued here:
Inspiring and instructional: The Anatomy of MasterClass - Observatory of Educational Innovation