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MOOCs and their impact on the transformation of higher education institutions and for international collaboration – an institutional and global perspective
Alejandro Tiana (Rector, UNED, Spain)
Purposes of this presentation
It does not intend to present:
A piece of research addressed to specialists and scholars
A systematic evaluation of the MOOC movement
It only aims to present:
An analysis of the current situation
A foreseeable perspective of the coming future
Some reflections based on personal and institutional experience
UNED’s experience
A 42 year-old distance teaching university (DTU)
Two permanent elements in a changing context Provision of study materials
Student support and counselling
New challenges More diverse students
New educational and social demands
Global geographical coverage
Growing competition
Less public financial support
Recent technological developments
Virtual assessment case
Oral examinations via internet Mobile-supported materials
UNED and MOOCs
A new development started in 2012
Three editions of MOOCs until now
More than 200,000 participants in less than two years
Issuing of credentials and certificates
MOOCs integrated offer in Miriada X, a Spanish platform, plus UNED COMA and OpenupED
MOOCs, an instructive story
Recent origin:
2008: the starting point
2012: the year of the MOOC
2014: doubts, scepticism and criticism
The hype cycle: where we are now?
The MOOC promises
Democratization of higher education Free access to courses offered by elite universities Making higher education more effective, accessible and
useful (S. Thurn) New opportunities for expanding access in developing
countries Ensuring open access to knowledge and training
Transforming learning models Focus on learning, not on teaching From contents to pedagogy New role of teachers Influence of connectivism
Significant MOOC strengths
MOOCs have proved to be a suitable way for learning in very different academic and professional fields
Models have been diversified (xMOOC, cMOOC, vMOOC, SPOC) to respond to different demands
MOOCs have prompted the adoption and dissemination of new types of learning materials
Accreditation systems have already been adopted
Several collaborative initiatives among universities and HE institutions have been launched
Relevant MOOC limitations
High drop-out rates have been documented, in relation to a problem of engagement
Serious difficulties were found for rigorous student assessment
Mainly advantaged students have been attracted (early adopters with an educational level above the average)
MOOCs have had a lower impact on formal education and training than on non-formal
MOOCs remain peripheral at most selective colleges and universities
Business models are neither clear nor certain
Perspectives for the coming future
Perhaps MOOCs might not be the future, but the future cannot be understood without them
Some foreseeable trends: Development of hybrid models
More attention given to interaction and student support
More personalized designs for different levels of mastery
Development of more sophisticated assessment and certification systems
Some critical issues
Economic sustainability There is an urgent need to explore sustainable
business models (considering investment, returns, fees, marketing,…)
Are MOOCs going towards a free or a “fremium” model?
Educational success There is a need to demonstrate MOOC effectiveness
on learning
MOOC quality is and will be under scrutiny
Opportunities for DTUs (1)
MOOCs are developing (and exploring) some instructional principles and methodologies in use for long time at DTUs Multimedia instructional materials
Student support and personalized tutoring
Credible student assessment
Why not taking profit from that experience for MOOC production? MOOCs offered by DTUs may well benefit from our
long experience
Opportunities for DTUs (2)
DTUs are used to develop cooperative initiatives at international and global level EADTU is a good example of collaboration
Some other associations exist in different regional areas (AIESAD, ICDE)
The ECO project as an example
Why not using those networks for developing joint initiatives? MOOC production and distribution
Assessment and accreditation systems
Research on MOOCs
