Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): A Guide for Beginners

Massive Open Online Course

A guide for BEGINNERS

(MOOC)

Massive Open Online Course

(MOOC)

Johan Eddy Luaran

i-Learn Center

Universiti Teknologi MARA

2013

All right reserved. No part of this publication may reproduced or transmitted

in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying,

recorded or by any storage information or retrival system, without the prior

written permission from the author.

Preface

assive Open Online Course (MOOC) has spurred a discussion in the higher

education community as to whether it can reform the teaching and learning in

the aforementioned setting. MOOC, a term used to describe course offered

fully online where user can obtain graduation certificate upon users completion of

that particular course, offers an edge of education that has never been thought

possible decades ago.

For educators, the current constellation of change pressures and emerging trends

represent an exciting opportunity. This exciting opportunity revolves around setting a

framework of learner-driven pedagogy, extending knowledge to and from global

classrooms and increasing access to learning. While there are unsettled views about

what MOOC can do, the need for educators to embrace active experimentation about

teaching and learning cannot be understated.

This book is written with such intention, for educators who want to leverage on the

open online courses to better themselves. This book serves as a guide for beginners

who wish to explore the various platforms of MOOCs, namely Coursera, iversity, edX,

ALISON, Canvas Network, Open Learning, Academic Earth, Future Learn, Peer to Peer

University, Saylor.Org, and Udemy. There are two chapters that first introduce to the

readers what MOOC is and how MOOC can serve as a medium of learning. Each

chapter then starts by simply introducing the name of the MOOC platforms that

follows with descriptions of the respective MOOC platforms. Readers will appreciate

the inclusion of screenshots to ease their navigation in making the most out of the

online resources. It is hoped that this book will provide a resource to advocate for the

best possible ways to learn from the open world.

Johan @ Eddy Luaran

M

Contents

CHAPTER 1 WHAT IS MOOCs?............................................................................... 1

CHAPTER 2 MOOCs AS A MEDIUM OF LEARNING ............................................. 3

CHAPTER 3 COURSERA ........................................................................................... 5

CHAPTER 4 IVERSITY ........................................................................................... 15

CHAPTER 5 edX ..................................................................................................... 27

CHAPTER 6 ALISON ............................................................................................... 41

CHAPTER 7 CANVAS NETWORK .......................................................................... 57

CHAPTER 8 OPENLEARNING ............................................................................... 72

CHAPTER 9 ACADEMIC EARTH ........................................................................... 85

CHAPTER 10 FUTURE LEARN ............................................................................. 102

CHAPTER 11 PEER TO PEER UNIVERSITY (P2PU) ........................................... 116

CHAPTER 12 SAYLOR ......................................................................................... 136

CHAPTER 13 UDEMY .......................................................................................... 148

1

A massive open online course or more commonly known as MOOC is an online course that is accessible via the web and offers unlimited participation.

According to Educause (2014), a massive open online course (MOOC) is a model for delivering learning content online to any person who wants to take a

course, with no limit on attendance. MOOC incorporates both the traditional and modern course materials for learning such as videos, readings, projects, assignments and many more.

Other than that, learners can also participate in interactive user forums that

are normally provided by MOOCs and these interactive forums help build a community for students, lecturers, professors, teachers and all of the users. MOOCs are a very new development that began to develop in 2012. Some of the

early MOOCs emphasized open features and open licensing of content, structure and learning goals. Those features are to promote the reuse and remixing of resources. Despite that, some newer MOOCs use closed license for

their course materials but still maintain free access for users from all over the globe.

Other than that, what is best about these MOOCs is that they do not always lead to formal qualifications and there are no entry requirements. Despite that,

the courses offered are recognized internationally as most of these courses are offered by renowned universities and institutions from all over the globe such as Harvard, Yale and Stanford and other leading universities in the US, the UK,

Europe and Asia. All of these renowned universities and institutions provide the best materials for learners to work with and the best courses that they can

learn from. MOOCs offer university-level courses without the need to complete and entire

programme of studies as they do it in the formal setting in the tertiary education. Learners of MOOCs are mostly independent learners and they are

capable of studying independently and select courses from any institutions that are available online. Moreover, MOOCs are mostly video-based and interactions are mostly done through peer review and group discussion or

group collaboration which will stimulate automated feedback through online assessments, quizzes and exams. This is very suitable especially for those who need to juggle their time between work and studies as MOOCs provide them to

learn at their own paces unlike studying in the normal tertiary education institutions.

CHAPTER

1 WHAT IS MOOCs?

2

There are many reasons as to why one should consider being part of MOOC.

One of the reasons would be that most of the courses are free. Other than that, the lecture videos are also mostly very short that gets straight to the point and

learners have the power to pause, play, rewind in case if they miss out any valuable information which they cannot do in normal lectures. In fact, the learning process can also be combined with ones studies or jobs because learning via MOOC is very easy as the user is the one who controls the pace of his or her learning. Learning with MOOC saves time and definitely saves money.

Last but not least, the courses offered by MOOCs are mostly accessible via

gadgets such as computers, mobile phones, tabs and others and this makes the learning experience much more fun as learners can learn anytime and anywhere as it does not require them to be at a specific place to learn.

Therefore, all that needs to be done now is to sign up with any MOOCs and never stop learning!

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course http://www.thecompleteuniversityguide.co.uk/distance-learning/moocs-(massive-open-online-courses)/

http://www.educause.edu/library/massive-open-online-course-mooc

3

As MOOCs have proven to be very useful to all learners out there, it is good if MOOCs can be implemented in todays learning sessions be it at schools, or institutions. With the implementation of MOOCs in real-life learning, it will promote the usage of technology and also create independent learners along

the way. There are many ways to implement MOOCs in the current learning process.

The first method that MOOCs can be used in learning is that teachers can conduct online classes via MOOCs. All students can take up the same courses

at home, do the same assignments and sit for the same online final exams. Teachers at school can use this as a side-learning whereby it is done at home but is discussed in class. Students learn on their own through the online

courses and they can bring up their issues during class at school. This will not only be interesting but it will be fun for the students as many resources and methods are involved in the learning process.

Other than that, teachers can also assign students to different online courses

and that they are to complete those courses together in a specific amount of time. The objective of this is to later on share their different knowledge with each other and gain from each other. They can also share their final projects

with one another and create a discussion out of the activity. This will not only create independent learners, but it will also create students with high creative

and critical thinking skills. Technology has definitely changed the lives of many especially these days.

Therefore, why not incorporate it into learning and make learning a much more fun and memorable experience for both students and teachers!

CHAPTER

2 MOOC AS A

MEDIUM OF LEARNING

4

Below are some of the websites that offer MOOCs:

MOOCs Provider Website

Coursera https://www.coursera.org/

iversity https://iversity.org/

edX https://www.edx.org/

ALISON http://alison.com/

Canvas Network http://www.instructure.com/

Open Learning https://www.openlearning.com/

Academic Earth http://academicearth.org/

Future Learn https://www.futurelearn.com/

Peer to Peer University https://p2pu.org/en/

Saylor. Org http://www.saylor.org/

Udemy https://www.udemy.com/

5

WHAT IS COURSERA?

Coursera is an educational platform that provides free course online and it is

available for everyone from all around the world. This educational platform collaborates with top universities worldwide to offer the best possible courses to the users. There are many courses provided by the websites including

Biology, Humanities, Social Sciences and many more.

These courses take about six to ten weeks long with the aid of video lectures every week. Coursera provides quizzes, weekly exercises and many more to assess the students performances. With the use of Coursera, students will be able to learn at their own pace and still receive a higher education!

FEATURES OF COURSERA

Users get to learn for free.

There is large variety of courses offered by Coursera

The assessments at the end of the course enable users to keep track of their progress.

CHAPTER

3 COURSERA

6

GET STARTED

7

There are many courses that you can choose from, for example, Child Nutrition and Cooking 2.0 by Stanford University as shown in the image below.

You can also save time by straight away looking up for the course or university you intend to learn from as provided in the website. Refer to the image below.

8

Other than searching for your desired courses manually, you can also sort out the findings according to the different categories below to make your search

easier!

9

Once youve picked up a particular course, you can have an overview of the course as to what you will be learning, what are the learning methods involved

and the assessments that need to be done. Other than that, you can also know your instructor and what qualifications he or she has.

Once youre sure of the course, you can start learning straight away! For example, as shown in the image below, the course that has been chosen is

Child Nutrition and Cooking 2.0 by Stanford University.

10

Once you have clicked the Start Learning button, you will be directed to a page showing your course outline for the whole course in the next few weeks to

come. This course heavily revolves on the use of short video clips to help you to understand easier!

11

For deeper understanding, lets take a closer look on the first part of the course that is Why Home Cooking Matters and the details of it.

12

Once you have watched the videos, you must take a mini test or quiz to check your understanding level of the topic before moving on as the topics will get

harder. Once youve mastered the basics of the course, you can proceed to the next item on the course outline.

13

Below is a sample of the quiz. The quiz may contain a certain number of questions and can be asked in the form of True or False question, multiple choice questions and many more. Submit your answer once youre done and proceed to the next big item on the course outline!

14

Once you have completed all the items listed on the course outline and the quizzes, you are officially done with the course! If the course provides you with

a completion certificate, do keep it with you for future use. Coursera is very convenient for users as it encourages users to learn in the easiest and best way

possible from the comfort of their own homes. Explore the other courses provided by Coursera and start learning more!

Reference

https://www.coursera.org/

15

WHAT IS IVERSITY? Iversity is a platform for Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and offer

opportunities to all users including students, professors, lecturers and many more to learn or even use this website as a platform to conduct online courses.

Other than that, with this website, professors are also able to extend their hand to thousands of students from all over the world. There are many different courses provided by Iversity such as medicine, biology, physics, law

and many more. With Iversity, anyone from all over the globe is able to access education online for free.

FEATURES OF IVERSITY

Users get to learn online anywhere and anytime.

Money could be saved from paying for university enrollment.

Professors could conduct online classes which are much easier to handle

and monitor.

Thousands of students can be reached by the professors just through

Iversity.

Users can also get completion certificates as a proof of their enrollment.

CHAPTER

4 IVERSITY

16

GET STARTED

Signing up or logging in is made easier as Iversity allows their users to sign up via Facebook, Google account or even email. With that, there will be no extra

hassle of coming up with new usernames and passwords.

17

Iversity provides many courses for the users and users can find for their

respective desired courses as shown below. They can even filter the results according to the languages or search for the course manually in the Search box provided as seen below.

18

For example, if you decide to take up on an upcoming course as shown below, you have to keep yourself updated on the starting date of the course and what

the course is all about.

19

However, while waiting for the upcoming courses to start, you can still pursue the current courses that are provided to keep your time filled! Refer to the

images below on the steps to enroll yourselves into the current courses and start learning straight away!

In order to get the general idea of the whole course, do read the details

provided on the page.

20

Once you have enrolled yourself into the course, you will be directed to a page

where you will see what you will be learning. This page is more or less like your course outlines. For a clearer understanding, refer to the image below which shows the first 4 chapters of the course.

21

Firstly, lets check out the first unit in the first chapter of The DO School Start-Up Lab course provided by Iversity which is How to MOCC with the DO School Start-Up Lab.

22

Below are some images showing the materials provided for the first unit of the first chapter. The content of the first unit is a video and some other additional

materials for further understanding. Make sure you get your basics right before moving on further into the chapters.

23

Apart from keeping up with the chapters, you will also need to keep up with the announcements as shown below. You can update yourself with the latest

worksheets which you can purchase at the website.

24

Below are examples of worksheets that can be purchased from Iversity.

25

A discussion tab is also provided for users to discuss any problems or issues they face.

26

You can constantly view your dashboard to keep up with the courses you plan to take up or currently doing. You can even take up a few courses at one go.

Have fun learning!

Reference

https://iversity.org/

27

WHAT IS edX?

edX is a platform that provides users from all over the globe an opportunity to

transform themselves by education through cutting-edge technologies , creative and innovative pedagogies and intensive courses. edX gathers hands with other institutional partners and carry out researches to further enhance their

understanding on the students best way of learning and incorporate that into their courses. edX offers free courses for users to take up and learn online. This method of learning brings the learning experience to a whole new level and

opens an even wider perspective towards learning. As it is online and free, anyone from all around the world can join and learn together with the others.

FEATURES OF edX

Students get to learn online for free.

All users; students and professors, get to gather on one similar platform

to carry out teaching and learning processes.

Learning with edX saves time as it can be done online.

CHAPTER

5 edX

28

GET STARTED

29

Refer to the examples shown below to sign up as member.

Once you have successfully registered as a user, you will be directed to a new page as seen below. Do activate your account via the link sent to your email

address to make full use of your account.

30

To make your search easier, you are able to filter your results as seen below.

As an example, lets explore one of the current courses that is offered by edX as

shown below which is Introduction to Linux. For deeper understanding, refer

to the examples below.

32

Once you have successfully registered for the course, you will be directed to a new page as seen below. For the purpose of this, we would go for the Audit track.

33

After you have selected the type of track as shown in the previous images, you will be directed to new page as seen below and youre good to go!

34

In order to start your course, click the courseware tab as shown below. You will first be directed to the introduction. Under the introduction tab, you will be briefed on many things such as the basics of the course, marking scheme and many more.

35

Once youre done reading he contents of the introduction, you can move on to the first chapter of the course and complete all of the units in order to move on

to the next chapter.

Move on to the next chapters till you reach the last chapter before sitting for the final exam.

37

Once you have clicked the button as shown in the previous examples, you will

be directed to a new page as shown below to start taking your final exam. Here

is an example of the exam question. You will have two chances of getting your

answers right. If you do not know the answer, you can skip to the next

question and return to it later.

38

When you have clicked the grade my exam button, you will be directed to a

new page under the progress tab to view your grades as shown in the example

below.

39

Last but not least, view the discussion tab to keep yourself updated with the

latest discussions online on new problems or issues. You may also put forward

any issues you would like to discuss on this page as seen below. When youre

done, just sign out or continue to a different course!

40

Reference

https://www.edx.org/

41

WHAT IS ALISON?

Alison is one of the many online platforms that provide courses absolutely for free. Users are able to be certified at their own pace using Alisons free, interactive multimedia. Alison basically provides approximately 600 courses for

users to choose from such as Financial & Economic Literacy, Digital Literacy & IT Skills, Diploma courses and many more. Every course that is provided by

Alison is standards-based and certified. With Alison, all you need to do is to decide what you want to study, select a course, get enrolled, study, take the assessments and lastly, get your cert and do it at your own pace!

FEATURES OF ALISON

Users get to learn at their own pace.

A completion certificate will be given upon completion of the course.

Alison offers a huge range of courses for users to choose from.

It is possible to conduct online classes with Alison.

The courses are free and save a lot of time and money.

CHAPTER

6 ALISON

42

GET STARTED

Log on to http://alison.com/

In order to get started, you must first be an official member of Alison. If you are already an official member, do log in. If youre not, you may sign up before getting started.

43

In order to make the log in process much easier, you can log in via your email, Facebook account, Yahoo and others. However, you can also opt for the

traditional way of signing up as shown below.

44

Once you have successfully signed up or logged in into your account, you must first verify your account via the link sent to your email address. After verifying

your account, you are good to go! Search for the desired courses and start learning!

Below are some of the online courses offered by Alison.

45

If you click on the Course tab at the top of the page, you could pick the way to sort out the results of your findings as to whether you only want diploma

courses, or by different categories or even by subjects. In this case, the course will be chosen via subjects and the course chosen is English. Refer to the

example below for some of the subjects offered.

The chosen course for this example is English Vocabulary and Pronunciation.

46

Once you have clicked on the Start Course button as shown in the previous example, you will be directed to a new page as seen below.

Read the short description of the course that you are about to take to get a

clearer picture of what the course is all about. Click the Start Now button when you are ready to learn!

47

When you have already clicked the Start Now button, you will be directed to a

new page showing your course outline; the modules and assessment(s). Refer

to the example below.

48

When you click onto Module 1 as shown in the previous example, you will be directed to another page as shown below. All of the contents in this module

must be completed before moving on to the next module to ensure a continuous learning experience. Hence, you need to start with the first content

of Module 1.

49

Watch a video on the first topic in Module 1 which is Shopping vocabulary. When you have finished watching the first video, you can move on to the next

videos and complete Module 1.

You can also click on the Modules, Text and Notes tab to aid your learning process as seen below.

51

When you have completed all of the modules, you will need to complete the assessment to check your understanding of the modules and to also earn

yourself a certificate of completion.

52

Below is an example of the assessment that you would have to take. Click the

Next button to start answering the questions.

53

Answer all of the questions till you reach the last question as shown below. If you score more than 80%, then congratulations! If not, do not be discouraged

and try again to earn that certificate of completion at the very end. Make sure you do not stop at one course but continue on to many more as Alison has

much more to offer. Good luck!

54

Other than pursuing the courses as individuals, you can also conduct classes

through Alison as shown in the example below.

55

In order to continue, you must first choose a subscription plan. Once you have

chosen one, youre good to go!

56

Reference

http://alison.com/

57

WHAT IS CANVAS NETWORK?

Canvas Network is a platform whereby teachers, learners and institutions define the world of open online learning. Canvas Network is very user friendly

and is not complicated at all. It will make perfect sense to all of its users despite the fact that it is fully online. Other than that, Canvas Network is also a place when open online courses, communities, learners, teachers, professors

and others gather to learn together and meet their goals. Canvas Network connects millions of learners online and therefore opens the doors to discussions and also to the sharing of knowledge among users. The

best part of Canvas Network is that it is completely free of charge. It is also a very comprehensive online platform as it provides the users with such cohesive

syllabuses, assignments, quizzes and study plans. It creates a very conducive learning environment for all of its users.

FEATURES OF CANVAS NETWORK

The users will be provided with study plans, study calendars, syllabus

and many more to promote maximum learning experience.

The instructors can be reached all the time as they are actively involved

in the process.

There are discussion forums that users can participate in.

It is free and users need not to fork out any money to learn.

Users can learn according to their own pace, needs and interests.

CHAPTER

7 CANVAS NETWORK

58

GETTING STARTED

Log on to https://www.canvas.net/

Canvas Network does not accept sign ups anymore at the moment. However, you can still learn their courses for free and sign up through those courses or

sign up as a teacher if you wish to conduct a class on Canvas Network and they will contact you personally after that regarding your class.

59

For now, more attention will be given to ways to pursue or take up a course of your liking on Canvas network. In the picture shown below, a course entitled

Project Management for Business Professionals will be used as an example.

When you have clicked the button as shown in the previous example, you will

be directed to another page pertaining the details of the course such as the course description, objectives, the instructor(s) and many more. Read through those details to ensure that you are interested in the course before taking it.

61

Once you are sure that you are interested in the course and that you would

want to enroll for it, simply follow the example below.

When youve clicked the Enroll button, you will need to enter some details as

seen below.

62

When youve clicked the link as shown in the previous example, you will directed to a new website that requires you to fill in some details before

registering for good. Refer to the example below for a clearer picture.

63

If you wish to start your course right away, you will be directed to the

homepage of your course as shown below.

65

We shall first take a look at the modules and what will you be learning for the

entire course.

As an example, we shall take a look at Topic 1.2 in Module 1 for a clearer

understanding.

66

Once you have finished reading Topic 1.2 and fully understand it, you must

then take part in the discussion forum as shown in the module.

67

As a student, it is important for you to constantly keep track of your syllabus so that you will not miss out anything. Canvas Network will help you with that!

Just view your course syllabus constantly and make sure that you are updated with any datelines or new modules to learn.

68

You will also be having assignments to be completed before the datelines given. Click on the assignments tab as shown below to keep track of your assignments.

69

You can also keep track of your grades as shown in the example below.

Other than that, Canvas Network also provides you with a calendar to help you organize your study plan so that you wont forget anything and have everything in order.

70

As you can see in the example below, Canvas Network is able to automatically save the important dates on your calendar. You can also add your own

important event to your calendar simply by clicking on the date!

Reference

https://www.canvas.net/

71

WHAT IS OPEN LEARNING?

Open Learning is basically a free online platform that provides courses for users to take up. This website was designed by Adam Brimo, Richard Buckland

and David Collien who are professionals in designing courses which means the users are placed under professional care.

Open Learning also promotes learning for the sake of learning as there are no assessments nor certificates upon the completion of the course as users would

be learning for the knowledge and not certificates and grades. This will give the learners the freedom to study at their own pace and understand the course thoroughly.

FEATURES OF OPEN LEARNING

The courses offered are free and the courses are highly sought after.

Users get to learn for free.

No grades or assessments given.

It is very user friendly and is easy for users to follow.

It gets users from all over the world to get in touch in a very cohesive and

comprehensive manner to its news feed.

CHAPTER

8 OPEN LEARNING

72

GET STARTED

Log on to https://www.openlearning.com/

73

Once you have signed up and become a registered member of Openlearnng,

you could start searching for a course that you would like to pursue. All you need to do is to click on the Find A Course button as shown in the example below.

74

Once you have clicked on the Find a Course button as shown in the previous example, you will be directed to a new page showing all of the courses that

Openlearning has got to offer to you. In the example, we will select a course entitled Free Photoshop & Training Tutorials as shown below.

75

When you have officially joined the course, you will be directed to your homepage as shown in the example below. The homepage is basically where

you could update yourself with the latest updates and announcements from Openlearning regarding the course.

Click on the attachments to help you understand your course more!

76

On the left side of your page, click on the Course Videos button to watch some videos on the course.

There will be many course videos for you to watch. Make your way from the

very basics of the course till the advanced. Understand each video for you to ace the course and get the most out of it!

77

Lets watch the first video of the course!

78

The next important part of this course would be the News Feed. The News

Feed is where other users from all over the globe share resources, materials,

opinions, issues and many more with each other. It is very similar to

Facebooks news feed where you get to see what other people are posting about

and you can actually comment on their postings. Other than that, you can

even post and share resources with others!

79

Besides the news feed, you can also join existing groups or create your own

groups and get other users to join in. Refer to the examples below for a clearer

picture.

80

Last but not least, do not keep the fun of learning all to yourself. Share around

with your friends and get them to learn together with you! Refer to the example

below on exactly how to do so.

You can invite your friends via Facebook, Email or through Open Learning,

that is if they already have an account. If not, get them to have one and you

can learn together!

81

You can even create your own course and get other users to learn from you!

82

Before you can start designing your own course, you will need to watch a tutorial video that is provided by OpenLearning as seen below. Although you

could skip the video, it is recommended that you watch it just to give you a general idea on how to go about creating a course.

83

Reference

https://www.openlearning.com/

84

WHAT IS ACADEMICEARTH?

Academic Earth is an online platform to conduct online courses for users from all over the world. Unlike other online educational websites, Academic Earth

does not require any sign ups. Users only need to view the course and carry out all of the assignments and projects as listed out in the website. It is more of a self-learning experience and students will be independent in their learning

process. Other than that, unlike any other online websites, Academic Earth also

features an ongoing series of original videos. These videos are put on the website to tap the curiosity of the users and also to use it as a medium to launch meaningful discussions. Academic Earth believes that curiosity is a

catalyst to make our world a better place with better learners!

FEATURES OF ACADEMIC EARTH

Users get the opportunity to monitor their own learning process.

A large variety of courses are offered.

Courses offered are free and online.

The original videos provided will definitely help learning be more fun.

Academic Earth provides useful information on scholarships, internships and many more that would help the users later in the future.

CHAPTER

9 ACADEMIC EARTH

85

GET STARETD

Log on to http://academicearth.org/

86

Once you have watched the introductory video as shown in the previous example and you understand what Academic Earth is all about, you can move

on to the next step that is choosing the course that you would like to pursue. Refer to the example below.

For this example, lets try out Education courses! All you have to do is click on the Courses button as shown in the example above and choose a course but in this case, it will be education courses. When you have selected Education, you will be directed to a new page.

87

When youve clicked on the Open Courses tab as shown above, you will be directed to a section on that very same page where they showcase all of the education courses that are offered.

88

You will be directed to a page as seen below. Lets take a look at the syllabus of the course! The course basically informs you on how will the course be carried

out, assessments or assignments and the weightage that they carry in the course and many more. Refer to the example below.

89

Other than that, you can also view some of the reading materials that have been recommended for users to understand the course more. The reading

materials must either be bought, downloaded or others. The reading materials are organized according to weekly basis.

90

This course also has assignments that need to be completed at the end of the course. In order to view the list of assignments that need to be done, just click

on the Assignments tab as shown in the example below. Similar to the reading materials, the assignments are also assigned on weekly basis.

91

The courses also have projects that should be completed before the course can be completed. Take a look on the example below for a clearer picture.

94

Apart from the courses, you can also view journals or magazines at the homepage.

95

You can also view the grants and scholarships offered on the website.

96

The Internship column is really good for uses that are looking for places to do internships as this column informs them of the place and the datelines of the internships.

98

On the top of your page, there will be a column as shown below. Click on Playlists to view some of the playlist available on the website. There are a few lecture videos available under the playlist.

99

Apart from playlists, there are also video electives for you to choose from.

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Reference

http://academicearth.org/

101

WHAT IS FUTURE LEARN? Future Learn is an online platform that connects learners from all over the

world with high quality educators, high quality courses and also with each other. Future Learn offers a wide selection of free high quality online courses

that is from some of the worlds top universities and other leading institutions. Other than that, these online courses are accessible via mobiles, tablets and desktops.

Future learn is a private company owned by The Open University and has gathered hand in hand with over 20 of the best UK and international

universities, British library and British Museum to put forward the best online courses for learners from all over the globe.

FEATURES OF FUTURE LEARN

Learners from all over the world get to unite on one uniform platform to

learn

The courses are accessible via tablets and mobiles which makes it easier.

The website is very user friendly and uncomplicated.

The learning process is based on a weekly basis and this ensures a

smooth learning experience.

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GET STARTED

Log on to https://www.futurelearn.com/

Sign in or register first before you can start learning.

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If you have clicked Register as shown in the previous example, you will be directed to a page as shown below. Fill in all of the necessary details and click

Register to complete and finalize your registration.

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When you have successfully registered as a member of Future Learn, you will be directed to the Courses page immediately as shown in the example below.

You can view the courses or filter them according to three categories which are

New & Upcoming to view courses that are new and have not yet started, In progress to view courses that are currently taking place or Past to view courses that had already taken place and had ended.

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For this example, lets view the courses that are currently taking place or in progress. Therefore, click on the In progress tab as shown in the previous example to view those courses. We would take the first course shown on the page which is Basic Science: Understanding Numbers as an example. Refer to the example below.

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Once you have watched the trailer of the course, it would be much clearer to you as to whether you have interests in the course in order to go through with

it. However, just to get rid of any doubt you might have, you can read the course description, requirements and many more on the very same page to give

you an even clearer picture of the course.

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When you are sure of the course, all you need to do is join the course. Click on the Join this free course button at the bottom of the page to enroll!

You will be directed to another page as shown below once your enrollment is successful.

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Before you can start the course, why not share the information with your friends and get them to join in as well? Learning is always fun when you have

company along with you! When you have already shared the information, just click Next in order to move on to the next page.

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Once you have clicked on Go to Course button as shown above, you will be directed to a new page showing the course with weekly progress. Take a look at the example below.

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Below the video, there will be a guide prepared for you. Refer to the example below for a clearer understanding.

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Once you have finished watching all of the videos and have read all of the articles, youre ready to sit for the quiz for the week! However, keep in mind that the quiz does not grade you but only as a catalyst for you to learn more and better.

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Below is an example of Question 1 of the quiz. Answer all questions correctly until you reach the end. Once you finish everything for the week, continue

doing it for the rest of the weeks until you complete the course and receive your certificate.

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Reference

https://www.futurelearn.com/

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WHAT IS PEER TO PEER UNIVERSITY? Peer 2 Peer University or also commonly known as P2PU is the basis for an

open education projects that organizes learning outside of classrooms or in other words, online learning. Learners are also given recognition for their

achievements. P2PU creates a model for lifelong learning alongside traditional formal higher education. Using the Internet as the main source to share and distribute materials online, P2PU open the doors to learners from all over the

world to learn online and therefore providing low-cost education opportunities.

P2PU exercises the concept of openness whereby it enables more people to participate in the learning processes actively. The model and technology that P2PU uses are open to enable others to experiment with it so that they will

remain accountable to their purpose and community. P2PU is peer learning and learning by peers for peers.

FEATURES OF PEER TO PEER UNIVERSITY

Learners can connect as a community to create and participate in the

best online courses.

Learners can be creative and contribute to the community by creating

projects and receive badges

Learners can learn courses together with their friends by inviting them to

join along.

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GET STARTED

Log on to https://p2pu.org/en/

Click on the Login button at the top right corner of the page to log in into your account or to sign up for a new account.

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Once you have successfully signed in or created a new account, you will be redirected to the homepage as shown below. Lets take a look at the blog first! The blogs are used to deliver news and updates from P2PU.

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Click on one of the blogs to take a look at the latest news and updates. As an example, lets take a look at the first link listed on the blog section of P2PU entitled Retention-Why MOOC provides cant have it both ways. Refer to the example below.

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MOOCs are basically platforms where all online courses gather. P2PU has its own MOOCs whereby if you be a part of it, you will be constantly updated on

the course of your choice.

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The lab reports are to reflect on the educational experiments done and ways to improve their ways of presenting the reports to the world.

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P2PU encourages learners to participate actively in the learning process and also the improvement of the courses. One example would be the badge system as seen below whereby learners need to submit a project to receive a badge which they can be very proud of!

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Below is an example of a project that needs to be completed by learners in order to receive a badge from P2PU.

Other than that, you can also view some of the schools that are involved with P2PU. It brings the modern twists to community based peer learning

experience for K-12 teachers and the students.

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Last but not least, P2PU also offers courses. You can click on Find a Course as shown below to look for a specific course. However, for this example, we would click on Find a course and look at what P2PU has got to offer to all learners out there!

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For this example, we shall take the first course listed on the community picks

list as seen below which is Crowdsourced Art: A participatory Exercise in

Collaboration and Collective Creativity.

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Once youre directed to a new page, do read the Course Overview and others before moving on to make sure that you still have your interests in the course.

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When you have successfully enrolled for the course, you will be directed to another page as seen in this example below. Click on the content button to start learning. View the contents of each week to fully understand the course.

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Other than that, P2PU also has a Discussion tab at the top of the page as shown in the example below. Just click on it and post any problems, issues or

opinions that you might want to share with the other learners from all over the globe. Learning is much more fun when you have others to share your opinions

with!

You can also view who are your course mates and the organizers by clicking on

the People tab.

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Other than taking up courses, you can also design your own courses for other people to sign up for! All you need to do is simply by clicking Create a Course button at the top of the page and fill in all the necessary details. Get all the materials ready and youre good to go. Good luck!

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Reference

https://p2pu.org/en/

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WHAT IS SAYLOR?

Saylor is an online website that offers tuition-free courses that were created by professional and credentialed educators. Their partnerships with colleges, universities and business make truly affordable credentials a reality.

Other than that, the students also share the opportunity of owning their

education and learn at their own pace. Saylors syllabus goes by units and this gives the chance for students to master each and every single unit at their own paces. There are also discussions and forums that learners can participate in

to put forward any opinions or issues they might have with their courses. Last but not least, the final exam will grade the students according to the units and show their overall achievement.

FEATURES OF SAYLOR

Learners get to learn online and for free

Learners can participate in discussions and forums to put forward any

opinions or issues.

The website is very user friendly and is easy to use.

Learners learn at their own paces.

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GET STARTED

Log on to http://www.saylor.org/

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Once you have successfully signed up for an account, you will be directed to

your portfolio page as shown below. Click the Add a Course button to start

selecting courses for you!

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When youve clicked the Add a Course button, you will be directed to the Course Catalog page. As seen in the picture below, we will take the first course listed on the page as an example.

Lets take a look at the course simply by clicking the View the Course button.

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You will then view a page that looks like what is shown in the example below.

Click every show button to view all of the contents of the course.

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These are some of the contents of the course that all learners should read before moving on further.

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Scroll down on the same page and youll see the units as shown below.

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You can also participate in their forums and discussions by clicking on the discussion tab at the left side of your portfolio page. Refer to the example below

for a clearer picture.

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Read and master all of the units and youll be ready to sit for the final exam.

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Answer all 50 questions and click the Submit all and finish button at the bottom of the page one you are done.

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Once you submit, you will be directed to another page showing your score or grades and the scores are shown according to units as shown below. Once

youre done with this course, move on to another and never stop learning with Saylor.

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Reference

http://www.saylor.org/

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WHAT IS UDEMY?

Udemy is an online marketplace that has over 3 million students learning and

taking their courses. The courses offered are large in variety that covers from photography, science, languages and many more. Each and every one of those courses are taught by expert instructors and is available on-demand.

Udemy offers free courses and also courses that come with fees. Either way,

they are all very good courses and learners can definitely benefit from all of the courses. Udemy is also accessible via tablets, phones and other gadgets which mean that learning can take place anytime and anywhere. Students can learn

new skills and they can learn it at their own paces which will make their learning experiences memorable.

BEENFITS OF USING UDEMY

Students are trained by expert instructors.

Students can engage with one another and help each other through the

learning process.

Udemy is available via gadgets which make learning easily accessible for

students.

Learners can also be instructors when they are already expert at their

courses or if they have new knowledge to share with other students.

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GET STARTED

Log on to https://www.udemy.com/

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Once you have successfully signed up, you will be directed to your homepage as shown below.

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In order to search or browse for courses of your choice, follow the example below and start searching! For this example, we would take up the language course and see how it is done. Once youve clicked the language button, you can choose any languages of your choice. However, in this case, English

language is chosen.

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Below are some of the courses that are offered under the English language. We would take the third course listed here as an example which Is Master Polite English. However, do take note that not all courses are free. Refer to the example below.

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Once you click on the course as shown in the previous example, you will then be directed to the homepage of the course itself as shown below. Before you

start enrolling, it would be useful for you to watch the introductory video that is placed on the top left hand corner of the page and read the details about the

course. Refer to the examples.

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Scroll down on the same page and get more information about the course to

help you decide as to whether you would be interested in the course or not.

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Scroll down on the same page and take a look at the curriculum as that will be the syllabus that you will be learning.

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Once you have read all of the details on the course, you can start learning by clicking the Start Learning Now button as shown below.

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When you have clicked the Continue to Course button, you can start watching the lecture videos and tart learning!

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Towards the right hand side of the video, you will see a little column. Click on each and every tabs in the column to see how you can participate more actively

in the lecture.

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Watch all of the lecture videos and make sure that you understand all of them.

Other than that, you can also participate in active discussion at your course homepage.

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Other than that, you can also get to know other students that are currently taking the same course as you are!

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Besides being a student, you can also be an instructor and share your knowledge with many other students!

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Scroll down and read the Course Roadmap to guide you to successfully create

a course.

Look up on how to submit your course for review and how to publish your

course once it is approved of. Good luck!

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Reference

https://www.udemy.com/

Documents

Massive Open Online Course (MOOC): A Guide for Beginners