I would have appreciated direct instructions instead of referring to some books and some time off. You don't get the full benefit of having an instructor when it is taught that way which would work at post-graduate level courses. This being an introductory course I would prefer more hands on instruction.

Loved the course! However, the peer reviews are a farce. Most of the reviews I received were not reviews at all but someone going through the criteria and entering 'yes' or '1' in each grading criteria just to satisfy the requirement. No actual reviewing being done at all. Very disappointing.

Content is good initially but week 4 was terrible. If no better way of delivering its ideas exists, I would suggest deleting it. Also fix the peer-review, people reviewed me with "-" and gibberish.

The instructor Amity Paige has a style that captivates the listeners. Some of the exercises didn't seem necessary but were interesting no the less.

If you've not read a single book on writing, this class might be good. Otherwise, don't expect to get much about the ~30 minutes of lecture.

This course was extremely helpful with the exception of peer review. Peer review is the big disappointmen of this entire course.

I didn't actually learn anything. This felt like a waste of time, with largely boring assignments.

lots of hackers. no instructor interaction. can't see reviewers comments. some good content.

Unfortunately, this course isn't too useful, even for beginners. These courses have a terrible feedback system, people can just write "Okay" or even a letter and that counts as feedback. Passing this course mean absolutely nothing with this feedback system and so the certificate could be earned by anyone at all. The talks between the course teachers with each other are long, boring and just go on and on and offer at times, little real advice. Why do I need to see previous teachers coming back to talk to the new course teacher for 10-15 mins? Feels a bit like I'm intruding with these teachers chatting to each other about random stuff.

Disclosure: I opted out of the course after the first week. This would be a great class for someone who's not familiar with creative writing or hasn't done this type of writing regularly. As someone who's been writing for a long time I didn't find it particularly helpful. One of the reading assignments, The Odour of Chrysanthemums, was no longer available to read. Also I'm not a fan of peer reviewed grading which seems to be inherent in many of the courses on Coursera.

Highway robbery. The Course material is good and the assignments are good exercises but $66 dollars for the quality of feedback you get is robbery. This is the second course I have taken in the specialization. I initially felt the first course was good but since then I have learnt a lot more about what else is out there. On two separate occasions the peer feedback appeared to be written by someone who was new to English. They were confused about the most basic aspects of my assignments while other reviewers were not. On two other occasions the person providing the feedback simply provided one word three times because this is enough to fool the computer system into believing you have provided feedback and allow you to move on in the course. For $66 you can get much much much better value in lots of other places.

Although Amity Gaige was awesome at teaching and inspiring me to write (she's my reason for the one star), I may as well have watched similar videos on YouTube for free.

The peer-review feedback for this entire specialisation so far has been a waste, and after completing 3 out of 5 of these courses, I have gotten only 1 constructive review - the rest have been one word answers or short lines (one even put full stops for feedback!) from people who seem to just want to get a grade.

For aspiring writers, especially if you're hard up for cash, your money may be better spent elsewhere if you are truly interested in developing your skills. If you're simply looking for a certificate, this course is for you.

The course in general is good as is the teacher but the rules for peer review are ridiculous and waste of time. Since this couse is partially based on reviews how is it possible that people are premitted to submit reviews anonymouslly? Worse yet they give one or two word response.

As a writer the need for feedback is crucial for learning how to improve your writing skills and if what you write is done well. I don't understand why this practice is allowed. Why would people want to remain anonymous anyway. I am very disappointed and I will be sure to contiue with my complaints on social media.

The peer reviewed assignments are next to useless, as there is no oversight on them. I think there needs to be a basic comprehension assessment done first, before allowing fellow learners the ability to pass/fail students in the course.

I can't unrenroll