This document discusses a proposed Frisian MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) by the Afûk Institute for the Frisian Language. The goal of the MOOC is to promote the Frisian language and culture to a large number of learners. It would be a 3-week introductory course focusing on basic communication in Frisian, including introducing oneself, family and friends, as well as Frisian culture. The course aims to be interactive and focus on practical language use. A demo of the proposed MOOC platform is provided. The document also discusses the opportunities MOOCs provide for teaching minority languages more openly and accessibly to interested learners around the world.

1. Frisian MOOC
dr. W.F. de Boer
Afûk Institute for the Frisian Language
Friday 26th June, 2015
Vernon Square Campus
University of London
Re-visiting the pedagogy of the
languages of minority communities

2. Fryslân
• 620,000 inhabitants:
– 94% understand
– 74% speak
– 65% read
– 17% write
• 55% Frisian mother tongue

3. • My roots…

4. Frysk tichtby….
(Bring Frisian language
close to people)
The goal of the Afûk is to promote
the knowledge and use of the
Frisian language as well as
promoting the interest in Fryslân
and its culture.

5. 5
+ =

7. A MOOC?
• a course with a start and end date
• open with no barriers to entry
• neither cost nor education criteria
• online, accessed on the Web
• massive: significant number of students to
contribute to a connected learning environment
• “distributed content”: course content is accessed
on the Web for free rather than from textbooks
Dave Cormier

8. History of MOOCs
• 2008: Stephen Downes and George
Siemens (Canada) online course
Connectivism and Connective
Knowledge: 2,200 students
• Stephen Downes:
– cMOOC: ‘c’ stands for Connectivist
– xMOOC: modeled on traditional
course materials, learning theories
and h.e. teaching methods.
• Stanford University: Artificial
Intelligence course in 2011. Expected
a a few thousan; went to 160,000
http://moocnewsandreviews.com/ultimate-guide-to-xmoocs-and-cmoocso/

9. Open university
http://oertools.weebly.com/types-of-moocs.html

10. Numbers
https://www.edsurge.com/n/2014-12-26-moocs-in-2014-breaking-down-the-numbers

11. Most popular courses (2014)
• Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in
Entrepreneurship | Coursera
• Introduction to Statistics | Udacity
• Learning How to Learn: Powerful mental tools to help you master
tough subjects | Cousera
• Introduction to Computer Science | Udacity
• Principles of Project Management | Open2Study
• CS50x: Introduction to Computer Science | edX
• Inspiring Leadership through Emotional Intelligence | Coursera
• Introduction to Finance | Coursera
• Strategic Management | Open2Study
• R Programming | Cousera

15. Problem with language MOOC?
• Systems are not made for language learning
• Systems are not so “open”
• Can you learn a language online?

16. Learning Frisian

19. Learn the basics of Frisian
• A 3 week course of about 3 hours every week
• For anyone that has a interest in learning languages
• No need to have prior knowledge of the Frisian language.
• Focus of the course is on understanding (reading and
listening) Frisian, aside the first steps in speaking Frisian.
• Goals:
– introduce yourself and get to know other learners
– talk about your family, friends, work and study
– learn the basics of spelling and grammar
– learn about Fryslân and Frisian culture

20. Characteristics
• CEFR
• Focus on use, focus on
realistic use
• Interactive (communicative)
approach

21. The planning in the course:
Week Theme Goals Frisian culture
1 To meet Tell your name, age, where you live,
you like
Ask someones name, age, where
(s)he’s from
Village and town
2 Me and my
family and
friends
Introduce your family
Ask if you are related
Tell how you feel
Ask questions
Sport
3 Communi-
cation
Telephone conversation
Living and working
Holliday and spare time
Food
Habbits

23. Demo
http://mooc.edufrysk.nl
name: MoocDemo
pw: MoocDemo2015

24. New possibilities for the
community/heritage languages?
• People from all over the world with direct or
indirect connections
• People that come to live/work in the region
• Students interested in language sciences/ history
• People that might want to do a course, but first
want to explore
• People that consider to live and work in the
region
• …

39. Thank you…
w.deboer@afuk.nl

46. MOOCs
 are open to anyone – no mandatory qualifications
 have no fees for study
 have enrolments at start >>> learners at end
 have learners who are not students of universities
 are fully online
 are very lightly tutored & supported
 do offer assessment (in various forms)
 have low study hours per week, on modules not degree programs
 offer ‘certificates of completion’ rather than credits (but…)
 are a different business model to trad HE
Jeff Haywood