Presentation to the Division of Human Genetics, 2014

1. The Emergence of MOOCs
OPPORTUNITIES FOR REACHING OUT
DISCUSSION WITH DIVISION OF HUMAN GENETICS
ANDREW DEACON, MARY-ANN FIFE, JANET SMALL, SUKAINA WALJI
CENTRE FOR INNOVATION IN LEARNING AND TEACHING
12 August 2014

2. Emergence globally
Introduction

3. Massive
• Have many
thousands
participanting
Open
• Open to
anyone with
an internet
connection
Online
• Everything is
online
Course
• Courses
structured
with start and
finish dates
M O O C

4. MOOCs didn’t just appear….
Image – Giulia Forsythe

5. MOOCs - open & online
MOOCs Online coursesOpen content

6. Traditional Online Courses MOOCs
Participation Capped by facilitation and
assessment resourcing
Accommodates thousands by
having almost no individual support
Motivation Earn a qualification Take what is of interests
Backgrounds Generally have similar
academic backgrounds
Often extremely diverse academic
backgrounds
Assessment Meets accreditation standards Not formally accredited
Cost Pay to register for courses Free and optionally paying for
certificates
Lecturer Responsible for teaching a
curriculum aligned to a
qualification and providing
support
Engages people interested in the
topic, with no responsibility for
curriculum alignment

7. April 2012
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

8. October 2012
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

9. April 2013
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

10. October 2013
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

11. Participants

12. Completion Rates
http://www.katyjordan.com/MOOCproject.html

13.  Reasons for doing MOOCs are of interest
 but not completing does not mean failing
http://www.edcentral.org

14. Mapping the landscape
An institutional perspective

16. e.g. Short courses
Global Citizenship
Write Science courses
e.g. most degree programmes

17. Showcase teaching
and introduce topics with
high-profile ‘rockstar’
presenters
Introduce fields and
support students in
undergraduate
study
Develop skills and
introduce topics for
postgraduate
study
Showcase research
and special interest
topics of interest to
postgraduate level
Showcase professional
careers for continuing
education, professional
development and
qualifications

18. Category 1 Teaching showcase
General
interest high
profile course
Showcases the
institution by
means of an
engaging
subject or
personality led.
Global interest
and matches a
popular
understanding
of high profile
MOOCs
 n
High production costs | high enrollment | loose curriculum ties

19. Category 2 Gateway skills
Provides
foundational,
bridging or
enhancement
skills for pre HE
entry or during
undergraduate
pathways
towards
specialisation.
Could replace
teaching for
'bottleneck
courses.’
Local interest,
either within the
institution or at a
country-wide
setting.
Moderate production costs | low enrollment | close curriculum ties

20. Category 3 Graduate literacies
Post-
graduate
level courses
to support
application or
programmes
of study
Focussed on
building
postgraduate
literacies.
Likely to be
of local or
national
interest.
Moderate production costs | low enrollment | close curriculum ties

21. Category 4 Professional showcase
Geared towards
vocational skills
development,
re-tooling and
professional
development.
Could be offered
in conjunction
with professional
bodies.
Likely to be of
local interest,
although some
specialised
topics may be
globally
relevant. .
Moderate to high production costs | medium to high enrollment
Close curriculum ties | Potential pathway to formal courses

22. Category 5 Research showcase
Showcase
research or
more
specialised
topics of
interest
Offered at
postgraduate
level and
assume some
background in
the topicstill
geared towards
general or
leisure
learning.
Likely to have
global appeal.
Moderate/high production costs | medium/high enrollment
Loose curriculum ties

23. https://www.class-central.com

25. Course offered simultaneously as a formal
and as a open course.
Small private open course nested inside a
MOOC
Massive Online Course: formal course
inspired by MOOC pedagogy
Students in a course taking a MOOC with
added local support and additional material
Massive Open Online Course
Formal course with lectures and
support.

26. Wrapped MOOCs at UCT
Meet-up Topic
Meets every Monday for
5 weeks
Critical Thinking in Global Challenges
https://www.coursera.org/course/criticalthinking
Meets every Thursday for
5 weeks
Principles of Written English
https://www.edx.org/course/uc-berkeleyx/uc-berkeleyx-colwri2-2x-principles-1348
Meets every Monday for
6 weeks
Understanding Research: An Overview for Health Professionals
https://www.coursera.org/course/researchforhealth
Meets every second
Wednesday for 5 weeks
Model Thinking
https://www.coursera.org/course/modelthinking
Meets every Monday for
6 weeks
Design and Interpretation of Clinical Trials
https://www.coursera.org/course/clintrials
Meets every Wednesday
for 10 weeks
Data Analysis and Statistical Inference
https://www.coursera.org/course/statistics
Meets every Thursday for
6 weeks
University Teaching 101
https://www.coursera.org/course/univteaching101

28. Local initiatives
MOOCs at UCT

29. Making the most of MOOCs
Participants
Institutional
researchers
Educators
What MOOCs exist
and why might I
want to do a
MOOC?
What is there to
learn from
MOOCs?
How can I use and
develop MOOCs?
When are MOOCs
useful?

30. Participants: Why take a MOOC?
 Learn new skills
e.g., stats for research
 Learn for enrichment
e.g., understanding climate change
 Explore a degree option
i.e., before paying
 Experience online learning
i.e., learning about teaching online

31. What kinds of learning?
Participant may choose to:
 Have a look (like paging through a book)
 Start but decide when is enough (like dipping
into a book)
 Explore only some parts (like a reference
book)
 Go along for the ride (like a quick read)
 Engage fully with the intention of doing more
than expected (like studying a textbook)

32. Educators: Using existing MOOCs
 Flipping courses with MOOCs
 Blending MOOCs with face-to-face
classroom sessions
 Use MOOCs as Learning Resources
 Use for Professional Development
 Wrapping a MOOC to supplementary skills for
students

33. Research: Learning from MOOCs
The massiveness of MOOCs, their accessibility, and the
wide range of questions they raise make the topic a very
fertile area for research, and this is likely to generate new
methods of research and analysis in the educational field
Bates. Tony. (2014) MOOCs: getting to know you better,
Distance Education

34. If you’re interested in MOOCs
 Enroll for a MOOC - check www.class-central.com/
 Draw MOOCs into classroom - ask your students
about their experiences?
 Set up a study group - or join the CILT unstudy group
 Scoop-it curated links
http://www.scoop.it/t/moocswatch

35. Contacts
 Andrew.Deacon@uct.ac.za
 Mary-Ann.Fife@uct.ac.za
 Janet.Small@uct.ac.za
 Sukaina.Walji@uct.ac.za
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