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Back to The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs

Learner Reviews & Feedback for The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs by University of Toronto

4.5
stars
1,642 ratings

About the Course

This course provides an introduction to: 1. Basic concepts of The Strategies and Skills Learning and Development System (SSLD), their relevance for every day relationships and provide advanced concepts for participants who work in fields of social work and health care . 2. Basic practice principles and methods of SSLD, illustrated by relationship management case studies. 3. The SSLD framework for relationship management assessment; N3C (needs, circumstances, characteristics, capacity) and problem translation. 4. Core competencies in the relationship management application of the SSLD system: Observation learning, simulation, real life implementation, review and monitoring....

Top reviews

M

Apr 23, 2020

Really fun and felt like I learned a lot about myself. If you are looking for insight on your relationships whether it is your significant other, best friend, or family than this class is for you!!!!

JK

May 7, 2020

This course manages to be information-packed and interesting at the same time. Professor Tsang and his team engages the leaner in a conversation-like format in each lecture that is just the lenght!

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26 - 50 of 484 Reviews for The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs

By Almyn C A

Aug 29, 2020

I am a college student who took this course mainly for self-development. I planned on rating this course 5 stars, however due to the abundance of areas of improvement I have found, I downgraded my score to 4 instead.

Firstly, I learned so much from this course that I was able to apply to my life fairly easily. The SSLD framework is simple yet very useful. This course gave me a new perspective on topics concerning interpersonal relationships such as dealing with relationship problems, growth, transformation and termination, intimacy and sex, and affairs. Dr. Tsang offered great wisdom he attained through decades of experience and research. I had fun reading through the additional materials they included at the end of or in between videos as well. If you enjoy cultural diversity, then you will find more reasons to like this course. The specialized lessons are presented by Ph. D. and Masters students from all over the world.

Next, I believe that the format of the videos could've used a bit of tweaking. This course consists mainly of videos of discussions between the course tutors and Dr. Tsang, although the some videos in the first week only had Dr. Tsang in them.

In addition, it was a bit discouraging at first when I discovered the great number of videos they have for each week. I was even more baffled when I observed that several of the videos were 3 minutes or less. Considering that most of videos feature conversations between two people, cutting them into segments of 200 seconds in length simply disrupted the flow of ideas. Sometimes, they take one topic, for example, the six domains of transformation, and cut it into 4 videos each less than 4 minutes each. If they spliced together the four videos into one that is 12 minutes long, it would have made the discussion more organic and would have been better in facilitating understanding.

One time, Dr. Tsang referenced something he said at the start of their conversation, and since I forgot about it, I had to back-track and skim through the previous videos just to understand what it was that he said. I think that a reason they split some topics into multiple videos, although they were part of the same conversation, may be because they had to cut a part of the conversation and didn't want to make it obvious. Honestly, a quick transition effect could've done the job. Videos in other courses do it all the time. Even if the lighting or the camera angle had changed and it was obvious that some parts of the video were shot at a different time or day, my overall comprehension of the topic was not affected at all. The concepts were easier to relate and chunk since they were just in one video.

One way they tried to remedy this gap brought about by the splitting of the topic into multiple videos was to insert a summary a the end of a video series. Unfortunately, even those felt awkward and out-of-place. One person off-camera would reiterate some of the important points, but sometimes he would fail to include all of the content of the discussion or would add another point from who knows where.

Another issue I discovered was the pacing of the lessons. This, again, is brought about by the chosen format for this course. When introducing topics and concepts, using a powerpoint presentation and adding a voice-over would have been much faster and more effective than a discussion between two people in the screen. They only got into the more interesting topics at the very last week, and even then, I felt that the discussions could've gone on for longer. By presenting the important concepts more efficiently, then more discussions on the application of the SSLD framework could have happened.

While discussion videos are the bulk of the videos (in terms of amount), they include a specialized lesson in some modules. The specialized lessons are prezi presentations with voice-overs and are about as long as the one whole lesson (around 8 normal videos). Some are just redundant and not necessarily related to the topic of that week's module. Since they are optional (I think), I suggest skipping them althogether or just read the trascript.

Those presented above are the major issues and the next few are only minor. I do not know who encodes the transciptions but the transciptions need a bit of work. I have transcribed lectures in law school as a side job before, and the work I see in this course is shoddy. The following comments do not apply to the transcriptions in all of the videos. I only noticed these because I prefer to take notes using the "save note" feature. The first is the awkward cutting in the middle of sentences. Sadly, the "save note" function does not work if the chunk of text you want to save are separated by a time-marker. It does not make sense to separate a topic, much less a sentence, using a time-marker. The second is that some words were probably mis-heard. Because a lot of the speakers in this course are from different parts of the world, thus have heavily- accented English, some words in the transcription are wrong. I see how they might have mis-heard some words, but there are times when I do not know whether the transcriptors are actually listening or not. As an example, in a specialized lesson video on gay Filipinos in Canada, instead of writing LGBTQ, the transcription has LGB"D"Q. I mean, really? My final issue on transcriptions is about completeness. I mentioned beforehand that some videos have an additional snippet at the end summarizing the topic however, the transcriptions do not include this segment.

Choosing to teach a lesson through a video of a discussion between two people has its strengths and weaknesses, Unfortunately the makers of this course exposed more weaknesses than showed off the strengths. However, I know that there are people who do not care for the things I mentioned above and by all means, I sincerely hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.

TLDR; Content-wise, very rich. I think everyone can take away at least one thing from this course. However, it is not the most professional-looking of all the courses. Main issues are about the presentation of the content.

By Ethan F

Apr 23, 2017

Course design is pretty uneven in pace, engagement and expectation setting. The interactive segments could be better. Also, the core content feels like a hodge-podge of different sources thrown together to support the Professor's lexicon.

By Fred V

Nov 3, 2020

This is less a course than a rambling monologue, based upon the word 'like' (the comparative) repeated more often than I care to count. Very little is quoted from advanced research, most is self-sourced. The innovations, notably about erotic justice, are not developed enough. There is much that can be improved.

By Muhammad A K

Nov 12, 2017

Boring and monotonous way of explanation.

By NEELESH V C 1

May 19, 2020

I want to unenroll this course

By Julie T

Aug 4, 2020

Really interesting course. Learned a lot of information about relationships that would definitely aid in the way I build and manage my relationships with others. Also helps with building more understanding and compassion towards others through understanding the reason why certain things such as breakups occur and the reasons why people look for certain bonds with others.

All in all, if you're looking for a course that explores and helps you understand relationships, this one's pretty good.

By Janki S

Apr 8, 2020

Great course. Not only did I learn a lot, but things which I already knew got a new perspective. Not only did I enjoy it but it helped in personal issues too. Another very useful thing is that after the course is over one still has access to it. So one can go back and access the material again and think about it. I think I got more out of it in my second run through it!

Felt some of the examiners were a bit simplistic. But on the whole a great course. Would highly recommend it.

By Nae S

Aug 9, 2020

It helped me assess and address Needs- these show up in almost every interaction we have with others and also ourselves. It's a blueprint for building healthy relationships, understanding ourselves and others to make sure our needs are met for an encouraging future. The course also addresses the challenges that relationships are subjected to and explains the why's and how's behind them. This is an eye opener, check it out for yourself.

By Боровенська К С

Aug 7, 2022

What was valuable from your lessons was that the meaning of the relationship became clear to me, namely that it is work. There are no suitable people, there are no ideal partners, there is only the two of you and the desire to explore the world together, and, accordingly, to get to know each other, touch each other's facets, work on intimacy and improve relationships. Comfort and love don't come easy

By Karl A R F

Sep 5, 2020

This course gives you confidence and skills to manage your needs and the needs of people you are in a relationship with. The course sets you up for the complexities which relationships bring to your life but with rewarding, calming experiences as your emotion become stable and you provide an enjoyable and slow process in building a strong and caring relationships.

By Tom T

Apr 21, 2020

This course provides me a very comprehensive knowledge pertaining to human relationship by dissecting the human needs and 3C. It makes me better understand the nature of human relationship as well as equip me with the mindset to deal with any potential relationship issues in the future. A very good course worth taking to better understand yourself and your partner!

By Tran H A

Apr 24, 2020

A fantastic course! Although some parts may seem a bit repetitive, I have gained a deeper understanding of myself and what I need to do in order to improve my relationships. I absolutely love the lecture notes! This is the first course that include them in the materials! Therefore, it is very easy to go through the materials again to revise the course's content.

By MARCIANO M L

Aug 14, 2020

Online dating as the newest way of searching for partner this brought by pandemic in a New Normal. With the help of technology it leads us to a comfortable, much easiest way. Less cost and time to meet someone and getting to know each other. But also we must be aware of the truth that many people use this for fun, to scam and some are using false info.

By Debry W

Nov 22, 2019

Amazing course! Very challenging if you avoid (purposely or not) connection and empathy. In our crazy world we need to understand each other better and learn from each other. I completely recommend this MOOC. Thank you for sharing your knowledge, it already improved the way I interact with my friends and family for good! =)

By Fayaz P

Aug 30, 2021

The course is very insightful and the team has taken pains to cover most of the topics related to relationships. I got an opportunity to learn about the relationship dynamics.

I would certainly recommend anyone who's looking to upgrade their skills in relationship management.

By ALEXANDROS C

Mar 14, 2021

Very inspiring, helpful, interesting and useful program. It helps everyone copes with everyday issues.

I dare to say that it has improved my life.

Dr Tsang and everyone else, Thanks for all from the bottom of my heart!!

Alexandros

By Divyanshu S

Aug 28, 2020

It'a an excellent and a very interesting course not just for people trying to make a career as a social worker but for anyone pursuing any field to help learn learn navigate relationships better

By Luminitza F

May 21, 2022

I highly enjoyed the content and the way of teaching! Definetely recommended!

By Vipin K

Jun 6, 2022

A very useful , interesting and empowering course .

By Sushil

Jun 20, 2022

Really understanding of human nature and relations.

By AAKhan

Apr 26, 2020

This course does address the science of relationships but the examples and scenarios are more oriented towards couples. And i thin because the SSLD concept is based on and has been developed for couples therapy. I would have liked relationships in general. There are so many other ones that exist other than your partner. They too need to be understood. I think a little less of SSLD would have made this possible.

The additional reading material was almost all paid material and very expensive at that. instead of constantly promoting his book the Professor could have attached relevant excerpts so that one could still read sections that were applicable.

By Moniruzzaman A

Mar 4, 2019

Thank you so much for a great course and valuable information. Looking forward to having another nice course.

Warm regards,

Moniruzzaman Ahmed

By Dubravka M v L

Aug 14, 2020

the language used by speakers (and in transcript) is ..... really difficult as half of it is made of "sort of -like -yeah" . waste of time in struggle to follow and understand what it is really about :(

I am sorry to have to say this.... still grateful that this is available to everyone, and everywhere. thank you for the opportunity to have been able to briefly participate.

By shivkumar h

May 13, 2020

Grading not upto the mark

By Juliette R

Jan 3, 2024

I did not like the explanations nor the rhythm of the classes. I would’ve appreciated more of the Professor explanations instead of simple power points