As a professional mechanical engineer, Badri Ratnam was inspired when MIT started offering massive open online courses (MOOCs) in engineering and science in 2012. He wondered if he was up to the challenge of solving problem sets and successfully completing exams from MIT.
Ratnam first began his journey with the course 8.MReVx/8.MReV (Mechanics ReView), and he hasn't looked back since. As he grew in his career in mechanical design and computer-aided engineering, he also completed nearly 40 MITx courses in physics, mechanical engineering, and materials science.
Part of MIT Open Learning, MITx offers free online courses across a wide variety of subjects to learners around the world. Learners may also opt for the certificate track for a low fee.
Ratnam has worked for companies such as Freudenberg e-Power Systems, Siemens, GE, and Westport Fuel Systems. His continued learning through MITx courses, as well as courses offered by other universities, has expanded his expertise to include areas such as physics, mechanics of materials, transport phenomena, failure and root cause analysis, validation and verification testing, vibration signal processing, certification and compliance statistical quality control, manufacturing, reliability, supplier selection, and more.
"There are many different learning styles," says Ratnam. "Some people might need to be in a classroom, and others might be able to learn entirely on their own from a textbook. Personally, I benefit from some amount of structure, including having timelines and deadlines, as well as assignments and discussion forums. With MITx, there is also the excitement of the rigor that can be a boost of adrenaline - trying to see whether you can tackle some of the toughest material, presented by a top institution."
Supplementing engineering education with extensive course offerings
Ratnam earned a bachelor's degree in engineering from the University of Delhi. He says during his undergraduate program he tended to study the night before exams, and was "more focused on passing the subject than deep learning."
He followed his undergrad studies with a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of South Florida and an MS in computational and applied mathematics from Simon Fraser University in British Columbia. Even with all of his degrees, he felt that he needed to revisit the engineering subjects he had initially learned as an undergraduate student, pursuing online courses to review the fundamentals and gain greater understanding and mastery.
The MITx courses Ratnam has taken have covered many different areas within engineering, physics, mathematics, supply chains, and manufacturing. He has recently completed Vibrations and Waves , taught by Yen-Jie Lee, Alex Shvonski, and Michelle Tomasik.
"It's an 18-week class with over 40 lessons, 13 assignments, and three exams, all designed very deliberately. I don't think I could have ever learned this very difficult subject without this structure," says Ratnam. "It's also important to note that I paid less than $100 for this class. MITx does not follow the dictum that 'you get what you pay for.' It's like getting a Ferrari for the price of an electric scooter."
Ratnam has also recently finished Information Entropy: Energy and Exergy , taught by former MIT Open Learning dean for digital learning Krishna Rajagopal, Peter Dourmaskin, and Aidan MacDonagh, as well as Shvonski and Tomasik.
Although Ratnam says he can't pick a favorite course - and is hard-pressed to even pick a few favorites of the many MITx courses he has taken - he says he has especially liked these recent courses and Elements of Structures , taught by Alexie M. Kolpak and Simona Socrate. In addition to the many MITx courses he has taken, he has also completed a few MIT Professional Education programs in smart manufacturing and design.
"As I've taken more and more courses, I've learned to never fear learning new things and exploring new areas," says Ratnam. "I used to think of more unfamiliar subjects and feel a little terrified, not knowing where to start, but I don't feel that any more. I know that with some time and effort, I can pick up new skills and knowledge."
Ratnam has found the discussion forums for MITx courses to be especially useful to the learning process.
"This is where the rigorous, engaging, yet automated, courses come to life," says Ratnam. "Learners from all over the world help each other in the problem sets and discuss their conceptual doubts. And the forums are diligently monitored by MIT staff to ensure there are no open questions, and all errors are corrected."
Increasing value in the workplace
Ratnam says that his MITx studies have deepened his understanding of a variety of engineering topics, which have given him new insights to apply as an engineer.
"My learnings from MITx courses have really helped me gain the confidence of having a deep understanding on the theoretical side," says Ratman. "I've developed a wide base of knowledge and have become the go-to person whom people come to with questions."
Ratnam has found MITx to be an excellent professional development resource. He notes that while many professionals have access to and complete courses offered at or through their workplaces, these usually aim to enable people to complete a very specific goal - such as performing a set task at work - within a short period of time. He says that with online courses, it's a much different timeline and result.
"MITx classes have provided me with a much broader overview of engineering phenomena," says Ratnam. "The benefit of the classes might not always come immediately. It can be a long gestation period for the information to all gel together. It's much more of a profound and long-term benefit."
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