Mountains 101

If you enjoy the great outdoors, stunning scenery or learning about a variety of plants, animals and geological processes, this course could be for you! Not only does it explain how mountains are formed and degraded, it also teaches us about glaciers, the water cycle, and why mountain habitats change as the elevation increases. Mountain ecosystems are visited and adaptations of plants and animals to life in the cold, rugged landscape and sparse atmosphere are described. Various specific mountains are featured in the discussion of mountains in folklore and legends. The effect of climate change on the world’s mountains is analysed. As well, each week features a short video with practical tips on a different aspect of hiking and camping in the mountains.

An interactive world map is available most weeks to locate mountains and ranges discussed in the course videos, and the weekly course notes are a handy memory-jogger of many main points. Specialists in a range of fields provide short segments and there are even visits from two well-known public figures. Although it is a 12-week course, the weekly time commitment is not large.

I thoroughly enjoyed this course.

(Much of this review has already been published at the Institute for Mountain Research's site, mountainresearch.org.)

Mountains 101 is a great introduction to the growing young field of mountain studies by one of the best academic programs.
True to its promise as an introductory and interdisciplinary course, the class builds slowly from a basic foundation and draws from many different disciplines. The course begins by defining mountains in geological and topographical terms, while always keeping their signicance to human cultures in the mix. One possible definition of “mountain” is premised on locals calling the high point near them a “mountain,” whatever its measured height might be. Lesson 2 discusses physical origins and historical theories of mountain building. Next comes climate, especially mountains’ effects on atmospheric pressure, weather patterns, and tree lines. Lesson 4 describes physiological effects of high altitudes and the varied ways that humans have adapted to alpine environments, both long and short term. Other lessons tackle the water cycle, glaciers, mountains in the human imagination, natural hazards, biodiversity, preservation/conservation, and the uncertain future that mountains face.
The lessons are visually gorgeous, with dozens of photographs and video of mountainous places, especially the instructors’ home Canadian Rockies. The pace and tone are about right, with clear, straightforward explanations of topics. One of my few complaints about the course is that photos, often projected in the background behind the presenter, are not identified. Captions might be distracting, but I constantly find myself wondering just what and where are these enticing places we’re looking at. Expert guests sometimes make appearances; for example, Martin Price, who directs the Centre for Mountain Studies at the University of Highlands and Islands in Scotland. Each lesson includes a “tech tip,” in which two experienced guides give practical advice on planning and preparing mountain trips, as well as an interactive map that highlights mountains featured in that lesson. The course is part of Coursera.org’s offerings; so far it’s been technically flawless.
Mountains 101 is well worth the time of anyone who lives, works, or plays in and around mountains. Some of it may seem basic to specialists, but it’s meant to be an introduction. I’m learning (and re-learning) a lot, despite my slipshod study habits (I keep finding myself up against the Sunday deadline for each chapter). While always mountain-centric, the course also functions as a remedial lesson in a variety of topics (e.g., geology, meteorology, the respiratory system).
I will pretend that I have passed each of the lesson-ending quizzes on the first try.

A great class! I got the recommendation for this class from the Class Central cohort initiative! I am glad I joined this class and completed it. Well, this is one of those classes that I will keep visiting again and again and certainly keep learning as I explore mountains.

It is for everyone, those who love to explore mountains and those who may want to learn about mountains. Whatever is your learning goal, you are going to love this class. This class is from the U of Alberta in Canada. Both the instructors are amazingly passionate and they also brought many other types of professionals working in the mountain environment.

I also learned about the mountain day and celebrated the mountain day on December 11, 2021, along with class central cohort alums. Happy learning Mountains 101, I am sure, you will enjoy and learn a lot while having a lot of fun! :)

This course is fantastic:

- It has passionate instructors: thank you, David and Zac!

- It has a fascinating subject: I'll see mountains differently from now on.

- It's beautifully produced: well edited, nice music, crisp sound, beautiful image.

- It's well taught: the topics are chosen carefully, include variety, and strike a good balance between concision and detail.

- It has just-for-fun components: the interactive maps and Tech Tips are great.

- It's culturally sensitive: beyond science, it also shines a spotlight on mountain people and culture, and does so on a global scale.

- It brings together many researchers: I honestly couldn't count them all.

- It covers interesting topics: some of my favorite include volcanoes, mountain animals, the human body response and evolutionary adaptations to high elevations, and glaciers.

I wholeheartedly recommend the course. And I look forward to a potential follow-up course.

This is the single best MOOC I've ever taken. The instructors and those behind the scenes put in mind boggling amounts of effort in order to source inspirational and engaging images and videos of mountains, to design interactive and unique assessment ( I love the world maps!!), to include hiking tips, to go to the effort of recording interviews with people all over Canada and academic experts from many universities, as well as simply creating the most holistic education about a topic I've ever experienced. From culture to geology to hydrology to art, I have learned so much about mountains. This course is so interesting it hardly feels like learning. It's like what Planet Earth would be if it was a course. Everyone would benefit from taking this course. The course also went to some lengths to be inclusive, in terms of including aboriginal perspectives, addressing poverty and privilege in mountain landscapes, and roughly an equal amount of male and female experts. This allowed me as a young woman to truly engage with the content and feel like mountains are for me, too. This course epitomises the very best of what can be done in a MOOC. It is the gold standard. All courses could learn from this course. Instructors on other courses do sometimes struggle to take criticism from students regarding the accessibility and structure and approachability of their online courses, and excuse themselves by saying the MOOC format is simply limited and too hard. Those instructors have much to learn from this course. It can be done, and those who worked on Mountains 101 should be incredibly proud.

I will not complain and fully welcome any assessment that this is one of the best, if not the best, MOOCs in existence. I am simply in awe of the subject matter, the presentation of the material, and the heartfelt dedication that obviously went into creating this course. The course creators truly gave mountains justice and the respect these formations deserve, and have exceeded in delivering what the course title indicates. This is the most complete and well-rounded MOOC I have taken so far - the natural science, social science, art-humanities, spirituality and practice (i.e., tips on conducting a successful mountain recreational activity) involving our species's relationship with mountains are all adequately covered here. I highly recommend this course to everyone.

This is such a fun course. It's rich in content, approaching the topic of mountains from many different perspectives. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and a lot of effort went into bringing up views from a great amount of experts whose passion for the topic is oozing of the screen. By the time the credits rolled off the screen during the last video - yes this course has credits! - I swear a tear came from eye that my time watching mountains 101 while exercising on the hometrainer came to an end.

How it could be even better? perhaps throw in a peer reviewed assignment could be a great addition as it could give a chance to learners to share some of their own experiences. But overall this has been an absolute blast and I'm just sorry it's over.

I absolutely loved Mountains 101. I enjoyed each and every lesson - the depth and diversity of topics related to mountains as well as the up-to-date information and perspective. I appreciated the profession and interesting presentation of each lesson and how the topics blended together to create an understanding and appreciation of MOUNTAINS. The Tech Tips were an added practical bonus.

I found I could complete a lesson in 1 1/2 hour sitting with good focus.

I appreciated being able to print the "Course Notes" after each lesson for a good review before the quiz.

I wish I had been able to print the map with all of our locations at the end.

I was sad when the course ended but am happy that I live in the mountains of BC.