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Issues for universities when considering whether to offer MOOCs and/or accept credit for MOOCs
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Considering MOOCs:Pros, Cons, Questions
Doug Holton, Associate DirectorCenter for Teaching and Learning ExcellenceEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University
These slides are at: http://bit.ly/considermoocs
What are MOOCs
MassiveOpenOnlineCourses
What are MOOCs
MOOCs are online courses that are open for anyone in the world to take, usually for free and not for credit.*
These courses have had anywhere from a few thousand to over 180,000 people enroll.
*Exceptions include California State University: http://chronicle.com/article/California-State-U-Will/136677/ See also MOOC2Degree and OERu in later slides
MOOC Timeline
via http://mfeldstein.com/four-barriers-that-moocs-must-overcome-to-become-sustainable-model/
History of MOOCsA timeline of MOOC articles:http://chronicle.com/article/What-You-Need-to-Know-About/133475/
Infographic on the rise of MOOCs: http://visual.ly/rise-moocs
MOOCs TodayUdacity, Coursera, and Edx are now offering hundreds of MOOCs to millions of people.
Via http://visual.ly/rise-moocs
Try Out a MOOC YourselfSee http://www.class-central.com/ for a list of courses available from Coursera, Udacity & edX.
Other independent MOOCs:● http://learn.media.mit.edu/● http://mooc.olds.ac.uk/
Pros and Cons of MOOCs
Let's look at pros and cons from a few different points of view:
1. students (ours and others)2. faculty3. the university4. teaching and learning (pedagogy)
Perspective from Our Students: MOOCsSee this article from the perspective of a Stanford student.
Pros● Higher profile, exposure to prospective employers, help
from and to outsiders, learn from world expertsCons● Less one on one contact with instructor, less interactive,
high dropout rate● Some students need expert support: “sharing of
erroneous information and other shortcomings of peer-to-peer coaching”
Other pros and cons?
Outside Students in MOOCsMOOC demographics: most students are non-traditional, international, already have degrees. 39% “just curious about the topic”, 30% wanting to "sharpen their skills"
Pros● Learn for free about college topics for which they may not
have access, like engineering, computer science● Prospective students can learn about a university● Former students can refresh knowledge
Cons - same as cons for our own students
Faculty Perspective: MOOCsPros● Greater exposure of your work and teaching and the
university.● MOOC-wrapping - using a MOOC as a textbook● Example motivations from MIT OpenCourseWare:
reputation, networking, improved course content and student feedback
Cons● Example concerns from a U. Wisconsin faculty member● Quality of learning, extremely high dropout rate (>90%)● Demands on time: both planning and teaching● Intellectual Property Rights, Risk, Cost, Reimbursement
University Perspective: MOOCs
Benefits● Outreach, service to the community and public● Marketing the university and its courses and faculty● Fosters sense of community across campuses● Spur innovations in teaching and learning - see next slide
Challenges● Won’t directly generate revenue (unless you charge for certificates)● Requires investment - faculty time, resources● Other questions to consider in following slides, such as
accreditation, competition, and evaluation
Provosts and presidents are split down the middle on MOOCs
Teaching & Learning Perspective: MOOCs
Pros● Encourages sharing of teaching practices, research and
data on teaching (SOTL), highlight & showcase faculty teaching, more student-centered practices.
● "Placing their MOOCs in the public domain for a worldwide audience will oblige institutions to do more than pay lip service to importance of teaching and put it at the core their missions. This is the real revolution of MOOCs."
Cons● Videos+quizzes not enough. MOOCs need better learning
design.● MOOCs: The Dark Side (infographic)
Frequently Asked QuestionsHow do MOOCs make money?
See How EdX Plans to Earn Money and Emerging business models for MOOCs.
Are accrediting agencies paying attention to MOOCs?
Yes. ACE recently accredited 5 MOOCs.
Are employers paying attention to MOOCs?Yes. Employers are recruiting top students from
MOOCs. MOOCs are charging for access to student data.
The last two in particular suggest universities shouldn't ignore MOOCs.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat's involved in designing and implementing a MOOC?
See http://bit.ly/dukecoursera for a behind the scenes look, and also a later slide: "Differences When Teaching a MOOC." MOOCs should not be taught like regular courses.
Can students get a degree or credit taking MOOCs?
Various solutions for credit such as digital badges, certificates, e-portfolios. Universities are starting to give credit for MOOCs with MOOC2Degree & OERu (next slide)See also http://myeducationpath.com/
MOOC2Degree & OERuhttp://www.mooc2degree.com/● Multi-university partnership to offer MOOCs for college
credit.● "Through this new initiative, the initial course in select
online degree programs will be converted into a MOOC."
http://wikieducator.org/OER_university/Home● OER = Open Educational Resources● "The OER university aims to provide free learning to all
students worldwide using OER learning materials with pathways to gain credible qualifications from recognised education institutions."
Frequently Asked QuestionsAre MOOCs a fad?Probably not● Millions of dollars invested in MOOCs● Millions of students signing up for MOOCs around globe● Developing & using new and innovative tools to support
MOOCs - cheat detection, better discussion forums, sophisticated learner analytics, new MOOC platforms, Google Apps, etc.
Are MOOCs hyped?Probably yes● MOOC hype cycle (next slide)
Open Questions● How do we evaluate Quality, ROI of
MOOCs?● How are MOOCs to be accredited?● How do we assess learning in MOOCs?● What about alternative models, such as:
○ Self-Paced Learning? (like Khan Academy, Udemy)○ Blended/Hybrid Models? (Open Learning Initiative)○ Games? Gamification?○ MOOC-Wrapping?○ Online Professional Development Communities? (like
Tappedin)
What Should We Do?● Talk to Faculty
○ Is there faculty interest & enthusiasm for MOOCs?
○ Do their courses use copyrighted materials? Would they scale to MOOCs?
● Talk to Students○ Current, Former, Prospective
● Try Out MOOCs Yourself: ○ http://www.class-central.com/
● If Need Be: Implement a Pilot Test
3 Levels of MOOC Implementation● Individual
○ Individual faculty can use free MOOC hosting services like CourseSites, Canvas.net, Wikis, Blogs, Google Apps...
● Standard○ University adopts a standard platform for hosting
MOOCs (coursesites, coursera, etc.) with several courses
● Showcase ○ University invests in developing custom showcase
courses targeting prospective students (flight simulation, aviation, etc.)
Differences When Teaching a MOOC vs. Reg. Course● takes more time, less room for error● copyright issues - no more fair use● many tools you use may not scale to thousands of
students - different set of tools needed for MOOCs● things that cause a few to grumble in a regular online
class may cause a revolt in a MOOC - expensive textbook, too much reading, boring lectures, powerpoint
● some issues are amplified in a MOOC: dropout rate, cheating, off-topic noise in forums, time zone issues, accessibility
● most MOOCs are shorter - 5-8 weeks instead of 15
Create Your Own MOOC:MOOC PlatformsOpen Source● CourseBuilder, by Google● Class2Go, by Stanford● OpenMOOC● MechanicalMOOC, by P2PU ● Edx platform by MIT, to be releasedFree● Google Apps - Google+, Google Sites, Google Groups
● CourseSites by Blackboard● Canvas.net by Instructure (based on open source)
● Wordpress, Wikis, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook
For More Information about MOOCsSee these papers on MOOCs:● European University Assocation: MOOCs (Jan. 2013)● John Daniel: Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a
Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility (2012)● EDUCAUSE: What Campus Leaders Need to Know
About MOOCs (2012)
MOOC News:● InsideHigherEd: MOOC articles● Chronicle of Higher Education: MOOC articles
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