Stoic Mindfulness & Resilience Training (SMRT) 2014

ReportbyDonaldRobertson

Summary
ThisreportprovidesabriefdescriptionoftheStoicMindfulnessandResilienceTraining(SMRT)onlinecourse,
whichstartedon19thMay2014andranforfourweeks.Justover500peopletookpartinthecourse,which
involvedreadinglessons,listeningtoaudiorecordings,practisingdailymeditationtechniques,andonline
[Link]
statisticalsignificance,basedoncomparisonsbetweenthemeansforallparticipantsprestudyandmeansfor
completerspoststudy.Completionratewas31%.ImprovementswerefoundontheSatisfactionwithLife
Scale(27%),scaleof positive
emotions(SPANE_P,16%),scaleof negative
emotions(SPANE_N,22.7%),
andFlourishingScale(17%).TheseallshowimprovementsoverStoicWeek2012and2013,whichis
probablytobeexpectedasthisstudywasfourweekslong,asopposedtooneweek,andparticipationwas
morecarefullycontrolled.

Description of Course
ThecoursewasdesignedandmaintainedbyDonaldRobertson,basedinCanada,whowrotethecontent,
developedthewebsite,andactedasfacilitatorduringthecourse,onbehalfoftheStoicismTodaygroupledby
[Link]
[Link]
[Link](n>2,400)butalsohighattrition
rates,[Link]
morecontrolledenvironmentforelearning,whichwouldallowustotracktheprogressofparticipantsmore
carefullyandreducedropoutrates,[Link]
approachesarguablyfulfiltwodistinctbutimportantroles:

1. Ebook(PDForEPUB). Averyopencoursethatdoesntrequirealoginandmainlytakestheformofa
downloadableebook(PDF)[Link]
arealsousablemoreeasilyonawiderrangeofdevices,andcansimplybecirculatedbyemail.
2. Elearningwebsite. Astructuredelearningcourse,placedbehindalogin,providesmorecontrolandis
probablybetterforproducingstatisticalresearchonthe effectsoftrainingitwillattractsmallernumbers
butachievehighercompletionratesbecauseparticipantsaretypicallymorecommittedandcanbe
screenedtosomeextentforsuitability.

Atthemoment,ourresearchwouldbestbedescribedasconsistingofseveralpilotstudies,whichlackthe
[Link],wedoappeartohave
achievedthefollowing:

1. Weveestablishedthe feasibility
ofcarryingoutresearchonthe effectsofStoicpsychologicalpractices
inthisway,aswellasmeasuring correlationsbetweenStoicattitudesandothertraits.
2. Wevebuiltthe foundation offuturestudiesbydevelopingsuitableresources.
3. Ourpilotstudiesdoprovidedatawhich,withinitslimitations,canbetakenassuggestingthatStoic
practiceshavea,perhapssubstantial, statisticallyquantifiableeffectonestablishedmeasuresofmood
andwellbeing.
4. Wevealsobeenexceptionallysuccessfulintermsofourgoalofpublicengagement,asthisandprior
eventshaveintroducedthousandsofpeopleintheUKandaroundtheworldtotheStoicliteratureand
itspotentialvalueasaphilosophyoflifeinthemodernworld.


What is Stoicism?
Stoicismisanancientschoolofphilosophy,[Link]
inRome,particularlyduringtheImperialperiod,andthelastfamousStoicweknowmuchaboutistheEmperor
MarcusAurelius,[Link]
[Link]
stoical(withasmalls)[Link],theStoicsprovidedmany
conceptsandtechniques,integratedwithinacoherentphilosophicalsystem,whichclaimtobecapableof
[Link],byitstwomainpioneersAaronT.
BeckandAlbertEllis,asthemainphilosophicalinspirationforthedominantmodalityofmodern
evidencebasedpsychologicaltherapy:cognitivebehaviouraltherapy(CBT).Thesimilarityinconceptsand
techniquesbetweenancientStoicismandmodernCBThasbeenexploredindetailinanumberofrecent
[Link],focusedon
thetreatmentofmentalhealthconditions,itisalsowidelyappliedwiththenonclinicalpopulation,e.g.,inthe
[Link],infact,was
predominantlyusedinamore preventative
fashion,asameansofbuildingpsychologicalresilience.
Nevertheless,itwasalsoused therapeutically
,asameansofcopingwithadversity,oraremedyforsuffering.
ExamplescanbefoundintheStoicconsolationlettersofSenecaandothers,whichtypicallyseektoassuage
thedistresscausedbybereavementandotherstressfullifeevents, aftertheyhavehappenedandindividuals
havefallenintoanxietyordepressionasaresult.

Psychologicalresiliencebuilding,typicallybasedonCBT,hasoftenbeenviewedascloselyrelatedtopositive
[Link]
focusedontheuseofStoicismasashortterminterventionwithanonclinicalpopulation,andisthereforebest
[Link],itspossiblethata
positiveeffectinthisregardmayalsohaveanimpactongeneralpsychologicalresilienceandlongterm
followupmeasuresofpsychologicalwellbeing.

Technical Specifications
TheMoodleLearningManagementSystem(LMS)wasusedtoprovideawebbasedplatformforthecourse.
Moodleisafreesoftwareplatform,[Link]
[Link],andisretainedasanassetofthe
[Link]
variousways.

Theelearningwebsiteapproachissomewhatclosertotherequirementsofaconventionalpsychological
treatmentoutcomestudy,[Link]:

[Link]

ThemainwebsitefortheStoicismTodaygroup,anditsprogrammeofeventsandresearchisabloghostedby
ExeterUniversity:

[Link]

ThelessoncontenthassubsequentlybeenmadeavailableasadownloadablePDFfilefromtheStoicism
Todayblog.
Recruitment
ParticipantswererecruitedusingthenetworkofcontactsbuiltupduringpreviousStoicismTodayprojects.
[Link],theteamownandmanagethe
followingsocialnetworkinggroupsandwebsites:

StoicismFacebookGroup:3,225members
@StoicweekonTwitter:2,440followers
StoicismGoogle+group:518members
StoicismTodayblog:899subscribers
ModernStoicismMoodlesite:1,056users

[Link],itslikelythatcollectivelythey
provideaccesstoapproximately5,000individualswhohaveaninterestintheStoicismTodaygroupandits
[Link]
futureresearchstudiesandevents.

Anobviouscriticismofthismethodofrecruitmentisthatthesamplearenotrandomorrepresentativeofthe
generalpopulation,[Link]
[Link],thereappeartobea
[Link]
projectsoughttoshowwasthatacoursecouldbeconstructedwhichencouragedparticipantstoadoptan
[Link],theywereencouragedto
engageinaprocessofvaluesclarificationorreflectingontheirowncorevalues,andtocomparetheseto
prescribed
traditionalStoicEthics,ratherthansimplybeing [Link]
suggeststhisisafeasibleapproachandthatasimilarmethodcouldperhapsbeemployedwitharandom
sampleofpeoplewhoarenotnecessarilyfamiliarwithStoicphilosophyorinprioragreementwithitsprinciples.
Futureresearchcouldpotentiallybecarriedoutinthisarea.

Course Structure
Thecourseconsistedoffourmainsections,containinglessonsondifferentthemes,tobereadatthestartof
[Link],holdinginformation
aboutregisteringforthecourse,andwhattodonext,[Link]
readasfollows:

1. Preliminary
2. Week1:Orientationandbasics
3. Week2:StoicVirtues
4. Week3:StoicMindfulness
5. Week4:StoicResilience
6. Postscript:WhatNext?

Eachlessonconsistedoftexttobereadonthefirstdayoftheweek,withquestionstobecontemplatedand
[Link]
audiorecordingstobelistenedtodaily,[Link]
requiredtotakepartinanonlinediscussionforumwithaseparatetopicforeachweek.Therewere1,099
poststothediscussionforumintotal,duringthecourse,demonstratingagoodlevelofengagementby
[Link],partlyfortroubleshootingandtogatherfeedbackduring
thecourse.WeusedGoogleHangoutsbutthisstruggledwiththevolumeofactivityfromupto100participants
[Link],[Link]
thelivediscussionswithparticipantswereautomaticallygeneratedandpublishedasPDFfilesonthecourse
webpage,forthoseunabletoattendtodownloadandreadlater.

Findings
Response-Rate Statistics
Approximately,[Link](<10)enrolledandthenremovedthemselves
[Link],itsunlikely,aswithmostonlinecourses,thatalltheenrolled
[Link]
leaveacourseiftheydontfeeltheyhavetimetocompleteit.

Amuchbetterindicationofthenumberofparticipantscanbederivedfromthenumberofpeoplewho
completedtheinitialquestionnaires,[Link]
peoplecompletingeachformatthestartofthecoursewasasfollows:

PreStudyResponses
StoicAttitudesandBehavioursScale(SABS):526
SatisfactionwithLifeScale(SLS):510
ScaleofPositiveandNegativeExperiences(SPANE):504
FlourishingScale(FS):516

Thesefiguresexcludeasmallnumberofparticipants(<6)whocontactedmetoexplainthattheyhadsubmitted
theinitialformsandimmediatelywithdrew,forvariousreasons,[Link]
canbeseenfromthefigures,someparticipantscompletedsomebutnotalloftheforms,perhapsoutof
[Link]
figuressuggestthatapproximately504peopleactuallyparticipatedinthecourse,whichwouldbe
approximately87%ofthosewhoinitiallyenrolled.

Completionratesforendofstudyquestionnairesinonlinecoursesarenormallyconsiderablylowerbecauseof
[Link]
aslowas1020%.Weputconsiderableeffortintotryingtoreducedropouts,though,byemphasisingthe
commitmentrequiredfromtheoutsetveryclearlyandencouragingstudentstostayintouchviatheforumsand
livechats,[Link],completionrateswerebetterthanmighthave
beenexpectedforacourseofthiskind,judgedbythenumberofpeoplesubmittingendofstudy
questionnaires,asfollows:

PostStudyResponses
StoicAttitudesandBehavioursScale(SABS):175(33.26%)
SatisfactionwithLifeScale(SLS):161(31.57%)
ScaleofPositiveandNegativeExperiences(SPANE):162(32.14%)
FlourishingScale(FS):165(31.98%)

Soifwecountonlythosewhocompletedallfourquestionnaires,thecompletionrateappearstobe31.5%.
Almostathirdofparticipantscompletedthecourseandsubmittedafullsetofpreandpoststudy
questionnaires,inotherwords.
Data from Measures
Alargevolumeofdatawascollectedwhichmaybeanalysedinmoredetailatafuturedate,e.g.,usingtestsfor
[Link],forthetimebeingwereabletoreportsomebasicobservationsonthedata.

SABS
[Link]:

Gender
Female:106
Male:414
Other/prefernottosay:6

Agegroup
20yearsoryounger:20
2130yearsold:160
3140yearsold:140
4150:118
5160:57
6170:20
71+:5
Prefernottosay:6

Thatmeans79%ofparticipantsthistimeweremaleandonly20%[Link],51.5%of
participantsinStoicWeek2013weremale,and48.5%[Link]
participantsthistime.

Thefollowingwerethemeanscoresfromallparticipants(inbrackets)inresponsetospecificquestionsabout
Stoicattitudesandbehaviours,beforeandafterthecourse(before/after).

Responsesrangefrom1Stronglydisagreeto7Stronglyagree.

[Link],youcanleadagoodlifeevenintheworstofconditions,suchasbeingtorturedorbeing
heldprisoner.(5.3/6.0)
[Link].(5.7/6.3)
[Link],selfishorinconsiderate.(3.7/2.7)
[Link].(2.6/2.2)
[Link].(6.2/6.5)
[Link],youareboundtofeelupset.(3.9/2.9)
[Link].(6.0/6.5)
[Link](orhumanexcellence)consistsinperfectingourrationalnature,throughcultivatingwisdom.(5.6/6.2)
[Link].(4.8/4.6)
[Link],status,healthandgoodluck
arenotessential.(5.0/6.0)
[Link],[Link]
contributetoitswelfare.(5.4/6.0)
[Link],wise,livingthing.(3.8/4.4)
[Link].(4.6/5.7)
[Link].(5.2/5.8)
[Link]
thing.(4.8/4.1)
[Link].(4.7/5.8)
[Link].(5.0/6.1)
[Link].(4.7/3.2)
[Link]
thingitclaimstorepresent.(3.9/5.6)
[Link].(4.0/5.3)
[Link].(4.2/5.5)
[Link].(3.5/4.8)

Whatthesedatasuggestisthatamongthosecompletingthecourse,attitudesandbehavioursweregenerallymoreinalignment
withthosetraditionallyassociatedwithStoicism,[Link]
[Link]
completethecourse,orthatcompletingthecourseaffectedtheirscores.

Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS)

[Link].(3.8/4.9)[Difference:1.1or29%]
[Link].(4.5/5.4)[Difference:0.9or20%]
[Link].(4.4/5.3)[Difference:0.9or20%]
[Link].(4.1/5.3)[Difference:1.2or29%]
[Link],Iwouldchangealmostnothing.(3.4/4.6)[Difference:1.2or35%]

Overall,totalscoresonthismeasurecanrangefrom7to35themeantotalscoreforallrespondentspriortothestudywas20.1,
[Link],approximately,toa27%increaseinSatisfactionwithLife,followingthe
study.StoicWeek2013,bycomparison,reporteda17%increaseonthismeasure,andStoicWeek2012reporteda15%
increase,althoughthosefiguresexcludednoncompleters.

Thethreeitems(twotied)whichappeartoshowthebiggestincreasewere:
[Link].(+29%)
[Link].(+29%)
[Link],Iwouldchangealmostnothing.(+35%)

InbothStoicWeek2012and2013,bycomparison,thefollowingtwoitemsshowedthelargestincreaseonthismeasure:
[Link].(+18%)
[Link],Iwouldchangealmostnothing.(+17%)

Inallthreesetsofdata,therefore,itemfive(IfIcouldlivemylifeover,Iwouldchangealmostnothing.)wasconsistentlyoneof
[Link]
ourcontroltochange.

Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences (SPANE)

[Link](3.6/4.2)[Difference:0.6]
[Link](3.1/2.3)[Difference:0.8]
[Link](3.7/4.2)[Difference:0.5]
[Link](2.6/2.1)[Difference:0.5]
[Link](3.7/4.1)[Difference:0.4]
[Link](2.7/2.1)[Difference:0.6]
[Link](3.5/4.0)[Difference:0.5]
[Link](2.8/2.0)[Difference:0.8]
[Link](2.6/ 2.0)[Difference:0.6]
[Link](3.1/3.6)[Difference:0.5]
[Link](2.6/2.0)[Difference:0.6]
[Link](3.2/4.0)[Difference:0.8]

SPANE_P:(20.7/24.1)
SPANE_N:(16.3/12.6)
SPANE_B:(4.4/11.6)
Total:(30.7/36.7)

SPANE_Bprovidesameasureofthebalanceofpositiveandnegativeexperiences.[Link]
measureswas4.4,whichincreasedto11.6amongthosecompletingthestudy.Thatsanincreaseof160%.

OnSPANE_P,whichshowsthechangeinpositiveemotions,StoicWeek2013reporteda9% increase,whereastherewasa
5%[Link],bycomparison,suggesta16%increaseonthismeasure.

OnSPANE_N,whichshowsthechangeinnegativeemotions,StoicWeek2013reportedan11% decrease,similartothe12%
[Link],bycomparison,suggesta22.7%decreaseonthismeasure.

Theemotionswhichappeartohave increased
[Link]
emotionswhich decreased mostwerethoselabelledasfeelingNegativeandSad.

Flourishing Scale (FS)

[Link].(4.5/5.6)[Difference:1.1or24%]
[Link].(4.6/5.4)[Difference:0.8or17%]
[Link].(4.8/5.7)[Difference:0.9or19%]
[Link].(4.7/5.7)[Difference:1.0or21%]
[Link].(5.3/5.8)[Difference:0.5or9%]
[Link].(5.0/5.7)[Difference:0.7or14%]
[Link].(4.9/5.8)[Difference:0.9or18%]
[Link].(4.9/5.5)[Difference:0.6or12%]

Total:(38.7/45.2)

[Link]
increaseofapproximately17%.StoicWeek2013reporteda9%increaseonthismeasure,andStoicWeek2012reporteda
10%increase.

Thetwoindividualitemsthatchangedmostwere:
[Link].(+21%)
[Link](+24%)

Bycomparison,StoicWeek2013reportedthebiggestimpact(increase)ontheseitemsonthesamemeasure:
[Link](+18%)
[Link](+10%)

Course Evaluation
Participantswereaskedtocompleteanoverallevaluationform,providingtheirfeedbackontheexperience,at
[Link]
[Link]
statementsonaLikertscalefrom1=CompleteDisagreeto5=[Link]
generalcomments

Quantitative Data
Atypicalformatforevaluationofelearningcoursewasemployedthataskedstudentstoratetheirlevelof
agreementacrossthreeareas:clarity,impact,[Link]
below,alongwiththemeanscoresfromallrespondents(n=128).

1. (
Clarity
)Thecoursematerialwasclearlywordedandeasytounderstand.
Mean:4.6,Range:35
2. (
Impact )ThiscoursematerialseemshelpfulasawayofdevelopingStoicattitudesandbehaviours.
Mean:4.6,Range:15
3. (
Feasibility)ThecoursematerialworkedonmycomputerandIwasabletoaccessitproperly.
Mean:4.7,Range:25

Qualitative Feedback
Generalfeedbackandcommentswereelicitedwiththequestion:Whatdoyouthinkthemainstrengthsand
weaknessesofthecourseare?Acompleterecordofparticipantresponsesisprovidedintheappendix.
[Link]
example:

Iaminmymidseventies,therefore,[Link]
[Link],andwhoeverelsewas
involvedinputtingthisCoursetogether,togiveusthismarvellousopportunitytobeintroducedto
Stoicism,whichiwillcontinuetolearnfrom.

Themostfrequentlymentionedthemesextractedfromthefeedback(withtheapproximatenumberoftimes
explicitlymentioned)wereasfollows:

1. Overall,themostfrequentlymentionedpieceoffeedback(n=18)wasthatpeoplefoundtheaudio
recordingsbeneficialorenjoyable,andvaluedtheirinclusion.
2. Someparticipantsfoundthelargevolumeofpostsfromothersinthediscussionforumstobe
overwhelming,ortoounfocused,orthattheywereuncomfortableengaginginonlinediscussion
themselves(n=16).Although,[Link]
possibilityofsplittingparticipantsintosmallersubgroupsfordiscussion,whichwassomethingwe
discussedatthestartofthecoursebutdidnothavetimetoimplement.
3. Someparticipants(n=6)reportedstrugglingtofindtimetofollowthecoursereadingorexercises,either
[Link]
coursesingeneral.
4. Someparticipants(n=8)[Link]
relatedtothis,somesaidtheyfeltitwouldprobablytakemoretimeforthefullbenefitstobecome
apparent(n=5).
5. Severalparticipants(n=8)mentionedfindingthecoursematerialhelpfulincopingwithspecificlife
eventsthataroseduringthecourseitself.
6. Althoughabulletpointsummaryoftheexercisestobedonewasincludedatthestartofeachweeks
lesson,andareminderwassentouttoallparticipantsbyemail,some(n=5)saidtheyneededmore
guidanceintheformofasummary.(Theseparticipantsmaysimplyhaveoverlookedthesummaryin
thecoursecontentsorpossiblydidntreceivetheemailreminders.)
 7. Severalparticipants(n=6)saidtheyfeltitwouldbebetteriftheweekstartedonSundayratherthan
Monday,togivethemmoretimetocompletepreparatoryreadingbeforegoingtowork,etc.(That
makessenseandwouldbeeasytoimplement.)
8. Someparticipants(n=8)mentiontechnicalissuessuchashavingdifficultynavigatingtheMoodlesite,or
downloadingmediafilesonaniPad,viewingthesiteonatablet,orbeingloggedouttoosoondueto
inactivityonthesite.

Someoftheproblemsmentionedareduetoparticipantslifeevents,ortotechnicalorpracticallimitationsof
elearningplatformsingeneral,[Link],otherscaneasilyaddressed.
SomerecommendationsIwouldmakebasedonthequalitativefeedbackareasfollows:

1. FuturecoursesshouldbeginonSundaymorning,togiveparticipantstimetopreparebeforetheybegin
workonMonday.
2. Participantsshouldbedividedintogroupsof100withstructuredquestionsandaseparateforumfor
[Link]
forums,andthisnumbertendstodecreasetowardtheendofthecoursesowewouldntexpect100
individualpostsfromagroupthatsize.
3. Thecoursematerialscouldperhapsbesimplifiedevenfurther,andadditionalaudiorecordings
[Link].

Appendix
Responses to Brief Evaluation Form
Q:Whatdoyouthinkthemainstrengthsandweaknessesofthecourseare?

15/06/20[Link] Ifoundthecoursehelpful,[Link]
chatsalthoughIthoughtthegroupsizealittlelargetocommunicateeffectively.

15/06/20[Link] IdidnotfollowthecourseasrigorouslyasmanyothersbecauseIfounditdifficultto
managethereading(textsandforumposts)andlistentotheaudioswithalltheotherdemandsonmytime,
[Link],thismademeanxious,butIdecidedIwouldpersevereina
[Link],IfoundStoicprinciplesandhabitswereinmyheadthroughoutthe
fourweeks(itwashardformenottotalktocolleaguesandfriendsaboutit,becauseitwas,literally,onmy
mindallthetime!).Indeed,thestrengthofthecourse,forme,wasthewayitprovidedconstantremindersabout
thefundamentaltenetsofStoicism(andthewonderfullanguagetheyused)andthehelpfulandreassuring
[Link],andeventuallypostedacoupleof
comments(connectedtotheimportanceofdanceinmylife)[Link]
respondedtomebyname,soIdidn'treallygettoapointwhereIfeltparticularlyconnectedtothecommunityof
[Link],wadingthroughallthecommentsjustseemedmoreburdensomethanhelpfulbutI
likedthepostingofquotes.

16/06/20[Link] IthinkitwasfantasticasanintroductiontoStoicism,butIthinkalotoftheindividual
habits,techniques,andwaysofthinkingthatmakeupthetotalityofStoicismneedtimetosinkin,andthus,that
itwouldbebesttofocusonbuildingthesethingsintoyourdayoneatatime,lettingthemsinkinoverthe
[Link],maintainingwhatwasalreadyeasyformetoabsorb,
butgivingmyselfmoretimewithsomeofthetechniquesthatweremoredifficult(forme,theselfmonitoring
wasverytricky).Thankyouverymuchforcreatingandhostingthiscourse,lookforwardtomorefromyouon
thesubject.

16/06/20[Link] Mayhavebeenlonger.

16/06/20[Link] Pros:ItisaveryinterestingwayofintroducingStoicideasandpracticeasinvolvementis
[Link],[Link]
towardsaproductiveday,Cons:Probablybecauseofthesourcematerialitisallverymasculineand
"reasonable"IthinkI'[Link]
againstlittering!Atfirstitwasnotclearhowmanyoftheexercisesoneshouldbedoingperweek.

16/06/20[Link] Itwasprettygoodandhadpracticaladviceforeasilyapplyingthedifferentstoic
techniquesinmoderndaylifeandmostoftheresearchwasbackedbyCBTtoosoitwasprettyeasytoabsorb
thenewinfoandtrytoapplyittodailylife.

16/06/20[Link] [Link]
onusingthematerial4weeksisnotenoughtofullyabsorballtheinformation.(AsIwouldexpect)

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:IthoughtthiswasaverygoodintroductiontothepracticeofStoicismin
[Link],andtheguidedaudiomeditationswereveryhelpful
[Link],theactivityofthecourse
communityindiscussingprogress,obstacles,[Link]:Ihadafew
stumblingblocksinthiscoursethatothersdidn'tseemtoshare,andthereforedidn'tseemtocaremuchabout.
So,asgoodasthecommunitywas,itwouldbenicetohaveateachertotalktooneononeinthesesituations
likeEpictetus'[Link]'saskingalotforanonlinecoursethough,sooverallIthoughtitwas
great!

16/06/20[Link] [Link]
forumsarenosubstituteforfacetofaceinteraction,butofcoursearethebestthatcanbeachievedgiventhe
[Link]
willbeveryvaluabletomeinthefuture.

16/06/20[Link] Thiswasanexcellentcourseandtomylimitedknowledgeafirstofitskindanywhere.
Thestrengthsinmyopinionwereasfollowsthecoursewasverypracticalandwithaprimarytherapeuticfocus
([Link]'sbookdoesnothaveatherapeuticfocus).That
therapeuticfocuswasverywellachievedthroughtheprovisionoftrainingandtheemphasisontrainingrather
[Link](suchasmyself!)[Link]
suchIthinkitwasfullyinlinewithEpictetus'intentiontotrainhisstudentsfortheir"contests"[Link]
cannotthinkofanyweaknessesexceptmaybethattherewasagreatdealofmaterialtogetthroughand
maybeitcouldhavebeenimprovedbyselfratingscaleeachweekonhowpeopleweremakingprogress.
Overallthoughitwassuperbandthankyouverymuchforthis.

16/06/20[Link] Itwasagoodwaytofocus,[Link],
itcaughtmeatanexceptionallybusytime,sowashardtofitin.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:veryaccessibleandapplicabletodailylife,reallyhelpedmemanagemy
[Link]
[Link]:formepersonally
theamountofdailymonitoring,audioworketcanddiscussionboardswereoverwhelmingandIcouldn'tkeep
upsomanychangesatonce,butIhaveachronicillnesssomoreablebodiedpeoplemightnothavefound
thataproblem.

16/06/20[Link] Themainstrengths:preparation,subjectmatterfocusingonthemostfundamentalskills,
practicalorientation,encouragingdiscussionamongparticipants,providingbonusmaterialweaknesses:
material/instructionscouldbeabitmorecleartherewaslotsofinformationinthecoursematerialsand
sometimesitwasabitoverwhelming,Ididn'tknowexactlywhattodoquicklyenoughandIhadtorereadthe
materialsseveraltimesitwouldbegoodtohaveabriefsummaryofexpectedoutcomes/exercisesOverall:
greatcourse!Iwasbothimpressedandenlightened

16/06/20[Link] GenerallyIlikedthemeditationexercises,butattimesthetextseemedveryoverdone.
WhenIthoughtcloselyaboutthevaluesofstoicism,sometimesIdidn'tfeelasifthemeditationtextwasleading
[Link]
thekeysentencesrepeatedinsteadofadding"fluff"text.

16/06/20[Link] Plus:Theaudioandnetpowerpointsections,exercisesMin:Maybethisisonlymy
problemIfoundisdifficulttonavigatethesite,tofindwhatIwaslookingfor

16/06/20[Link] ThecoursewasanexcellentintroductiontopracticalStoicismthatisitsmainstrength.
FormeitsweaknessisStoicismitself,whichreliesfartooheavilyontheuseoftheintellecttoachievegoals
whichinmyexperienceareattainablethroughthepracticeofmindfulnessalone.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:activitieshelpedmeformbetterhabitsindailylifeWeakness:Ifoundlittlehelp
inthe"discussionquestions"foreachweek,butIrarelyparticipateinonlineforums,anyway)

16/06/20[Link] Ienjoyedweek2asthishelpedputmylifeinpersepctivewhenyouclarifywhatyourlife
[Link]'Goodlife'.The
[Link]
requiresmorepractiseformeasIfoundthatI'dlosetrackofdoingthiswhengettingcaughtupindaytoday
[Link]'ttakepartinthediscussionforumalthoughIreadsomeoftheposts,thiswouldhave
beenbeneficialformeasIdon'treallyhaveanyoneelsetotalktoaboutthissubject.

16/06/20[Link] IwouldhavepreferredtheweektostartonSaturdaysoIcouldgetmyheadroundthe
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]+communitybecomeaplacetoencourage
[Link]!Thanksfora
greatandvaluablecoursejustwhatIneededinthemidstofalifecrisis!

16/06/20[Link] [Link]
[Link]
[Link],[Link]
[Link]
workinggroupscommunicatinginforumwouldhavebeenbetter?IalsofoundItailedofftowardstheend,but
[Link]
splitwithmygirlfriendyesterday,butinstoictermsthiswasasuccessasitcamefromrecognisingour
[Link],andparticularlyDonald.

16/06/20[Link] Seealsomyblog[Link]
Ithinkthereisalotofpotentialforpeoplewithchronicillness,especiallyiftheyfindCBTabittoosuperficial.I
foundtherecordedcontenthelpfulandthewrittencontentalittledifficultbutIaminanunusualsituation.
Thankyouforprovidingsuchgoodqualityfreecontent.

16/06/20[Link] Iwouldhavealsolikedatranscriptoftheaudiolesson.

16/06/20[Link] IlovedthecourseeventhoughIwasverybusyduringweek3and4andhadlimitedtime
[Link].

16/06/20[Link] fortalezas:dominiodeltema,excelentedisposicindelcoordinadordelcurso,excelente
material(meditacionesytexto).debilidades:Eltiempo,laduracindelcurso.4semanassonsuficientescomo
unaintroduccinaltema,peroesdifcilcaptar,entenderyponerenprcticaconceptosquesontotalmente
nuevosparamientanpocotiempo,esnecesariounapracticacontinuaguiada(desdemipuntodevista).
Consideroqueseriaadecuadounseguimientoposterioralcurso,comounaespeciedeeducacincontinua
[Link]
diaria,delarutina,ycomoafrontarlosestoicamente,[Link]
[Link]!
[TranslationbyGoogle:strengths:masteryofthesubject,excellentdispositionofthecoursecoordinator,
excellentmaterial(meditationsandtext).
Weaknesses:[Link],butitis
difficulttograsp,understandandimplementconceptsthatarecompletelynewtomesoquickly,guidedpractice
continued(frommyperspective)isrequired.
Ithinkitwouldbeappropriatetofurtherongoingmonitoring,asasortofcontinuingeducationtoreinforceand
maintainwhatIlearned.
Itwouldbeeasierifthetheoryappliedexamplesfromdailylife,routinewereexposed,andasstoicallyface
them,commoneverydaysituations.
Splitintosmallergroupswherelessintimidatingandeasiertointeractwithotherparticipants.
Thanksforeverything!]

16/06/20[Link] Strengthistheleveloforganizationandknowledgeofthecourseadministrator.
Weaknessisperhapsthesameforanyonlinecourse,inthatitreliesonselfdirection/motivation.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:[Link](audioand
readings)[Link].Week2(Stoicvirtue)was
[Link]
[Link],"DefiningVirtue"and"LivingwithVirtue"wouldhavehelped.2.
[Link],starting
duringtheweekendwouldallowmoretimetoreadandcontemplatethelessonfortheupcomingweek.
Perhapsmyabovesuggestionforlengtheningthecoursewouldbeunnecessaryifthefirstlessonforeach
[Link]
(literally,usingtheStumbleUponapponmyiPad),andfeellikeyoureffortshavesetmeonapathtoamore
effectiveandproductivelife.

16/06/20[Link] Thereweresomeproblemsaccessingsomeofthematerialswithmyipad,specifically
[Link],whichmadeitdifficulttobringthemintomyipadPDFreaderappforwhen
Iwasoffline.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:1)Hugeboostinpeaceofmindandconfidenceaboutabilitytocopewith
possiblefutureadversity2)NewrelationswithotherpeopleinterestedinStoicismWeaknesses:Toughtoread
[Link]
Sundayevening

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:theaudiocomponent,theweeklyguides,andtheoveralllevelofsupport
Weaknesses:theforumsIthinkcouldusemoreordifferentorganizationandmoreencouragementfor
[Link].

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:excellentmaterialWeaknesses:I'mnotafanofthesoftwarethesiterunson

16/06/20[Link] Good,clear,[Link].

16/06/20[Link] Sizeofthegroupmayhaveleadtoahighpercentageoflurkersandlimitedthe
percentageofparticipantsinthechatsessions

16/06/20[Link] [Link]'vebeenbedriddenforgoingon3yearsandill
[Link]
doeshelpmehowtothinkaboutmysituationwithoutfallingintocompletedespair,butasfarasthe
questionnairesattheend,theylookverybadwhenIdothembecauseofmyhealthsituation.I'mwonderingif
seriouschronicillnessshouldbeanoptiontocheckonthosesoyoucanunderstandwhenyou'redoingyour
data.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:*TheMaterial*ThefeelingofsupportWeaknesses:*Themaintechnical
weaknessIsawwasthattheforumcould'velookedalittlebetter/[Link]'tdoagreat
[Link]/opensourcealternativelike[Link]
would'vebeenusefultoseepercentagecompletenessofthelesson.*Havingmoreofanoverall"view"ofthe
[Link],justsoIcouldremembera)theset
ofexercisestochoosefromastimewentonb)thesetofvirtuestostriveforc)theongoinglogging/dailyhabits
[Link],soforexampletodayIwillfocusonphilanthropyandan
exercisethatsupportsthisis"ViewfromAbove".Otherthanthat,[Link]!
Shane

16/06/20[Link] Iwouldliketohaveseenmoresharingonthediscussionforums...andmore
encouragementforpeopletosharetheirexperiences.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:Theaudiomaterialsmeanttobelistedtodailywhichreinforcedstoicattitudes
[Link]:n/a

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:beingthefirstonlinecourseaboutstoicism...withexercices,audio
meditations,afairlygoodintroductiontostoicphilosophy(especiallyethics)...Weaknesses:I'mnotfondofthe
interface(notveryintuitive...)

16/06/20[Link] Thecontentsitself,[Link]
speaktotheforum,asIdidn'[Link]
monthhasbeenintense,includingthefinalstagesofrecruitmentforanewjob,andthestartofamovefora
relocation,andanintenseworkloadatthecompanyI'mleaving.I'mnotsureiwouldhavehandledeverything
[Link].
Includingkeyphrasesinmeditation(forinstanceit'snottheevents,it'showIjudgethem)isitsmajorstrength.
I'mabitoldschool,[Link],asthewaythepagesarelaid
out,[Link]
[Link]'spossibleImissedongoodinteractionsbecauseofthat,
butIwouldn'[Link]
anenrolmentlimitwouldbeagoodthing?Theavailabilityofthecoursecommentatorisalsotobe
commended.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:Therewasalotofgoodmaterial,texts,andexercises,anditwasnicetobe
[Link]!Thelivechat
wasagreatideathoughIdidn'treallygotthereintimeit'ssomethingIwouldconsiderparticipatingin,if
futurecourseslikethiscomeup!Weaknesses:Alittlebithardtodigestallthematerial,andinformations
[Link],wecangetbacktothelessonsinthefuture,andreadandtryoutthethings
wedidn'[Link],butwouldhavebeennicewith
[Link],it
[Link]
[Link]'thavetoomuchproblemsunderstandingtheotherposts
[Link]!

16/06/20[Link] Iwouldliketostartwithabigthankyoufortheobviouseffortandtimeyouhaveputinto
[Link]
[Link]
thisinformationduringthose"wonderful"[Link].
ThoughIhaven'[Link]
[Link]
[Link]:Ifeltsomelessonsassumedsomeprior
[Link]
Good,Bad,Preferred,dispreffered&[Link]'[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
onparorharderthanengineeringwhentryingtogetyourheadaroundaconcept.MorerecentlyIhavefound5
minutemicroteachvideoshugelyeffectiveinconveying/[Link]
withthecurrentaudioandnoteswithsimpleflowdiagramsthiscoursewouldbeepicandfitmanymoreofthe
[Link]
beinvolvedinthefuture.

16/06/20[Link] Ithasmademesomuchmoretranquil,especiallyasthishasbeenastressfulfewweeks.
[Link]
newevents!Ohandthankyouforalltheeffortthatmusthavegoneintothis!

16/06/20[Link] Strengthbringingtheideaofstoicismtopeople,empoweringthemtotakechargeof
theirownlives,[Link]
[Link]
...forafocusforeachday'[Link]!Thatis,thecontentseemsmoresuitedtopeople
thathavebeenreflectingforsometime.

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:thematerialisexcellent,Donaldisacredibleandauthoritativeleaderwho
[Link]
[Link]:Personally,I'mnot
ahugefanofforums,[Link],[Link]
muchtocomplainabout!

16/06/20[Link] Ithoughtitwasaltogetherhelpfulandinsightful.

16/06/20[Link] Ithinkitwasverywellpresented,IhaveengagedinmanydiscussionswithmyStoic
friendsinthepast,[Link]
[Link]
thefourweekstoalltheforums,emailsandchatsbutitcameatatimewhereIhavetwomajorfederalwork
projectsgoingandItravelledandcouldnotdedicateasmuchasIwouldhaveliked,Iamalreadygoingback
[Link].

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:[Link]
[Link],beforeIcouldspendtimedoing
"nothing"infrontofthecomputer,nowIammoreawareofmythoughtsandismorefocusedonwhat's
[Link],theexercisesreallyinsteadoftaking
[Link]:[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
ownvirtuesinlesson2butIstillfeellikeitwouldbenicetobemoreconcreteinlesson1.

16/06/20[Link] ThecourseofferedexcellentandpracticalattributesofStoicismandconcretewaysto
[Link]
eachdayIhadalittletroublekeepingupwithalltheassignments(duetomyownbusyness).Thankyoufor
thisopportunity!

16/06/20[Link] Strengthstheclearfocus,weekbyweektheconsistentstructureandrangeof
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
excellentandhelpful!Thankyouverymuch,Donald!

16/06/20[Link] Ican'tidentifyanyweaknessesinthecourserelativetoit'[Link]
ofthecoursewereit'sflexibility,accessibilityandachievability.

16/06/20[Link] Ithoughtthatthecoursehadalotofgreatexercises,andIhavebeentryingtodoseveral
ofthemperday,butit'salotmoredifficulttofollowthestoicdoctrineunderthefaceofrealadversitythanitis
[Link]
Donald'[Link]
impactonme.Theotherexerciseswithouthis30minuteaudiodonothavenearasmuchofanimpactonme.
Ontheotherhand,someoftheotherexercisessuchastheleavesonastreamdidn'[Link]
justcreepedmeoutabittotryanddecipherifmythoughtsareautomaticorifIamthinkingthemmanually.
OnceIstartedtothinkaboutwhatathoughtreallymightmean,[Link],I
cannotattesttothestrengthofthiscourserightawayIwillneedsomemoretimemaybearoundoneyear
toseeifit'[Link],theexerciseswerequiteeffective,buttherewasdefinitely
diminishingreturnslateronforme,andtheyaren'tquiteaseffectiveatthemoment,butthatmaychangeagain
[Link].

16/06/20[Link] Strengths:[Link]
[Link]:Ipersonallywasnotafanofthe
forums/emailsbecauseitwastoomuchnoiseinmyheadtryingtosortoutother'sthoughtsandopinions.
Donaldsuggestedearlyinthecoursethepossibilityofbreakingpeopleintosmallgroupsandthatpersonally
[Link](my
fault),butstillunfortunate.

16/06/20[Link] Strengthsaccessibility,mindfulnesscontent,audiodownloadsWeaknesses
impossibletorectifyinthisformat,but'oneonone'feedbackandengagementoverthephilosophicalbasisof
[Link]

17/06/20[Link] [Link],I
[Link]
thiscourse,IalsoreadEpictetus'[Link]
fromtheother.I'[Link]
[Link],myselftalkandmorelogicalthinking
[Link]
betterdealwithstressandsadness.

17/06/20[Link] Ididnotfeelcomfortableparticipatingintheonlinediscussion,becauseIamnot
comfortablediscussingpersonalmatters(includingpersonalphilosophy)inapublic(orsemipublic)forumlike
this,[Link]'vebeenokaywithamoderatorhavingmyrealname,butnotthe
wideaudienceofalltheparticipantsinthecourse.

17/06/20[Link] Strengthsonlinebasedallowedagreatervarietyofparticipantsandmoreoptionsfor
accesswellstructuredcoursewasorganisedandthematerialprovidedwasexcellentWeaknessesNothing
major

17/06/20[Link] Strengths:thepracticalaspectsofitthatcoveredabroadrangeofpracticabletechniques
which,whenpracticed,allowedmetoseewhichworkedwellformeandwhichdidn'[Link]:partially
theorganizationofthewebsiteandforumitcanbedifficulttonavigatetoadegree,thelogouttimeiswaytoo
briefforthewebsite,[Link],itwouldbenicetohaveasummaryofwhatone's
"Stoicday"wouldlooklikeforeachweekasashortsummaryofwhatone'sactuallypracticing(e.g."Listento
audioinmorning,practicemindfulnessthroughouttheday,endwithareviewofwhenyouexercisedvirtueand
whenyoudidn't")

17/06/20[Link] Ireallyappreciateandrespectthetimeandeffortyouputintomakingthiscourse.
[Link]'sstrengthsareitsclearorganizationandexplanationofthe
[Link],whichisprobably
personal,andIcanimagineothersdisagreeingwithme,butIfoundtherecordingstobeinterestingand
incrediblyusefulthefirsttimethatIlistenedtothem,butnotnecessarilysomethingIfoundnecessaryto
continuallylistentodayafterday(thoughtheadvicecontainedwithinthemweregoodtorepeateachday).
Generallythough,[Link]
[Link]'vedesignedthecourseaswellaspossibleto
supportstudentsinourapplicationofStoicprinciples.

17/06/20[Link] Mainstrengths:verygoodstoicpsychologytraining(basically).Veryclear,verynuanced,
detailed,greatexercisesthatreallymakeabigdifferenceinone'[Link]
weaknesses:notenoughfocusontheancientstoicsandon*howtodealwiththingsyoudoprefer*actually
happening.

17/06/20[Link] Thestrengthsofthecoursearethatitisaccessibletothebeginnerlikemyselfandnot
[Link](whichisno
realfaultofthecourse)isthetimerequiredtofeelthebenefitsofitsapplicationinwhatisformostpeoplefairly
[Link].

17/06/20[Link] Themainstrengthofthecoursewasthecoursefacilitator's(Donald)availabilityand
[Link]
participantsatvaryinglevels,thatinmyopinion,breakingthematerials(andgroup)outbylevels(beginner
advanced)[Link],morechatsessions
[Link]/interact.
(Orhavingautilityonthesitewherechatisopenallofthetimeandpeoplecanjoinwheneverandchatwith
whomeverisalsoonline).

17/06/20[Link] Strenghts:clarityofmethodsandaplicabilityofstoicpractices.

17/06/20[Link] [Link]'ntenoughtimetoparticipatein
theforumdiscussions.

17/06/20[Link] ImentionedinmylastpostthatwhilemytimewaslimitedIusediteffectivelyandthe
[Link]
[Link]!

17/06/20[Link] Ithinkthecourseiswellintentioned,andIenjoyedweek3themost.Withweek4,Igot
boggeddownwithtoomanymeditations.(Beingawareeverywakinghourisreallyhard)Ithinkit'sagoodidea
todoafewthings,butdothemwell,[Link],
whereasdoingtoomanythingscansometimesmakeyoumissafewoftheactivities,whichlowersyour
confidenceandmakesyoulesslikelytofollowthemeditations.

17/06/20[Link] Ithoughtthatthecoursehadagoodbalancebetweenbeingshortenoughtocomplete
[Link]
together,Ifounditreallyenjoyableandusefulinmydailylife

17/06/20[Link] [Link],downloads,mp3etcmade
[Link].

17/06/20[Link] [Link].

17/06/20[Link] [Link]
[Link]
[Link]
helpful.

17/06/20[Link] Simplicity.

17/06/20[Link] Awonderfulcourse,[Link]
feedback,perhapsputtingparticipantsintogroupsinthediscussionformmighttaketheweightoffthenumber
[Link]
off.Themp3recordingswereareallyreallynicetouchanditwashelpfultolistentothemonthewaytoworkin
[Link].

18/06/20[Link] HavingstudiedStoicismacademically,IwasthoroughlyimpressedbyhowwellDonald
[Link]'thaveachancetopost
[Link]
[Link]
course.

18/06/20[Link] S:accessibilityW:evaluationinstruments

18/06/20[Link] I'mgladtakingpartinthiscourse

18/06/20[Link] Strength,[Link],courseisalittletooshort.

18/06/20[Link] Beginningwastoomuchfluffanddidn'[Link]
firstmp3mademeloseinterest.

18/06/20[Link] ThecoursegivespeopleaverygoodgroundingintheprinciplesandattitudesofStoic
[Link]
ofcontent!IfeelverysillyforsayingthisasanegativebutIpersonallyfeltthattryingtosqueezealotof
[Link]'ttrytosprintamarathon,butIcertainly
understandwhyitwasnecessarytohavean'end'[Link]
[Link]
recommendthatparticipantsinthecoursetrytointeractdirectlywiththesetextsasoftenaspossible,aswell
[Link]
[Link]'automaticemotionalreactions'undercontrol.
Sofeelingsuddenlyveryangry,[Link],
however.

18/06/20[Link] [Link].

18/06/20[Link] [Link].

18/06/20[Link] StrengthsOntheClarity,Iwasabletounderstandalltheunusualconcepts,orrather,
thoseusedinadifferentsensefromtheoneofcolloquiallanguage,becausetheywereexplainedinthe
lessons,andthatisastrengththatshouldbekept,[Link]
Impact,ThetallyexercisewasveryusefulinsomestressfulmomentsIhad,butIdon'tunderstandwhereit's
basedfrom,andIdidreadtheEnchiridionofEpictetusanddon'trecallthesuggestionbeingmadethere.I'dlike
toknow:)Thequestionsmadeweeklyputtheissuesinapragmaticperspective,whichIamthankfulfor.
WeaknessesRelatedtotheFeasibility,I'dliketohavedirectlinkstothedocuments/studymaterials,instead
ofhavingthembehostedinsideaframeofawebpage,soIcouldclickaroundlessandgatherthestudy
materialsfaster.I'dalsolikethecoursedirectorstokeepinmindthatnotallthecoursestudentsare
economicallycomfortablemiddleclassalreadyworkinginstablejobsmiddleagedadults,andsobytellingus
toprepareforevenworsetimesthantheoneswearelivingnowdemonstratesaninherentbiasthatassumes
[Link],andalthoughIknowStoicismpreparesmeforit,andthat
thecomfortissomethingIfeelandthuscontrol,thatIshoulduseitforpersonalgrowthandallthat,the
argumentsshownrelatingtothisissuefailwithme,[Link]
perspectivethere,andIbelieveitwouldhelphavingitwherethingsaretoldtousincaseweareineither
situation,[Link]'treadtheforumsveryoften,butIdidreadthehangoutchaton
sundays,[Link]
bettercreate/developthecourse,buttherewasnodirectwaytohelpusinexerciseswewerestrugglingwith.
Thechatalsohadalotofpeopletalkingjusttoagreewitheachother,dropnamesandrecommendauthors,
whichIfindunstoic,[Link]
curbed,andshouldhave,butitwasn'[Link]'tknowifit'sthelureoftheatmosphereofreadingphilosophy,but
theconversationdidn'tfeelanydifferentfromtheonesatWittgensteinandMarxreadinggroupsI've
participatedinon4chan,[Link]
eagernesstoimpress.I'llprobablygowithSenecasadvicetoavoidgroupsaltogether,orjustreadwithout
participatingasIdidhere,asitseemsthatevenStoics,whenjoinedinthegroup,fallintothevicesofstulti.I
knowithelpsempathyandcreatesafeelingoftogethernessandthosearegoodforhavingmorecourses,but
thoseinterestsgobeyondStoicism,whichrequiresvirtueunderanycompany,[Link],the
[Link]'thavetimetodoallthe
exercisesorkeepupwiththecomplementaryreading,butIplantocompletethecourseatmyownpaceinthe
[Link],thecoursehelpedputtheexercisesinamoresimpleandpracticalmannerprompted
metoreadSenecathroughthequotespostedontheforum,whichbyitselfhasbeenarewardingexperience,
andalsoastoicactivitysinceIdoittolearnhowtobecomemorevirtuousandthetallyexercisemademe
visualizethetollmythoughtshadonme,[Link],I
understandsomepeoplearewillingtopayforthecourse,butasapoorworkingandindebtedstudent,I
wouldn'[Link],andinthecontextoftheongoingeconomicalcrisis,
andinothercountrieswhoalsoaren'tbooming,[Link]
thatsomefinancingfortheseactivitiesmightbeneeded,soIaskyoutopleaseconsidermodelsoffinancing
thatdon'texcludetheeconomicallyimpaired,[Link],foritwould
allowmodernslavestobewise!Iamverythankfulforthecourse,anddidenjoyclarifyingsomethingsIhadn't
[Link],andkeepupthegoodwork!

18/06/20[Link] [Link]
[Link]
[Link],the
audiosweregreat,theforumsgotustogetherasagroupandtheweeklyonlinechatswerewonderful
WeaknessWouldpreferSundayforthestartoftheweekday

18/06/20[Link] Strengths:lengthofmaterialsmultipleformatsofmaterialspracticalfocusencouragement
tointeractWeaknesses:toomanyforumpostsintoofewthreadstoomanypeopleinGoogle+chat

18/06/20[Link] Thewebsitecouldusesomeimprovementtomakefindingmaterialseasier.

18/06/20[Link] Weakness:[Link]
weakness...discussiononlinewithanoverwhelmingnumberofpeopledidnotworkformealthoughIreador
scannedeveryone'[Link]
[Link]:[Link]
waschallenging!!Thankyou,Donaldandtheteam

18/06/20[Link] [Link]'stotallyrightforabeginnerlikeme!TheonlyproblemI'vefelt
isthatI'mgladithaschangedbutitkindadidinawaythatIdon'tinteractasaloofasIwasbeforewithmy
mates..butcheers!Ifoundclarityinphilosophy!

18/06/20[Link] [Link]
throughthediscussionforumverytimeconsuming(interestingthoughitwas...)soIgotbehindanddidn't
[Link]!

18/06/20[Link] [Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
Stoicpractice.

18/06/20[Link] Weakness:chattranscriptsextremelyhardtofollow,verylowyield(lotsofhi'sandsmall
talk)

18/06/20[Link] [Link]
reading'StoicismandtheArtofHappiness'.Lovedtheaudiorecordings.

18/06/20[Link] Theextraordinaryopportunitutogetintouchwithallthismaterialonmyowntimeand
[Link].
Aminorweaknessisthelargeammountofemailsthatsometimesmadeitdifficulttofollowthethreadofa
[Link]

18/06/20[Link] [Link]
recordingswereagreatidea,[Link]
muddy,asiftheyhadbeenrecordedinsomeone'sroomonacomputermicratherthaninanactualsound
studio,[Link],Ifeltalittlelostinthe
[Link],voluntarydiscussiongroupsofmaybe310
peoplewhocaninteractwithoneanotherratherthanjusttheforum,wherecommentsfelteasilylostinthe
[Link]!

18/06/20[Link] niceblendofrealstoicorignaldoctrinewithmodernpsychologicalapproach,which
makestheoldmaterialmoreconcreteandfeasibletoapplythetheory.

19/06/20[Link] Strengths:alotofvaluablecontentWeakness:difficultyonmyparttofollowdiscussion
forums

19/06/20[Link] Forme,[Link]'tknowhowtoanswerthequestionsofvalue
[Link]?
Otherthanthat,[Link].

19/06/20[Link] Overallthecourseseemedhelpful!ThankstoDonaldandallelsewhohelped!The
courseloadwasmanageable,andthematerialeasytounderstand.

19/06/20[Link] Ithoroughlyenjoyedthiscourseandwouldrecommendittoothersifitwereopentothe
[Link]'gripe'wouldbethetimescale.Ifeelthatmaybethe4weeksistooquickformanypeopleto
[Link],inmyopinion,befocusedonforalongperiodoftime
andperhapsingreaterdetail.

19/06/20[Link] Strenghts:verygoodcoursematerial,possibilityofdiscussionwithotherparticipants,a
[Link]:
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
[Link].

19/06/20[Link] [Link]
tablets.

19/06/20[Link] Thankyou!

19/06/20[Link] Itwasawellthoughtoutcoursewithboththeoryandpracticeincluded.

19/06/20[Link] [Link]
thewonderfulaudiosthatcapturedthekeypointsinaeasyaccessuserfriendlywaythatwecancontinueto
[Link]
theSunday'sandrealisewewereareallybiggroupfromallovertheworldbutIwouldhavelovedtohavebeen
[Link].
ThankyouDonaldforsharingyourexpertiseandtimefreeofcharge.

19/06/20[Link] [Link]
couldbemadetothetimingofchatsessions.

19/06/20[Link] [Link]
thecoursearewiththeexercises(likethetwocolumnexerciseWeek1,orValuesClarificationExerciseweek
2).Thiisbecausetheytendtogeneratesomelevelofanxiety(toexamineoneslifemightnotbe,indeedinmy
caseitisnot,aneasythingtodo)orbecauseIneededmoretimepeacefultimetoreflecttheseexercises
tookalotoftimetodo,[Link]
wayDonaldRobertsonmanagedthecourseandthechatsessions(however,thereweremanyissueswith
gettingintothechatsomethingthatneedstoimproveforfuturecourses.)AndIthusthankhimforhisefforts.I
[Link]
done(andthepaperspublished)ifyoucouldsendalleastanoticewiththepublicationanditsabstract.
Strength:free,online,[Link]:(1)Chatsessionsbecauseofaccessproblems,(2)Too
shorttimetodotheexercises:Isuggestthatreadingmaterialbeseparatedfromtheexercises(with
participantsbeinginstructedtodotheexerciseatalatertimeafterthereadings).

20/06/20[Link]

20/06/20[Link] Iaminmymidseventies,therefore,[Link]
[Link],andwhoeverelse
wasinvolvedinputtingthisCoursetogether,togiveusthismarvellousopportunitytobeintroducedtoStoicism,
[Link],iwasaStudentofStoicismbehindthescenes,inotherwords
didenottakepartontheForum,butreadmanyofthecommentsofthePartisipants,whichhelpedsomuchto
understandthisCourse,Isaythankyouhereaswell,[Link]

20/06/20[Link] Theforumpostingingeneralweretoochaoticandunorganizedtogetmuchbenefitfrom,
[Link]
leveragedthediscussiontopics.

20/06/20[Link] Asapersonwhodidn'tknowmuchaboutStoicismbeforetheStoicWeek2013,I've
[Link],apositivebut,IcannowseehowlittleIreallyknow
[Link],IhadproblemsattendingtheHangoutsIdon'tknowifthereasonistheOSIuse
(Ubuntu14.04LTS)[Link],beforethe4thweekstarted,welosttheaccesstotheInternetdue
tosomeISPproblems,soI'moneweekbehindeveryoneelse.(Idon'tthinkthatpertainstothecoursethough,
ofcourse).Ithinktheformatofthecourseisgood,althoughIwouldloveitiftheStoicREsiliencewere
[Link],thankyouforallthehardworkyouhaveput
intopreparingsomethingsorefreshingespeciallyforsomebodywhosuffersfromdepressionandanxiety.

21/06/20[Link] .

21/06/20[Link] [Link]
goodsummariesoftheideasandwisdom

21/06/20[Link] Strengths:[Link]:Repetitivein
[Link],solittleconnectionbuiltamongstmembers(perhapsdividingthetotal
participantsintogroupswouldhavebeenhelpful).

21/06/20[Link] [Link]
[Link]
researchandlinkedtogaininggrantssoI'mnotcomplainingaboutit,justcommentingthattheywerenot
[Link]'tparticipateintheforums,althoughIagreemyexperiencewouldhavebeenenhancedif
[Link]'ddonethereadingsandmeditationsandthoughtaboutitall,therewasneither
timeinthedaynorenergytoread/[Link]
[Link],which
isfairenoughgivenyourpurposesbutasI'mnolongerintheacademicworldtheydidn'taddresswhatI
wantedtospendmylimitedtimecontemplatingandsoIdidn'[Link]
weeksprovidedanexcellentintroduction/samplerandIwouldbeinterestedinparticipatingagain.I'mgladthat
youhavetheG+[Link]
thoughtandpracticeitwas/[Link]'mgladtohavefounditatjusttheright
time.

22/06/20[Link] Strengths:Thepracticalexercisesandaudiomediationswereveryeffectiveand
[Link]:Perhapstoomuchtoabsorbin4weeks.
Onlineparticipationhasitlimitations,itwouldbeidealifthegroupcouldmeetanddiscussinperson.

22/06/20[Link] [Link]'tallthematerialfortheweekona
singleday,thenafullweekuntilthenextmaterialmoreofanevenflowofmaterialswouldbemoreeffective.
Alsoasummaryofwhattheexercisesare,notjustthenewonesfortheweekbutincludingthosefromthepast
[Link],thanks!!!

23/06/20[Link] Weektwomp3wouldnotplay

23/06/20[Link] Weektwomp3wouldnotplay

23/06/20[Link] Thestrengthofthiscoursewasinit'[Link],seemedtometoflowfrom
[Link]
investmentoftimewasalsoaplus.

24/06/20[Link] ReallyworkedwellalthoughIfeltIcouldnotgettoallthematerialIwouldhavelikedin
thetime.

25/06/20[Link] Thereadings,[Link]
bitoverwhelming,notbeingusedtoanonlinecourse.

25/06/20[Link] Ithadagoodseriesofitemsrelatingstoicismtomodernlifeandpracticalwaystogetat
[Link]
[Link]
moreindepth.Ifitwasa4monthcoursewitheachlessonlastingfor2weeks,forexample,itwouldallow
moretimeforeachlessontosettleandbecomehabitual,aswellascovermorematerial.

26/06/20[Link] [Link]'m
improvinginthisarea,whenthingsgettoughI'moftenmotivatedbydeadlinesandhavingafinishedproduct.
Inordertokeeppeoplemotivatedbydeadlinesengagedinthecourse,youcouldoffercheckins,assignments,
quizzes,[Link]!I'velearnedquiteabitaboutStoicism.

26/06/20[Link]

26/06/20[Link] Icouldnotparticipatefullyduetosuddenillnessanddeathofaclosefamilymemberas
[Link]...Still,Itriedtofollow.
Theguidedmeditationswerenothelpfulneverhavebeen,[Link]
helpful,moreofwhichI'vefoundinMarcus(andSeneca)[Link]
[Link]'thavetheenergytoreadthemall,muchlessfollowandreply.
Thecourseturnedouttobe"toolarge,"[Link],therewastoomuchmaterialtocoverinfourweeks.
Thepacewastoofast,butthatimpressionmaybebasedonhavingnoabilitytoconcentrateforsometime.
Ontheotherhand,[Link]
[Link]'spossibleyoumighthavebeenabitoverambitious,[Link]
[Link],
possiblybylimitingenrollmentorsplittingthematerialintotwoindependentcourses.I'msureyou'veno
shortageofsuggestions.

27/06/20[Link] [Link].I
wouldsaythatthefeedbackonthequestionnairesmightnotreflecttruestatesofbeingforinstance,my4
mighteasilybeanotherperson's5or3.

29/06/20[Link] Mainstrengthsaccessible,[Link].
[Link]
[Link]'slessononaSundaymorningsoI
[Link]
[Link]
[Link]
meonaMondayandotherweekdaynightsandbymidwaythroughthecourseIhadstartedtoputoffthework
[Link],hadInotbeenworking,oraparttimer.

30/06/20[Link] [Link]
appreciatedamorepersonalcontact,perhapsasmallergroupwithwhichtointeract.

01/07/20[Link] Ididhavesometroublegettingtheaudioportionstodownload,butthatanissuewithmy
[Link]
[Link],andpresentedwithspecifictasksto
completeinordertointernalizetheideas(IhavefoundthistobemissingfromthehardcopytextsIhaveread,
thoughtheywerevaluableintheirownwayaswell).TheonlyweaknessIcanidentifyisthatitwasalittle
difficulttofigureoutwhattoclickonandwheretostartonthehomepage,butthatwassolvedthrough
repetitiveuseofthepage.

06/07/20[Link] Strengths:materialandfocusonhowtoapplyStoicteachingstoeverydaylife
Weaknesses:technicalexecution,specificallythesystemloggingmeoutafterasetamountoftime

07/07/20[Link] [Link].

09/07/20[Link] Manythanksforafinecourse!Theexcercisesareespeciallyvaluable,notleastforthe
purposeofsimplycreatinghabits.A"schedule"ofsomekind,enumeratingexcercisesandmakingthe
progress&overallstructureabitclearermightbehelpfulasitwas,theupcominglessonwasabitofasecret
treasurebox,[Link](justlikethestoiccommunitiesinsocial
mediagenerally)tendtobecomeunfocusedandfilledwithgeneralopinions,whichcanbeinterestingand
[Link]
textcentered,takingtheformofexegesisofstoicpassagespertainingtotheweek'sthemeinordertokeepthe
discussionontrack.