Online Event Criticism:
Discover Our Universe, or Not
Stanford’s Free Online Lecture Series is Not as Advertised
Stanford offers a free online learning series that is hosted live on YouTube. The series called “Discover our Universe” is provided by the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC).
The lectures are given by experts in the field who often have a doctorate from a top university, published research articles, and an impressive list of ongoing scientific projects. Someone interested in astronomy, a student of astrophysics or a science fiction writer might want to watch this lecture series to learn something new.
The public lectures are advertised as being:
“designed with the general public in mind, and are fun, easy to understand, and engaging.”
Stanford
Offering an easily accessible and free lecture from these experts is enticing and one can expect great things from Stanford. I watched the live steam for the Cosmic Microwave Background lecture and realized my expectations were too high.
The 3 Main Problems:
- Tech Issues
The live stream was laggy, had audio issues and the video was poor quality. IT issues can happen, but this was not their first stream, and a tech crew was on hand; they came prepared but failed to deliver.
If you are going to have an ongoing series that is made to be watched online, the technical set up should be top quality. If a viewer cannot clearly see or understand what is being said, they cannot enjoy the content.
2. Confused Intended Audience
As they advertise on their website:
The KIPAC public lectures “are recommended for the general public and students above the 9th grade.”
The lecture started by defining terms in cosmology then jumped to highly technical measurements for the cosmic microwave background (CMB). The lecturer, Dr. Federico Bianchini, did not know how to balance the information for the public or a 10th grader. In 40 minutes, he went from basic information to extremely specific information.
I felt as though I fell asleep in an intro course for a few minutes and woke up suddenly in my third semester of an astrophysics course with a mid-term due. They need to determine who the lectures are for and make sure the speaker can connect with them.
3. Fun?
A lecture advertised as fun suggests a charismatic speaker or engaging visuals. Dr. Bianchini gave a standard academic lecture. He was not monotone, but he did not engage the listeners. The only visuals included were infographics and photographs within a PowerPoint.
(If you are looking for fun scientific lectures, I recommend watching kurzgesagt’s YouTube videos. They create stylized animated videos and narrate with “optimistic nihilism.”)
What Did Other Viewers Think?
Out of about 200 live stream viewers, I was not the only one surprised and disappointed by the quality of Stanford’s series. This interview features a livestream viewer who does not work in a related field.
Interview with an Audience Member:
Steve Armound, an IT professional who works as a site reliability engineer in cyber security.
What was your overall impression?
It felt disjointed, had a lack of consistency and depth.
Did you learn anything?
That there will be a better method of gravitational lensing in the next 5 years, a new telescope is being built in Chile and a little about the wavelengths of CMB.
Would you recommend this lecture series?
No, it was too hard to understand for a layman and not in depth enough for an expert.
Who do you think should watch this series?
I don’t know and that’s the problem.
Would you watch a different topic in this series?
If it had a different speaker I might, but I would need to know that the tech issues were fixed.
What could they have done better?
Tech issues.
3 Things They Did Well:
- Host and Live Chat Moderators
An energetic host introduced the lecture, main speaker, and 3 live chat moderators. The live chat moderators were scientists in the field that actively answered chat questions. During the 15-minute Q&A session, the host repeated questions that the in-person audience members asked so the live stream viewers could hear them.
2. Ease of Access
They emailed a YouTube link once you registered for the event and a follow up email to remind you when the event was happening. The event was also recorded for future viewing if you were unable to watch the live stream.
3. Good Intentions
They shared a free lecture with an expert in the field and made it easily accessible.
What’s Next?
Standford needs to keep their lecture series on brand with their academic reputation, one of excellence. The Cosmic Microwave Background lecture may have been a fluke within the series, but it does not make me confident to watch another one.
Informative Interview
What is a Mental Performance Consultant?
Cue Lyssa Wopat and her journey to become one
Interview held by Haley Ivy, a current English major at Middle Georgia State University (MGA) on July 5, 2024, noon Eastern time on Zoom.
Interview Purpose:
To gain insight on how to manage a business online, what tools they learned that led to success, and what daily work is required towards social media marketing, branding etc.
About Lyssa Wopat:
Lyssa holds a Master’s degree in Sport & Performance Psychology from Lock Haven University and was previously a professional ballet dancer with The Georgia Ballet.
Her company, Performentality LLC offers therapeutic consultations for performing artists and athletes to help overcome their performance fears, anxiety, negative comparisons etc. with mental coaching.
Interview: