While conversations in the academic world and the mass media continue to focus on the benefits, challenges, opportunities, and future of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), emerging empirical evidence suggests that the realities of open online learning do not fully match the hopes of open online learning (Veletsianos, 2013). One reason that these hopes remain unrealized appears to be the belief that education is a product that can be packaged, automated, and delivered. This perspective allows for massiveness and efficient delivery, but fosters the development of digital learning environments that fail to engender empowering and inspirational learning experiences. In this presentation, I discussed what our research into open learning experiences reveals about inspiration and empowerment.

1. The Design of Empowering and
Inspirational Open Online Learning
Experiences
George Veletsianos, PhD
Canada Research Chair, Associate Professor
School of Education and Technology
Royal Roads University

2. The fields associated with using technology in
education have been enamored with
effectiveness and efficiency

3. Certain aspects of MOOCs represent
a continuity of the status quo

4. Designers and researchers should focus on the
learner experience and strive to provide
opportunities for inspiration & empowerment

5. The MOOC elicits strong feelings

6. The MOOC as a sociocultural
phenomenon

7. Inspiration and Empowerment in open
learning environments

8. Drawing from 3 studies

9. “It was the most empowering and most
engaging learning experience I have
had as an adult”

10. The role of the faculty member

11. Flexibility in traversing content

12. Pause

13. “I met some really great people that
I am still in touch with now…we met
in that horrible MOOC!”

14. Detecting moments of inspiration?

15. 4 closing remarks

16. Thank you!
www.veletsianos.com
www.veletsianos.com/publications
@veletsianos on Twitter
veletsianos at gmail.com

17. CC images appearing in this
slideshow
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