So, What is a MOOC?

After having a semester to learn about, complete, and create a MOOC, I can say there is still yet so much to learn about them and the potential impact they can have on academia. In some ways, I share the same thoughts as I did at the beginning of the semester. In particular, I'm still unsure of the role MOOCs play in higher education and the impact they will have on online degree programs/courses. On the other hand, I feel knowledgeable about the evolution of MOOCs and the issues surrounding them.

As my understanding of MOOCs has evolved, there is still uncertainty as to where MOOCs fit in. Furthermore, the readings and videos raised more questions than answers about the future of MOOCs. One major concern was the integration of MOOCs into degree programs. I would like to see how this work for universities that are piloting it and the experiences of the institutions and students (maybe a good mixed methods study). In addition, I would like to see if completion rates increased and how the MOOC courses compare to the online or face-to-face courses.  

The MOOC I participated in had the same look and feel as any online course. The major differences were the enrollment, lack of interaction with faculty, and lack of engagement (mainly videos). As a result, I still struggle with MOOCs and seeing how they compare with online courses. Nonetheless, AHE 602 was an interesting course and very timely as I have participated in MOOC discussion with several other professionals.

MOOC Review: Learn HTML5 From Scratch

The MOOC I'm taking is named Learn HTML5 From Scratch.  This is a self-pace MOOC with five sections and 37 lectures and five quizzes separated amongst the section. The lectures are easy to follow and the instructor provides resources for the students to use while following along with the lectures.  For me, this has taken the most time since I like to participate in the lectures by following along with the instructor. So far I have found the information to be very helpful and it provides me with a deeper understanding of HTML5.

In addition to ease of use, I like how the instructor explains the information - starting with the basics of HTML and building each lesson upon that basic knowledge. Starting with this basic knowledge was a good way to begin the lesson given requiring students to have a vast amount of base knowledge was identified as one of the reasons students does not complete a MOOC (Colman, 2013).  The instructor also offers recommendation for free software so that students can use the resources provided to complete the activities hands on. The course also has a discussion area where students can post questions and receive answers within a very reasonable time frame. I have found this to be very helpful as well.

In the brief introduction video, the instructor outlined the course and explained the learning outcomes.  This video was the deciding factor that led me to take this course.  The technology requirements for this course are very minimum, but it does help if you have some basic knowledge and understanding of HTML, even though the instructor starts from the basics.  One of the things I think can benefit this MOOC is the incorporation of other technologies and pedagogies that can increase student learning.  As Bruff (2013) stated in his article, MOOCs should include more than lecture videos. Colman (2013) also referenced this notion and recommended the use of interactive pedagogy. The unfortunate side is identifying other ways to teach HTML5 or similar concepts.  In a way, I guess the free software and resources should make up for this. Maybe an end of semester project that requires students to use HTML5 to create a web site would add more value to the course (this may be already incorporated into the course as I haven't finished it yet. But I have not seen any indication of this yet.).

The free software and resources provided by the instructor were found to be extremely helpful in understanding the concepts in this course.  I believe if these resources were not provided, it would be hard to grapple and understand the concepts.  With these resources, I also found the discussion board helpful. In this area, if other students were experiencing problems you could read their questions and view the responses.  While this was the only form of interaction I've found in the course, it was pivotal to the learning experience.

The assessment of student learning was as I expected - a short multiple choice quiz.  At the conclusion of the quiz, the student received a grade, the course average, and the statistics for each question in respect to how you fared with the rest of the class.  Students are also given the opportunity to share their grades on social media.  Why someone would want to share their grade beats me.  But that option is available for the social media enthusiasts. 

My interest in this subject was heightened because I used HTML on my job.  However, I've always wanted to increase my knowledge of HTML5. I not only gained knowledge about HTML5, but I also received some basic clarifications about HTML. While I was not as engaged in the course as I would have liked, I was engaged with the material because of my ability to follow along with the instructor and complete hands-on activities.

The instructor helps the students with time management by including the length of the videos (which are the most time consuming activities in the course) and the number of questions for each quiz. This helped me as a student when deciding on when to complete tasks.  Small techniques as such are important to the course design and layout.  Because I was informed at the beginning I was able to schedule how I completed tasks.   

As for most things at this point in my life, time is a huge variable that determines how many tasks I complete.  Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to dedicate to the MOOC.  But I hope to complete more of the lessons because the information is very helpful.

Finally, I created my brief survey for this course.  If I was to implement this MOOC, the survey would include about 10 in-depth questions both open ended and Likert scale. 

Sources:

Bruff, D. (2013). Lessons learned from Vanderbilt's first MOOC.  

Colman, D. (2013).  MOOC interrupted: Top 10 reasons our readers didn’t finish a massive open online course.

MOOC Assessment and Grading

Because of the massiveness of the MOOC course, assessing learning and grading assignment is a big concern for me.  While there have been several potential solutions I struggle to believe there a clear cut method that effectively assessed learning for all students involved. As I read Davidson's (2009) article on crowdsource grading, subjectivity kept coming to mind.  Depending on the student's goals, relationships with their peers, and their classification  (i.e. freshman, etc.), the level of assessment will vary. I'm sure peer evaluation will offer some value to the learning process. However, from a student's perspective, I would not want that evaluation to determine the overall course grade. 

As I continued to think and read, I also concluded that every MOOC is not designed to have an exam or some form of assessment that requires a test. Some MOOCs may require more application of the material indicating an understanding of the content.  If this is the case, how do instructors or course designers factor that into the course development? This approach has more applicability and can generate ideas and conversations that can improve the overall learning experience.

This approach is what I believe will be used in my MOOC.  Because student engagement is so important to the online course experience, one way to access the participant's understanding of the content is to have them develop an engaging piece (or outline this in the form of storyboard, mind map, etc.) for their course.  This will allow them to receive feedback from their peers and maybe gain new ideas on how to engage students.  This form of assessment also enables meaningful conversation and collaboration amongst the participants.

Sources:

Davidson, C. (2009). How To crowdsource grading.

MOOCs Pedagogy

Learning occurs from the constructivist's standpoint when individuals create their own understanding of the material based on what they already know and what they are learning.  The learning for these individuals involves significant interaction with their peers (Richardson, 2003). In a sense, the learning moment encompasses more than the professor and the content.  The content developer is forced to rethink how to create a learning environment that encourage interaction and the collaboration of ideas amongst students. 

The content, objectives, learners, and professors all play a role in the disseminating of knowledge.  The key is thinking outside of the box when it comes to developing content and identifying new ways to teaching the materials.  As stated by Morris and Stommel (2012), simple and reusable units of learning should be created so it can be applied in different ways, thus the notion of learning objects.  These objects can be helpful for the learning process. Early on, however, it can be difficult to create them because of the many ways of learning and the various types of learners. 

I like the approach Udacity has taken on regarding online learning.  Too many times, we take what's done in the classroom and try to replicate it in some form in the online environment.  While I don't fully disagree with this model (as I'm guilty of it), I believe it does lead to a course with pdf syllabi, talking heads, tons of discussions, etc. My goal is to make learning immersive as highlighted by Morris and Stommel (2012).  Using games is indeed one way to accomplish this; however, the use of case studies and group work encourages interaction and collaboration. In the end, the learning must be student-centered with the professor facilitating the learning.


Sources:

Morris and Stommel (2012). Udacity and online pedagogy: Players, learners, objects.  Hybrid Pedagogy. 
 
Richardson, V. (2003). Constructivist pedagogy. Teachers College Record, 105(9), 1623-1640.

Micro-MOOC

The MOOC I will be developing will be on how to build student engagement in an online course. This area is of particular interest to me since many professors share concerns about how to engage students in the online environment, which can also be used for MOOCs. I will be focusing on three areas of engagement: student-to-student, student-to-instructor, and student-to-content. In my MOOC, I will share best practices and research on how to engage students in each of the three areas. In addition to discussions and blogs, some other teaching pedagogies that could be use include case studies, games, etc. The key will be to deliver the content in an engaging manner that mimics how professors can replicate the activities in their classes.

The objectives for this MOOC are as follows:

• Identify strategies to engage students with the three areas.
• Discuss ways to incorporate engagement into an online course you are teaching.
• Create and post a case-scenario on activity with engagement.

The Role of Faculty in MOOCs

After reading the articles for this week, the divide between MOOCs and higher education seemed to have grown wider.  To some faculty, developing MOOCs mean an increased workload with one professor spending hundreds of hours preparing material and developing course content. This same professor calls it a full-time job. (Kolowich, 2013).  If preparing a MOOC is a full-time job, how would institutions account this into faculty existing workload given most professors have to conduct research, publish, teach, advise, serve on committees, etc.  Some professors hoped developing MOOCs increase their visibility amongst their discipline, media, and the public (Kolowich, 2013).  My concern is what type of visibility are they trying to get and for what reasons?  Are they trying to become the next superprofessor since the ability to become a rock star professor wasn’t achieved?  Being the top professor on campus can encompass so many things till it makes it challenging to identify the characteristics of a rock star professor (Rees, 2013). 

Nonetheless, some professors are jumping on the latest educating trend to be recognized at any rate possible, which they believe and hope will boost their visibility within their department, institution, and constituents around the world. With this approach and as Rees’s (2013) article title indicate, it will be disastrous for the professors who truly care about the students and their education and for the ones who don’t seek fame or notoriety (i.e. the non-aspiring rock stars or superprofessors). It will also cause tremendous problems for the people that matters the most – the students. 

With this in mind, every professor can’t be the superprofessor or develop MOOCs.  Before developing a MOOC, it will be essential for each professor to consider why develop a MOOC.  As with any project, it will be helpful to identify the goals and why this is necessary. 

It was enlightening to read that some professors stated the reason for developing a MOOC was to increase access to higher education worldwide (Kolowich, 2013).  If that is indeed the reason, it appears some professors do want to contribute to our society and are striving to make it a better place.  While I embrace this notion, I still struggle with the idea of developing MOOCs for increased visibility.  To me, there is no concern about the students, just another line for the curriculum vitae. 

No matter the case, MOOCs are being developed and some people are benefiting from them.  While this means an increase workload for the superprofessor, it also causes problems for the lesser known professors as they wonder about their future and how MOOCs will impact their jobs (Kolowich, 2013).  The future is unknown, but it is important to recognize the overall impact (workload, employee lives, education world, etc.) this has on the professors, families, current students (both undergraduate and graduate) and a quality education.

Lastly, below is my video discussing the MOOC I will be developing for this course.  



Sources:

Kolowich, S. (2013). As MOOC debate simmers at San Jose State, American U. calls a halt.  The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Kolowich, S. (2013). The professors who make the MOOCs. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Rees, J. (2013). The MOOC racket: Widespread online-only higher ed will be disastrous for students and most professors.   Future Tense.

What does “Open” Mean for Higher Education?

When I hear the word open used in a sentence with education, I immediately think of resources and information that is free and available to the public for increasing one’s own knowledge.  These open resources as stated by Carr (2013) also provide opportunities for students to save money.  As tuition continues to rise and student loan recipients increases, the need for saving money is heightened and parents and students look for ways to save money.  One way to save money is through the use of open textbooks.  Carr stated that textbook costs have risen over 800% on the past three decades. As a result of the rising costs, some students have opted to not purchase the textbook (Carr, 2013). However, we along with Howard (2012) believe and know that reading is a necessary component when taking courses.

Open resources can also supplement face-to-face (and online) instructions.  Khan academy is a great example of how students who need additional help with math and other subjects can find step-by-step examples and guidance.  This type of open resources has been used by many to supplement what was learned in the classroom. 

When it comes to MOOCs, I characterize open as the full availability of information for public access.  In higher education, open can be defined as access to a quality education. It can also include open resources and software that can be used to supplement the course content.  The benefit to higher education institutions is professors can use the resources from MOOCs to supplement their instructions and to aid students as they study. 

Sources:

Carr, D. F. (2013). In shadow of MOOCs, open education makes progress.

Howard, J. (2012). Publishers see online mega-courses as opportunity to sell textbooks. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

For Credit or Not?

Learning requires the learner to exert effort to gain new knowledge.  While the format for MOOCs is different than what most is accustomed to, learning is essentially still in the hand of the learner and the outcomes are the results of what the learner has put in. Yet, there must be some way to measure that learning has occurred. Mastery of course objectives can be measured through projects, portfolios, presentations, tests, assignments, etc.  Other than tests, how does a teacher in a MOOC successfully measure learning? 

Looking at it from the other end of the spectrum, we can identify the value prior learning experience bring to the table.  While all prior learning experience may be acceptable, attending a class has it benefits and usually can offer new ideas and knowledge.  I’m not sure if a MOOC will offer those benefits, but the argument made by Fain (2012) is that students can sign up and complete a MOOC, complete a portfolio incorporating that prior learning experience, and have it reviewed for possible credit.  Depending on the subject, that may work. But the infrastructure, resources, etc. must be in place for it to be successful and to determine if learning has taken place. As a result, standards must be set for how prior learning will be assessed and measured (Fain, 2012).

This concern leads to another concern - students having the ability to receive college credit. While there could be a variety of reasons a student seeks credit for completing a MOOC, the main reason most students will take a MOOC is to receive college credit toward completion of a degree.  Others may choose to complete a course for credit for a job or to receive credit for prior experience (Krause, 2012). If the latter is the case, is credit important? Will a certificate of completion suffice? As stated in Kolowich (2013), many people who register for a MOOC already have a college degree. Before investing money into offering MOOCs for credit, it may be important to conduct a study to see why people are (or why would they) register and complete a MOOC.

Sources:

Fain, P. (2012). Making it count. Inside Higher Ed.

Kolowich, S. (2013). A university’s offer of credit for a MOOC gets no takers.  The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Krause, S. (2012). MOOCs and “prior learning assessment.”

 

Financial Influence of MOOCs

It is a known fact that MOOCs are cheaper and more cost effective for individuals looking to complete courses without incurring much debt.  One of the advantages of MOOCs is the ability to provide learning opportunities to students and individuals who may not otherwise have a chance.  In a sense, I can see MOOCs having a positive impact on the economy as a result of more individuals trying to educate themselves, become more marketable in the workforce, and landing better jobs which will in turn produce upstanding citizens.  Now we know that taking and completing a MOOC may not work or be desirable for some occupations, but depending on the MOOC taken, the knowledge and skill gained can be a great asset to an individual and potential/current employer.

Considering the structure of MOOCs and the ability for them to explode, I think they can potentially restructure and financially impact higher education.  Costs can increase as institutions would have to consider the technology infrastructure needed to maintain a MOOC. Identifying tools, technologies, and strategies to increase the collaboration and interaction in a MOOC will also be a cost that institutions may have to address.

On the flip, higher education will have to consider how they will make money from the MOOC.  In Holmes (2013) infographic, he lists some ways to earn revenue by requiring students to pay for certificates, allowing universities to pay for MOOC courses on their campuses, and offering paid support/resources option for students.  Personally, I don’t see these avenues as great generators of revenue.  At the same time, I see MOOCs as a promotion of a particular university’s resources, professors, etc.  And if a student really likes the institution and the, he/she may consider applying for a degree program. If this is the case, the MOOC generated interest and served as a marketing tool.  So, could the latter option be one reason why elite institutions are offering MOOCs. I sincerely doubt it.  Maybe they feel the need to provide the community with opportunities to take a course at this institution.  But I really don’t know.  I’ve been wondering about that, but can’t seem to draw a rational conclusion.  So, why do you think elite institutions are offering MOOCs?

Source:

Holmes, D. (2013). Infographic: How will the MOOCs make money?

Are MOOCs Disruptive to Higher Education?

In some ways I’m torn between the idea that MOOCs may be disruptive to higher education.  From one view, I see how MOOCs can enhance learning, add rigor, and encourage educators to develop courses that allow students to be creators of knowledge and not just receivers.  On the other hand, I see the potential for MOOCs to explode and be very challenging to higher education institutions. This view is strengthened by the fact that some institutions (University of Maryland University College, San Jose State University, George Washington University) are partnering with Coursera and Udacity to offer and accept MOOC courses for credit.  George Washington University Provost, Dr. Steven Leman, looks at MOOCs as opportunities and not as threats. He further believes that MOOCs forces the university to re-evaluate what makes MOOCs different from online, face-to-face, or any other course at their campus. 

At that same discussion, another speaker, Dr. Doug Guthrie, spoke about why he doesn’t currently support MOOCs as it relates to learning and the School of Business where he serves as the Dean. He argues that online education should be interactive, build community, and be customizable.  And in some ways, this is why I don’t see MOOCs as being disruptive to higher education.  Can we truly say that students build or feel a part of a community in a MOOC? Are there interactivity built into each course? Maybe a cMOOC? What about an xMOOC? How is learning customize for each student? These are all concerns that I ponder.  However, I’m also left with the question; do online courses include these same components? If not, the argument arises, why not a MOOC? Just a thought provoking question. 

As I think about MOOCs and contemplate if they are disruptive to higher education, my thinking shifts to how do students learn?  Sean Morris and Jesse Stommel (2012) challenged our thinking about learning by stating learning is not in the hands of academics, administrators, institutions, or corporations.  But they believe along with Rosemary Stewart that learning is in the hands of each individual.  Rosemary believed that learning happens anywhere life happens.  The chaos, unfamiliarity, and input of life caused learning to happen in her opinion.  So if that is the case, is there a need for institutions, professors, etc.? In my opinion, I still believe there is.  But I think true learning takes place when I can take the knowledge gained, create and apply it to real life situations.  There, I find valuable application and full understanding (or confusion) of what I was taught. 




I think MOOCs have the potential to be disruptive to higher education.  And if it becomes a threat, universities may want to look for ways to embrace and incorporate MOOCs into their curriculum.  I do believe that it will benefit higher education and universities with online courses to see what MOOCs are offering and how MOOCs techniques and strategies can benefit online learning.

Sources:

Department of Academic Technologies (2013). MOOCs: The future of higher education? George Washington Today.

Morris, S., & Stommel, J. (2012). A MOOC is not a thing: Emergence, disruption, and higher education. Hybrid Pedagogy.

Stewart, R. (2012). Where does learning happen? – for MOOC MOOC.

cMOOCs and xMOOCs

This week our focus is on how we can classify MOOCs.  Because of the layout and organization, MOOCs can be categorized into two categories: cMOOCs and xMOOCs.  While both still are open and provide access to content with no restrictions, the difference between the two is in respect to the openness of the learning content and the learning process (Grünewald, Meinel, Totschnig, & Willems, 2013). cMOOCs engage learners, allow learners to construct their own learning, and shape the learning experience through their interaction and networking with others Grünewald, Meinel, Totschnig, & Willems, 2013; Siemens, 2012).  The xMOOCs courses model the traditional online courses with recorded lectures, assignments, quizzes, etc. (Siemens, 2012). As you can gather, xMOOCs are more commonly found at colleges and universities because of their structure and format.  As stated by Siemens (2012), cMOOCs focus on knowledge creation and generation while xMOOCs focus on knowledge duplication. A common example about cMOOCs vs. xMOOCs is in an xMOOC, you watch a video, in a cMOOC, you create the video. It's all about the connection!

There are pros and cons to both types of MOOCs.  While most of us may be familiar with xMOOCs, I think a cMOOC will be a great experience and allow us to take a step back and re-evaluate the learning experience for most students.  For me, a cMOOC can provide ideas on how to modify online courses so students can be creators of the knowledge once they connect with the course content, faculty, and peers. 

The video below discusses what a MOOC is and also talks about how MOOCs can connect one with the learning experience through course activities.


Sources

Grünewald, F., Meinel, C., Totschnig, M., & Willems, C. (2013). Designing MOOCs for the support of multiple learning styles. In Scaling up Learning for Sustained Impact (pp. 371-382). Springer Berlin Heidelberg.

Siemens, G. (2012). MOOCs are really a platform. Elearnspace. 

What is a MOOC?

MOOCs are mostly free open online courses at various institutions, including Ivy League schools. As categorized by Stephanie Bonjack (2013), MOOCs are an Ivy League education for the masses. These courses can have a variety of components such as lectures, quizzes, and are designed to withstand high enrollment (Bonjack 2013). While some courses may have hundreds and maybe even thousands of students enrolled, not all students will complete the MOOC.  Even if this occurs, the student is not penalized and does not receive a failing grade as he/she would normally receive at a higher education institution. In my opinion, MOOCs provide an avenue to learning and can make an individual more marketable in the job search. 

I’m not sure the impact MOOCs will have on higher education institutions and online degree programs or courses.  Look at how Georgia Institute of Technology has collaborated with Udacity and AT&T to create a MOOC-based Master’s Degree program costing around $6,600.  This will definitely be an option potential students consider and/or choose as they pursue advanced degrees.  As I think about this, I have concerns about the quality of content, ability to transfer courses/credit hours to other degree programs or institutions if one wishes to pursue a second Master’s or an advanced degree, and how creditable and valuable will the program/degree be view by potential employers. These are all issues that make me ponder. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how things play out. 

So, one of the requirements for this course is to participate in a MOOC.  I wasn’t sure what topic I wanted to take. So as I was perusing the course offerings from the well-known MOOC leaders, I by happenstance found a MOOC titled Learn HTML5 Programming From Scratch. After watching the introduction video to the course, I decided to sign up for this one.  HTML5 is a hot topic in web design and while I have some knowledge about it, I’ve always wanted to increase it. I look forward to participating in this MOOC course and examining how MOOC courses operate.


Sources:

Bonjack, S. (2013). Library love: MOOCs - an Ivy League education for the masses. 

Why MOOCs?

Hello!

My name is Tasha Brown and this blog will fulfill the requirements for AHE 602: Problems in Higher Education: MOOCs.  Currently I am an Instructional Designer at the University of Alabama. 

As a student enrolled in this course, I am interested in how MOOCs are reshaping learning at higher education institutions. I would like to know the impact MOOCs are having on online learning and gain ideas from MOOCs as it relates to design, engagement, structure, etc. and apply them to courses I design.   While I have read about MOOCs, I have not taken one. Thus, I look forward to completing and critiquing one along with creating my own micro-MOOC. 

I think this course will be interesting and a continuing learning experience as MOOCs evolve.