Presented at the Irish Learning Technology Association Conference, May 29th and 30th, 2014, University College Dublin, Ireland

1. MOOCS: connecting and learning in
open online environments – an
autoethnography
Irish Learning Technology Association Conference
May 29th and 30th, 2014
University College Dublin, Ireland
Helen Crump
@crumphelen
#EdTech14

2. stands for massive, open, online course
but this does not tell the whole story
Image : Wikimedia Commons (CC NC SA )

3. At first
Used to describe an open online course offered by the University of
Manitoba, Canada in 2008.
Designed to try-out the principles of connectivism –
highly networked, disaggregated mode of social learning.
Since then
MOOCs have gone on to be offered not only by a range of providers
across a range of platforms utilising a range of pedagogical
approaches.

4. MOOCs
represent
“something larger than a course”.
Veletsianos (2013)
They signal a response to:
o the high cost of higher education
o innovations in educational technology
o moves towards modernisation and globalised provision
o efforts to open up access

5. Early days
relatively little known about impact on teaching & learning
understanding of learning experiences particularly scant
Research largely the result of
institutional surveys, learning analytics
and big data, often conducted within
the confines of single MOOCs.
Pressing need to gain qualitative
understanding from learner’s
perspective (Veletsianos, 2013).

6. Autoethnography:
process and product
Combining research and writing
seeks to describe and thoughtfully analyse personal
experience in order to understand
cultural experience
(Ellis and Bochner, 2000).

7. Helen Crump: autoethnographer
“I come to take up this
role through the
combined consequence
of agency and
serendipity”.
“I was keen to continue
my exploration of digital
literacies and online
learning”.

8. MOOC provider platform date number enrolled
Program for Online Teaching
Certificate #POTcert
Volunteer faculty,
Mira Costa College,
San Diego
Distributed Sept 2012 to May 2013 30 approx.
MOOC MOOC
#moocmooc
Hybrid Pedagogy Canvas Network &
Distributed
Jan 6th to Jan 12th, 2013 1000+
Open Learning Design Studio’s
Learning Design for a 21st Century
Curriculum#OLDSMOOC
JISC Distributed Jan 10th to Mar 13th, 2013 2420
Educational Technology and
Media #ETMOOC
Alec Couros and
‘Conspirators’
Distributed Jan 13th to Mar 30th, 2013 2000+
eLearning and Digital Cultures
#EDCMOOC
Edinburgh University Coursera Jan 28th to Mar 3rd, 2013 42,844
Social Media #CNSoME Instructure Canvas Canvas Network Feb 25th to May 5th, 2013 Not known
Open Course in Technology
Enhanced Learning #ocTEL
Association for
Learning Technology
Distributed April 3rd to June 21st, 2013 1000+
Learn Moodle #learnmoodle Certified Moodle
Partners
Moodle Sept 1st to Sept 29th, 2013 8000+
Open Badges: New Currency in
Professional Credentials
#OpenBadgesMOOC
Blackboard, Mozilla,
SRSC and WCET
Blackboard Sept 9th to Oct 20th, 2013, Not known
Exploring Personal Learning
Networks #xplrpln
Northwestern
University, Illinois.
Distributed Oct 7th to Nov 5th, 2013 128
How To Be An Effective Digital
Curator #dcurate
Sam Burrough and
Martin Couzins
Curatr Jan 8th to Jan 22nd, 2014 300+
Rhizomatic Learning #rhizo14 Dave Cormier P2PU Jan 14th to Feb 25th, 2014 500 approx.

9. Reflective Enquiry
This autoethnography considers
the type of learning promoted
by MOOCs
and
asks how learning is achieved and
by what mechanisms it is
facilitated and supported.

10. Getting started
Reflect on learning and post to the web in
a personal blog.
“I soon managed to develop a level of comfort with the
blogging process and gain confidence from supportive
comments received”.
In such environments, learners must have confidence and be
competent using the tools in order to mediate the key learning
interactions (Kop, 2011).

11. Learning socially with peers
eLearning and Digital Cultures MOOC
Discussion forums
Alternative peer spaces
“fantastic level of participant-led networked activity
initiated in the #EDCMOOC Facebook group.”
“alternative peer spaces became key learning space”.

12. Developing connectivist proclivities
through social networked learning.
“EDCMOOC and ETMOOC presumably afforded
me with an experience similar to that conceived
of by the early exponents of MOOCs” …
highly networked, disaggregated social
learning, illustrating the principles of
connectivism
Social Media MOOC on the Canvas platform…
tutor-led approach, configured with a quiz
(about Twitter) that I was unable to pass

13. xMOOC/cMOOC binary
Restricts more nuanced understanding of the phenomenon.
Lane (2013) identifies task-based (or project-based) MOOCs
Conole (2013) develops 12 design dimension classification

14. Negotiating pedagogies & design
• project-based, constructionist approach
• group-defined learning design project
• choice of a high or low-level learner activity pathways
• plethora of online spaces
"the use of unfamiliar technologies such as Cloudworks
presented an additional challenge to many participants in the
first week” Cross (2013).

15. Making connections
“Locating this individual and realising that
we had corresponding aims was as an
important support for learning in the
complex environment of OLDSMOOC.”
“One individual posted a Twitter link to
pictures of her recent camping trip. This simple
act triggered conversation, which helped
spawn the development of a supportive, and
on-going, learning network.”

16. Pondering participation
“guilt at missing out steps”
“That’s the beauty of this type of learning and my preference towards
the cMOOCs. I get as much as I want out of them. I don’t have to do
every activity if it is irrelevant to my direct needs[…]. I don’t feel guilty
about not completing the tasks because there’s no qualification,
accreditation or monetary consequence – the true learning is purely self
motivation, curiosity and application” (Blunden, 2013).

17. Dropout & models of participation
Formal completion rates seldom rise above 10% (Jordan, 2013).
Models of participation: Kizilcec et
al., 2013; Hill, 2013 and Milligan et al.,
2013.
Descriptors closely bound to
engagement within defined
pathways of individual MOOCs, and
do not fully capture the experience.
‘Dropout’ not clearly defined.
(Liyanagunawardena, et al. ,2014)

18. Challenging tidy categorisation
#rhizo14 – “I did not engage with
prescribed activities beyond week two,
but I continue to interact in the Facebook
group that supports ongoing community”.
#ETMOOC – “I participated with ‘muted
activity’ at the time, but I have returned
to the archive on a number of occasions”.
“It is the combination of personal learning objectives and the
freedom to roam, to ‘choose your own path’ […] that drives my
participation.”
Accords with the ideas of rhizomatic learning (Cormier, 2011).

19. Pondering the metrics of success
As learners can freely engage in these environments without penalty,
it begs the question ‘what constitutes learning success’.
Traditionally, success is determined by the institution with the award
of a certificate of achievement, but now
the learner

20. Success, in my mind
Not certificates or badges
“Success is the realisation of learning
pertinent to my goals, derived through
active blogging, social learning with peers
and the development of ongoing network
connections”.
Closely adheres to the descriptor of active
participant that Milligan et al. (2013)
identify as conferring success within
connectivist environments.

21. MOOC Participation and success
Program for Online Teaching Certificate #POTcert Active – entire course
Awarded Certificate of Completion
MOOC MOOC
#moocmooc
Active – part course
Open Learning Design Studio’s Learning Design for a 21st Century Curriculum
#OLDSMOOC
Active – entire course
Awarded full set of badges
Educational Technology and Media #ETMOOC Active/passive – entire course – returned to course archive
afterwards
eLearning and Digital Cultures #EDCMOOC Active – entire course
Awarded Certificate of Completion
Social Media #CNSoME Passive – disengaged in week 2
Open Course in Technology Enhanced Learning #ocTEL Active – part course
Learn Moodle #learnmoodle Passive – entire course
Open Badges: New Currency in Professional Credentials
#OpenBadgesMOOC
Passive – part course
Exploring Personal Learning Networks #xplrpln Active – entire course
How To Be An Effective Digital Curator #dcurate Active (but did not blog) – entire course
Awarded badge of completion
Rhizomatic Learning #rhizo14 Active – part course – continued interaction in Facebook
community group
Active = realisation of learning goals, derived through active blogging, social networked learning with peers and the development of ongoing
network connections.
Passive = realisation of learning goals, derived through engagement with course readings and some activities, mostly within course platform.

22. Key Themes
Social networked learning as guiding force
The role of connection in achieving learning
Self-efficacy as a product of experience
Self-direction/determination increases overtime

23. Social networked learning
as guiding force
focus on learner-centred and
process driven learning
supports seemingly borderless
learning
promotes active engagement, peer
learning, knowledge sharing,
collaboration & personalised
learning
Closely aligned with ethos that defines connectivist MOOCs (McGill, 2013).

24. Role of connection in achieving learning
The overall ability to connect
proves crucial in this study.
The achievement of connection
is central to connectivist ideas.
Applied “connection as the unit
of analysis in learning” across
her learning landscape (Siemens,
2012, 30) .

25. Self-efficacy as a product of experience
Experience
Confidence
Connection
Learning
Supported by the work of Kop et al. (2011) and Milligan et al. (2013).

26. Self-direction/determination
increasing overtime
Development of a unique pathway
across range of MOOCs.
Increasingly tailored to meet personal
learning objectives.
Increasingly less concerned with
course completion and the guilt often
associated with the notion of dropout
Expression of self-determined learning, where personal experience and
context is key, and the learner is “the major agent in their own learning” (Hase
& Kenyon, 2007, p. 112).

27. Conclusions
Difficult to claim generalised conclusions from this study.
Research must now…
Be scaled and augmented
with methods designed to
discover enhanced
understanding of learners’
goals and patterns of their
participation across a series
of MOOCs over time.

28. To ‘open up conversation’
modernising higher education
How relevant is the type of
learning outlined here in the
context higher education?
What role will higher
education play in ensuring
that learners develop social
networked learning skills for
lifelong learning in the future?

29. Thank You

Helen Crump
@crumphelen
#EdTech14