35 MOOC

Ms. Swasti Dhar

epgp books

 

Unit Structure

 

34.1 Introduction to MOOC

34.2 Concept of MOOC

34.3 History of MOOC

34.4 Future of MOOCs

34.5 Technological and Logistic Feasibility of MOOCs

34.6 Financial Feasibility

34.7 Procedure for enrolling with a MOOC

34.8 Joining a MOOC

34.9 Advantages and Limitations of MOOC

34.10 Summary

 

 

Learning Outcomes

 

After completing this Module students will be able to

  • Explain the concept of a MOOC
  • Describe the history of MOOCs
  • Analyse the future of MOOCs
  • Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of learning through a MOOC
  • Enrol themselves for a MOOC
  • Identify a professionally advantageous course from a MOOC
  • Compare two similar courses from more than one MOOC

 

34.1 Introduction to MOOCs

 

A recent development in the field of distance education is the onset of Massive Open Online Courses or MOOCs which aim at providing unlimited participation via open resources available on the internet. Provided by prominent Universities and other institutes of higher learning, it focuses at providing quality education and certified courses to students, teachers and professors using videos, animations, web-tutorials and any other resources which can be availed on the net.

 

34.2 Concept of MOOCs

 

Names like Coursera, Harvard Online, EdX etc. are soon going to be the norm in the near future. Once upon a time education and the dispensing of education were held as a highly guarded right and free dissemination of knowledge was frowned upon. The student had to make the effort to find the master. This bent of mind soon changed with the government taking over as the guardian of education and the right to free and compulsory education was advocated.

 

In order to bring education to the masses, the concept of distance education evolved. Earlier, distance education revolved around dissemination of printed material, video tapes or TV programmes like Gyandarshan or programmes by the UGC.

 

Today, with the Web 2.0 revolution and easy access of internet connectivity, learners can look forward to learning from the best of institutions across the world as they throw open their doors and provide open access to anyone anywhere.

 

As we can see a pictorial description of MOOC, it asks a lot of questions. The first being, ‘What does it mean to be massive?’ A normal Harvard college1 has 6700 students registered at the undergraduate level and 14,500 more at the graduate and professional level. That totals around 21000 students for the most prestigious institute of learning in the US. Compared to this, a single course at Coursera had around 240000 students.2

 

The Openness refers to it being free (although verified and signature tracks, which are paid courses, are also being offered) and geographically well distributed. The students are from across the world, age groups, social strata and with different educational qualifications and needs.

 

The online part refers to it being accessed over the internet. The classes may be synchronous and it uses a variety of forums, such as the social media, blogs, discussions etc, to bring the material across.

 

The defining characteristic of the MOOC is that it is a course. And therefore follows all the basic characteristics of being a course. It has an instructor, is affiliated to a college or a University, it has course work to be completed, assignments to be submitted and an evaluation process. And ultimately, one gets a certificate.

 

 

What is the future of MOOCs? Watch the video in the link given below to see the future.

 

1http://www.harvard.edu/harvard-glance

2https://www.coursera.org/about/community

 

34.3 History of MOOC

 

The idea of providing free online academic courses is not a recent phenomenon. In 1999, MIT proposed to take all its undergraduate and graduate courses and provide it online, for free.3 In 2002, MIT opened to the public with 32 courses which were free.

 

The history of distance learning can be broadly divided into three generations:

 

Correspondence Studies: This refers to the era when printed medium and texts were the main source of imparting knowledge and these could be supplemented with contact programmes or practice lessons. The postal service, which was becoming cheaper and faster, was the medium for exchange of ideas. These programmes became very popular in Europe and the United States which looked at having a more qualified work force post the industrial era.

 

Use of Multimedia: The dominance of correspondence studies declined with the arrival of the electronic media and the radio and television became popular means for teaching and learning in the early and mid 20th century. Those who did not have access to formal classes could watch these programmes for free.

 

Use of the Internet: With computers and the internet making a foray into household, the United Kingdom initiated the Open University in 1969 and combined the advantage of communication technology and the resourcefulness of both the correspondence studies and the multimedia approach to provide distance education.

 

Yet, all these can only be considered as the precursors to the MOOC phenomenon which needed the Web 2.0 revolution and the easy access to a computer and Wi-Fi before it could take root.

 

 

A brief history of how MOOC started:

 

Canadian educator George Siemens advocated the theory of Connectivism to explain the changes in education that one could see due to the adoption of technology both inside and outside a classroom. Using this theory, George Siemens (Athabasca University, Canada) partnered with Stephen Dowles (National Research Council, Canada) to create an online course that would be offered to anyone who is interested.4 This course was called the Connectivism and Connective Learning/2008 (CCK/2008). The term MOOC was coined

 

3http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_OpenCourseWare

4http://moocnewsandreviews.com/what-is-a-massive-open-online-course-anyway-attempting-definition/

 

by Dave Cormier of the University of Prince Edward Island and Senior Research Fellow Bryan Alexander of the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education in response to this course.

 

Another phenomenon which happened simultaneously was when a Bangladeshi born American named Salman Khan started making educational videos and started uploading it on YouTube. Millions of students watched these videos and this led to the birth of the Khan Academy.

 

In 2007, Apple launched the iTunes U, which posted educational podcasts, videos, texts and audiophiles for downloads.

 

The above three can truly be called the precursors to the MOOC as we know it today. The first course to be offered under the brand of a MOOC was the course on Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University developed by Sebastian Thrun and Peter Norvig in 2011 that drew 160,000 online registrants.

 

Since then many well-known Universities have joined the bandwagon. Some have their own online programmes such as the Yale Online courses from Yale University, Harvard Online from the Harvard University but not all are free. Sitessuch as Coursera have one of the best consortiums of free courses from around the world which can be availed in various subjects.

 

 

34.4 Future of MOOC

 

Since its start in 2008, many journalists have been predicting the death of MOOCs but this hardly seems to be the case and online courses are growing in leaps and bounds. With geographical distances being reduced to naught, distance is the least of the issue while taking up a course. Today, anyone, anywhere with access to basic technology can access the best course worldwide.

 

The future belongs to the digital natives who are not only techno-savvy but demand that technology be a part of the learning process. They want the best and they want it now and with MOOCs, these demands can be met easily.

 

MOOCs are definitely being taken seriously and the seriousness with which it is being taken can be seen with the former President of Yale University, Richard C Levin becoming the new CEO of Coursera in April 2014.

 

There is also the trend of MOOCs tying up with social media platforms in order to enhance the interactivity and collaboration amongst students. Most recently EdX (which is a nonprofits online-learning organization) tied up with Facebook and two other companies to provide free, localized education to students in Rwanda on “affordable” smart phones.

 

Thus, from being a means of higher education, the kinds of courses being offered will also start to vary and may soon encompass primary and secondary education levels.

 

34.5 Technological and Logistic Feasibility of MOOCs

 

Although institutes of higher education need to find creative ways of incorporating technology into the curriculum, experts are cautious about the technological feasibility of MOOCs. The question is not whether technology can adapt to the needs of providing for sustainability of online courses. Rather, the questions are more pedagogical?

 

There are the sticky issues of plagiarism and identity frauds to be dealt with. With OERs becoming the norm, the culture of copy and paste, is becoming the rule.

 

Most MOOCs have turned to peer reviewing as means of evaluation. Participation in discussion forums and commenting on other’s posts add to visibility and evaluation points. How much of this adds credibility to the certificate received needs to be monitored.

 

Sceptics also question the wisdom of teaching many learners over the traditional one-to-one learning which takes place in formal education. The teacher as the friend, philosopher and guide is replaced by technology and though MOOCs try and bridge this gap through discussion forums, it is difficult to meet the need of each and every learner.

 

34.6 Financial Feasibility

 

MOOCs require a lot of work. Even if the instructor is ready to teach for free, there is the question of recording, uploading, devising technological modules, adding subtitles to text, conducting analytics and much more. All this requires manpower and money. So the main question to be asked is, how do MOOCs make money?

 

At present, most MOOCs run on grants or investments by risk takers. For example, Coursera has been financed by Venture Capitalists and World Bank and it is devising ways and means by which it can raise money legitimately. On the other hand, EdX is a not-for profit project toward which both Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University have contributed $ 30 million in order to provide world class University education for free.

 

On the other hand, MOOCs such as ALISON (Advanced Learning Interactive Systems Online) based in Galway, Ireland is completely ad supported.

 

Financial feasibility is going to be a moot and important point for the sustainability of the MOOCs. Some of the ways in which this can be done are through:

  •  Making Certification a paid option: Thus getting a certificate will not be automatic and students who want a certificate would have to pay for it.
  • Making an entire course a paid option: Thus, students who take up the course need to pay for it. The cost is kept reasonable and volumes i.e. number of students will make the course financially viable.
  • Having premium option: Some courses are offered with the basic package coming free and the premium version being a paid option.
  • Corporate Packages: Certain business models and software are being offered only to corporate houses as a part of their training modules. These can be done through exclusive online packages which are paid for by the company.
  • Advertisements: Most MOOCs haven’t yet gone for this option but this might be a very viable option in the future.

 

34.7 Procedure for enrolling with a MOOC

 

Joining any MOOC will require access to a computer, internet connection and a set of headphones. With these basic requirements, a learner can log on to the internet and search for courses that they would like to do.

 

The simplest way would be to log on to www.moocs.co, a site that acts as the MOOCs University and has the links and the news for all certified MOOC providers. The home page has search links to various categories of MOOC such as those catering to K-12 education (school and high school education) as well as higher education.

 

Alternately, a learner can log on to each MOOC separately and search the courses that they provide. Once a course is chosen, one has to sign up (by providing a personal email id) and creating a password and login in.

 

Most courses have a start and end date and is divided into weekly sets of video lectures, homework and assignments which have to be completed and submitted.

 

34.8 Joining a MOOC

 

The experience of a MOOC is best felt by actually experiencing it. And in this section, it would be best if the learner, i.e. you, actually enrol yourself for a MOOC.

 

Some of the best places to start are:

  • www.moocs.org
  • www.coursera.org
  • www.edxonline.org
  • www.futurelearn.com

 

The following link takes you to a page where the entire list of online course providers is listed.

 

http://www.moocs.co/Higher_Education_MOOCs.html (Higher Education MOOCs)

http://www.moocs.co/K-12_MOOCs.html (K-12 MOOCs)

 

Once you search for a course that you like, you just have to click on the button which says enrol and viola, it’s done!

 

34.9 Advantages and Limitations of MOOC

 

Once you know what a MOOC is and have identified, enrolled and, hopefully, completed an online course, it becomes easy to figure out the advantages and limitations of the same. Advantages:

  • The best of the Universities at your doorstep: One can take up a course from Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Princeton without having to step out of one’s home. Most of the instructors are those who have taught these same topics offline for many years and it is the same lectures which the world can now benefit from.
  • It is free: Most of the courses available online are free and anyone with an internet connection can enrol.
  • They are short term courses: Online courses range between 3 week courses to 12 week courses and not much beyond that. A usual leeway of two extended weeks is given in order that the students may work at their own pace. Thus, many small topics can be taken up and quality education received.
  • Small units can be learnt: Unlike a proper college course, online courses can be very specific and small. Thus an entire subject can be broken down into very small courses and can be learnt
  • One is not restricted with what one can learn: There are hardly any pre-requisites to what one can learn. It only depends on one’s interest and willingness to learn. Thus anyone can take up courses as diverse as music, calligraphy, science or anything that one’s hear desires.
  • There is in-depth knowledge: As an extension of the above point, one gets in-depth knowledge since a very small portion may be taken up.
  • Variety in teaching methodology used: Since the methodology can vary as per the technology available, one can move away from the lecture method and can incorporate videos, tutorials, case studies, demonstrations etc.

 

Disadvantages

 

Lack of Official Recognition: One of the major he major weakness of MOOCs is the lack of official recognition. One does not get a recognised degree or certificate upon its completion but are self-contained. However, in some universities and platforms, it is offered the possibility to pay a fee and get an official certificate at the end of the course.

 

Huge rate of Dropouts and Students on Trial: A major disadvantage is the number of people dropping out of these massive courses. Few students complete the courses, and fewer actually do all the assignments and the assessments. A recent study shows that only 2.000 out of the 100.000, who enrolled in one MOOC, finished it.

 

Cultural differences in Pedagogy: Every education is taught in a particular context and thus the content from the course offered by a university outside one’s home country may not match one’s own culture and other conditions a person is familiar with. For example, if one takes a course about Economics and Food from a university in the United States, it may be that recipes and the approach is going to be really different to what it is expected in the UK.

 

Thus, as a mature learner, one is expected to be aware of the advantages and challenges of using any MOOC and choose judiciously.

 

34.11 Summary

 

A MOOC has:

  • an instructor,
  • is affiliated to a college or a University,
  • has course work to be completed,
  • assignments to be submitted and
  • an evaluation process.
  • And ultimately, one gets a certificate.

 

The first course to be offered under the brand of a MOOC was the course on Artificial Intelligence from Stanford University in 2011 that drew 160,000 online registrants. Since then many well-known Universities have joined the bandwagon like Yale and Harvard.

 

Joining any MOOC will require access to a computer, internet connection and a set of headphones.

 

Advantages:

 

  • The best of the Universities at your doorstep.
  • It is free.
  • They are short term courses.
  • Small units can be learnt
  • One is not restricted with what one can learn.
  • There is in-depth knowledge.
  • Variety in teaching methodology used.

 

Disadvantages

  • Lack of Official Recognition.
  • Huge rate of Dropouts and Students on Trial.
  • Cultural differences in Pedagogy.

 

A mature learner is expected to be aware of the advantages and challenges of using any MOOC and choose judiciously.

you can view video on MOOC

REFERENCES:

  • http://www.harvard.edu/harvard-glance
  • https://www.coursera.org/about/community
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIT_OpenCourseWare
  • http://www.openuniversity.edu/courses/global?subj-area=35
  • http://moocnewsandreviews.com/what-is-a-massive-open-online-course-anyway-attempting-definition/
  • http://www.hastac.org/blogs/cathy-davidson/2013/09/27/what-was-first-mooc
  •  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course
  •  http://edf.stanford.edu/readings/new-coursera-ceo-out-front-and-optimistic-about-online-education
  • http://edf.stanford.edu/readings/edx-and-facebook-team-offer-free-education-rwanda
  • http://www.c21uwm.com/2013/03/13/moocs-a-cautionary-note/
  •  http://www.openeducationeuropa.eu/en/blogs/making-money-moocs