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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology by University of Alberta

4.9
stars
3,421 ratings

About the Course

Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology is a 12-lesson course teaching a comprehensive overview of non-avian dinosaurs. Topics covered: anatomy, eating, locomotion, growth, environmental and behavioral adaptations, origins and extinction. Lessons are delivered from museums, fossil-preparation labs and dig sites. Estimated workload: 3-5 hrs/week....

Top reviews

JH

Apr 5, 2017

Thank you for this excellent course! I really enjoyed the short videos, the concise notes, and quick quizzes (both at the end of each lesson, as well as the main point quizzes throughout the videos).

PM

Oct 17, 2020

Even as a dinosaur nerd, I still learned a lot. Instructional videos with embedded quizzes were very well constructed. I'm just a bit bummed that I couldn't access the fossil viewer for some reason.

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101 - 125 of 1,166 Reviews for Dino 101: Dinosaur Paleobiology

By Siddharth B

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Jul 31, 2019

It was a really enthralling journey for me, eventhough I knew a lots of concepts previously. Anyway, I strongly recommend this course as it emphasizes on most of the concepts that paleontologists require the most. Also, the dedicated mentors teach in a way that makes you understand the concept in and out.

Once again, thanks to Dr. Philip Currie and Betsy and last but not the least the Coursera community.

By Mary P

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Jul 6, 2018

Very interesting course on Dinosaurs and the Earth's environment during the Age of Dinosaurs. Particularly enjoyed learning about the different Eras of time and the evolution of creatures through these periods. The presenters are engaging and the course itself was well-presented and thorough! Loved every minute- even though it dispelled any illusions I might of had of Jurassic Park becoming reality ;)

By Jessie P

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Jul 15, 2017

The material in this course was fascinating and well presented. Students needed a certain amount of basic biology and geology to understand the course material, and there were units covering this information. I enjoyed those lectures presented from dig sites and in museums alongside fossils the most, as, for me, the largest attraction is simply seeing what dinosaurs and their predecessors looked like.

By Julian A

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Mar 19, 2017

The amount of information I learned as well as retained was astounding. I had no idea I was going to be taking in this amount of information from an online course no less. The course it's self is well structured and allows for you to work towards the goals at your own pace. Highly recommended. I will be looking into the other paleontology courses offered here on this site by The University of Alberta.

By Evan L

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Nov 10, 2018

This was a very fun and interesting course. Learning about the dinosaurs themselves, but also where they came from and the evolution from their beginning through to the birds that we know them as today was fascinating. One of the best parts though is learning about the different pieces of a 4.6 billion year puzzle and how they all fit together. It has made the world we live seem more beautiful to me.

By Alejo N

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Mar 10, 2019

Excellent curse! It was not a problem for me not to have knowledge about dinosaurs and geology, because everything is explain clearly and concisely by the excellent teachers and researches. Very good videos, examples, supplementary material, images, photographs, landscapes and analogies. I really enjoyed learning about dinosaurs as well as knowing the University of Alberta. You did a very good job!

By Marco L G

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Aug 18, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. While it was relatively basic, it laid great foundations for further learning about dinosaurs as a whole. Having learned so much about dinosaurs growing up, this course helped me get the saga of the dinosaurs and their world in a straightforward manner. The lesson notes, combined with the videos, really fleshed out a proper understanding of the material taught.

By Ana C C F

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Aug 12, 2020

A really good course!! They dominate the ability of distance teaching. Also just like to highligh that the links for fossil views were not working at all, so I just skipped that part, only in one occasion it did work and I was able to see some 3D models of fossils and that was a problem noted by a great number os collegues that into engaged t the course. In short, it was a perfect course.

By Freddy R

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May 17, 2020

I thought this course was brilliant, it's slow paced and easy to understand, using a wide range of vocabulary and context from reliable resources

It's the perfect course for anyone who is interested in dinosaurs and the history of earth

It's truly been 12 of the best lessons I have ever had in my life, as it's a combination of everything I have seen or watched before and it was beautiful

By Yaatheshini A K

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Dec 3, 2023

I really loved learning from all the instructors! It was a truly fun course, and if UofA had created more three-credit courses, I would have definitely taken them all for my electives. I was really disappointed when I couldn't find any more 3-credit courses for palaeontology for the next semester. I really hope you add more! Meanwhile, I'll complete more of UofA's courses for leisure!

By Tyler B

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Feb 4, 2019

Excellent and informative course, taken by a true dinosaur fan! Learned plenty of new facts about dinosaurs and sharpened my extant knowledge. Great presenters and well-developed MOOC. I may re-audit all of the paleontology courses offered by U. of Alberta for personal pleasure, as they were sincerely enjoyable, entertaining, and communicative! Thanks to Dr. Currie and the whole team!

By Rachel H

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Jul 1, 2020

This was a very informative, entertaining, and engaging course. I especially appreciated the interactive nature of it, going well beyond simple "end-of-module" quizzes. The questions posed in the middle of the modules allowed me as a learner to think about (and process) what had been said in a way that made the information applicable and relevant. Would highly recommend to others!

By Kieran S

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Dec 11, 2017

Absolutely fantastic!! As an already qualified scientist in biology this course was useful even for someone like myself with a degree. This course has the right balance between basic dinosaur science for the dinosaur "hobbiest" and more scientific information for someone like myself looking for more of a challenge. It was fun, engaging and interesting!! I only wish there was more!

By Mina N

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Aug 17, 2021

It was very educational and so much fun! I read some of the books on dinosaur fossils in Japanese, and found the name of Dr Currie several times, so it made me more familiar to the course. The narrator was really good in talking, very clear and nice. I didn't know much about dinosaurs but this course was just the right difficulty and ease. Overall, I strongly reccomend it !!

By Vaishnavi P

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Jul 7, 2020

i'm an undergraduate student majoring in zoology. the beautiful and little known world of dinosaurs had always fascinated and hence i want to become a paleontologist in the coming future. this course was really helpful in making me understand what, why, how and when of paleontology and this basic knowledge has set up a strong and concrete base for my future studies. thank you

By Walter K

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Sep 13, 2021

An excellent course, the text is well written, with interesting links at the end (although some of them are not active), and the lectures are engaging, both in content and presentation. They are interspersed with little quizes to keep up one's interest and sometimes focus one's attention on important points. I really feel that I have learned a lot, and used my time wisely.

By Jonathan F

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Mar 22, 2023

El curso es estupendo y divertido. No solo se concentra en enseñar la evolución y el árbol filogenético de los dinosaurios, sino lo nutre con muchísima información científica convergente con el tema de estudio, provocando aprender todo tipo de cosas y de la manera más divertida y eficiente. El material de apoyo como los videos y los textos son didácticos y fáciles de usar.

By Sanoop C

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May 9, 2018

This course is just awesome, and so are the instructors! It was an amazing ride over the last 12 weeks and I learned a lot about dinosaurs .The focus on the scientific method rather than just a pool of data is praiseworthy. It has given me an impetus to research further on these amazing groups of animals.

Thank you Betsy,Phil, Gavin, and the rest of the staff.. :)

Sanoop M

By Zach E

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Aug 24, 2020

Thank you all! I've always loved dinosaurs and this was a great overall lesson of everything dinosaur. The "quiz" questions given throughout the lectures were not always just to see if you were paying attention in the lecture, but also to hypothesize and think critically. I thought those were very effective! Hopefully someday I can visit the University and its resources.

By Rachel G

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Aug 13, 2019

I have had an exceptional time participating in this course! I've had an interest in paleontology for a while, and this was a great introduction course. The reading is super informative and very interesting. The mini quizzes within the videos are very helpful and are useful tools to keep you on track. I have loved everything about this course. I'll probably take another!

By Beestin6

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Jun 19, 2020

I've thoroughly enjoyed this whole course and learnt a great many things. I'd like to think this a fantastic stepping stone and has opened me up to a variety of options moving forward. My interest has grown and I am looking forward to further study and learning in the future.

The accessibility of the course is perfect and i highly recommended it to anyone considering it.

By Tim K

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Jun 5, 2018

Dino 101 was well written and presented. Quality work by leaders in their field. The readings were interesting and clear though some of the lessons could use some proofing for typos and syntax edits. I have already enrolled in another palaeontology course presented by the University of Alberta and plan to take the other courses offered in palaeontology by them as well.

By Erin B

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Jun 9, 2017

So much fun to learn about paleontology! I joined this course after a visit to the Museum of Natural History here in New York. I realized I could take a class for free and learn so much more than even a day at the museum could teach me. Sometimes the quizzes were challenging, but I feel like I am much more knowledgeable now and hope to learn more in the future. Thanks!

By Chelsea B

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Apr 28, 2020

Holy cow so much material. I had a blast learning about Dinos and so much more. Betsy, Phil, and the rest of the presenters did an amazing job and really showed they knew their stuff. This class made me excited to keep learning. I appreciated the provided notes as they gave a variety of information that supplemented and reinformed what they were saying in the videos.

By sarah c

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Jun 28, 2020

Thank you so much for awakening the long lost passion which I have had for paleontology and all things Dinosaur. This course is superb not only does it educate you, it is done in an understandable manner and the tutors are very engaging . I enjoined this course so much I have signed up for another with the University of Alberta. Thank you to all persons involved.