MOOC about automation and scripting using AutoIT

[knowledge81]

Dear Members,

I'm glad to share with you today my online course about AutoIT (see below):

https://www.udemy.com/autoitscripting

Kindly feel free to subscribe and enjoy!

Kindest Regards,

Amine

 

 

 

 

Edited May 16, 2015 by knowledge81

[JLogan3o13]

As I mentioned on the LinkedIn page, I think the price is just right

You should also ask a Mod to move this to the appropriate forum, as there isn't really a question attached to it.

Edited May 15, 2015 by JLogan3o13

[SadBunny]

I am in doubt about how to react. What exactly is your intention with this post? Are you looking for feedback? And can you indicate who your target audience actually is, so that it can be regarded from that perspective? I am sincerely interested in your research of the actual demand for such a course. Especially if you are planning on charging money for it.

I did sit through a number of lessons and all in all, it looks (to me!) very much like an early draft version, with lots of botched sentences, unfinished examples and kind of disjointed "islands of tips&tricks", I would say. (Come on, who really needs a lesson about some very specific webcam automation UDF in a beginner AutoIt course?)

You should also definitely collaborate with a sample member of your target audience. Preferably a native or at least a very good English speaker too, because heavily accented, mumbly English (also in your writing) and mediocre sound quality are very distracting. Maybe even more so to fellow non-native speakers. Also, the way you talk through your examples shows too little preparation. Mind you, that's all in my honest opinion of course, and I am definitely not the actual target audience

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with the idea. And for free, as it is now, all it costs is some of your time and some viewers could maybe get some ideas from it that they wouldn't have gotten otherwise without extensive searching. But if you ever want to sell this, it needs a lot of work. This is an alpha version.

Edited May 15, 2015 by SadBunny

[JLogan3o13]

That is pretty much the reaction I had to this user's several posts in the AutoIt LinkedIn group. As I stated there, I am all for people sharing their stuff and teaching others, but in this case I don't think the course is "ready for prime time". It reminds me of this debacle.

http://www.amazon.com/Instant-AutoIt-Scripting-Emilio-Aristides/dp/1782165789/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1400637993&sr=1-2&keywords=autoit

 

Edited May 15, 2015 by JLogan3o13

[SadBunny]

Wow... I never heard about that one. My fingers are itching to buy the Kindle version, just out of morbid curiosity. Like taking that big bucket of popcorn, rum and cola to watch The Room  Luckily I am blissfully lacking a Kindle...

I browsed to a few more lessons and lesson 11 is just the proverbial big bucket of nope. We are taught how to automate a "fat client", which is apparently a piece of nondescript software that we have to install, on the instructor's computer magically filled with a large number of seemingly real-life contact names, shown in a public video. Really?! Furthermore, we are taught how to hardcode coordinates and unwieldy keystroke combinations into our script to automate this very very specific piece of software that we will never use. And it goes on for 16 minutes. It's a good thing that lesson isn't the first one I landed on

[guinness]

The language is AutoIt NOT AutoIT.

[SadBunny]

Quiz 2 question 5 has 3 multiple choice answers, of which two were exactly the same. Course designers should really walk through their own courses at least once (and preferably sober) before charging $179 for them.

Luckily OP is an experienced IT manager, who succeeded in a record time to evolve in the stategic field of SEPA buzzword-or-another. Just imagine what this course would have been like without his excellent comunication skills and his total understanding of customers' requirements!

[TheDcoder]

I think the video is somewhat incorrect (mis-leading?)... IMHO though

 

Except the video, Its pure gold, TD

[knowledge81]

Dear all,

Thank you for all those remarks and feedbacks. I am really really glad to reply in order to improve the content and do the adjustments needed.

If I have to summurize, I can see the folowing needs:

1- Collaboration with a native english speaker.

2- Adjust the content to the audience.

3- correct mistakes in Quizz and grammar

4- AutoIt instead of AutoIT

Plus other remarks

Regarding lesson 11, @SadBunny, can you please say what's wrong with the choice of the contact fat client? knowing the one chosen is just an example....

@SadBunny: Fyi, SEPA means Single Euro Payment Area where all europe is considered as one area for payments relying on an XML ISO20022 norm.

 

Look forward to hearing from you!

Kindest Regards

 

 

 

[knowledge81]

Hi JLogan3o13,

Thanks for your remarks,

Can you precise the reasons that makes you think that this online course remind you the kindle course you mention?

Why do you think the course is not "ready for prime time"?

Kindest Regards,

PS:

I havent seen the kindle version but I found the answer of the kindle course owner very intersting...(see below)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3KZKCXYTXS3WP/ref=cm_cr_pr_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=1782165789

 

 

Edited May 16, 2015 by knowledge81

[SadBunny]

Having worked on a number SEPA-related projects myself, I'm sure you know PCI compliancy. Why then do you use what seem to be real-life contacts in your video, thereby compromising their privacy? If that isn't an obvious nono for someone as educated, experienced and driven as yourself, I don't know what is.

Also you require your students to install some obscure third party application for no reason whatsoever. There are dozens of readily available applications in every student's Windows installation.

[knowledge81]

Hi SadBunny,

thank you for your remarks. I really appreciate them!

Actually the contacts are not real (Otherwise it's a mess )..in addition, no credit card nor adress nor email appear with those contacts which is fine!!.

Regarding the install .. this third contact tool license allow free distribution..I think it's a very old version 1995!

Maybe in a next iteration it's good to mention an http link to skype or spotify or any tool like that for an automation exercice.

Kindest Regards

Amine

PS: Also Kindly Keep in mind that you are AutoIt experienced users (at least you and Mr Logan) and most students willing to enroll within that mooc will probably have little knowledge about automation with a free tool  and then that course is more suitable for them.. than for AutoIT geeks!

 

 

 

[SadBunny]

Look, I'm torn between two thoughts here. Free information sharing is cool and all, which is why I like these fora and I appreciate initiatives such as the one you undertook. But this course was obviously intended to be sold for actual money, and that opens you up for some more serious scrutiny. But it is free now, so I feel kind of bad for having such a strong opinion about it.

Anyway, since you seem to want to go into it, I think you just adequately proved my point about the client being a bad choice. My bigger point is that there is no reason to use a third-party tool (in this case meaning not embedded in Windows by default) in the first place.

Let me answer that not "ready for prime time" (yes, I know you asked JLogan3o13): in my opinion the course looks like you just videoed some random brainstorm sessions about what you would like to teach, but then decided to kind of leave it at that and stamp "course" on it. I'm not saying it's bad stuff in principle (I'm not going into what I would code differently), just that it's just not well-constructed teaching material (yet). It can probably be turned into teaching material, but in all honesty, I would suggest starting by redesigning the whole thing and preparing the lessons in advance, as opposed to just kind of making it up as you go along.

Edited May 16, 2015 by SadBunny