2. WHAT IS A MOOC?
MASSIVE
– Uses the Internet to connect with others on a
global scale
OPEN
– No charge for students
ONLINE
– Learning together in digital modes
COURSE
– A MOOC Covers a single topic
3. HISTORY OF MOOCS
• First developed by Stephen Downes and George Siemens in 2008
• the first mooc was “Connectivism andConnectivity Knowledge”
• In the fall of 2011, Stanford offered three courses for free online.
• In February 2012, Thrun founded a company called Udacity offering mooc
courses
• MIT and Harvard formed a partnership and formed edX
4. WHAT IS A MOOC
• is an online course
• Using unlimited participation and open access via the web.
• It involves Traditional course materials such as filmed lectures
• Readings,
• Problem sets ,
• Plus interactive user forums to support community interactionsbetween
students, professors, and teaching assistants
5. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOOCS
XMOOCs
• Content Focused
• Automated testing
• Major Universities
• Behaviourist, Cognitvist approach
• One-to-many (Student/Content, Teacher/Student interactions)
• More formal learning
• Coordinated assessments and quizzes (often automated)
• Social media used
• Open to join, but not all content
• Organised group work
• Fixed Platform
6. DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOOCS
cMooc
• Collaboration Focused
• is based on connectivism
• Academics, Non profits, Individuals
• Constructivist, Connectivist approach
• Many-to-many (Dialogue, Peer2Peer interactions)
• Informal learning
• Collaborative, peer assessment
• Rich social media
• Drive towards openness
• Network building, collaboration
• Ad hoc learner space
7. PROS AND CONS OF MOOCS
Advantages
• Free unless college credit
is offered
• Learning is informal and at
student’s own pace
• Computer and internet
access are only resources
needed
• Students can share work,
critique others and
receive feedback
• Great instructors without
high tuition of host school
Disadvantages
• xMOOCs involve costs,
sometimes significant
• Limited real-world
engagement (face time)
• Technical difficulties
• Academic dishonesty
possible
• Students must learn to be
responsible for their own
learning
8. SUGGESTIONS FOR USING MOOCS
• Use MOOC with local tutorials / groups as
supplementary
• May be physical groups offline
Blended Approach
• Use as central focus
• Plan other activities / assessment / etc
• Use as a collection of OER – extract what you
need for your purpose and context
Core Approach
9. MY CHOSEN MOOC
• What's it about?
• This course provides you with insights into the rich fabric of
the cultures of China. You will develop a basic
understanding of written Chinese, its history and expression
in calligraphy. We will also explore the origins and variety of
Chinese cuisine, the role of food in festivals and the
etiquette of Chinese dining and tea drinking
MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Course. It’s massive because it can have an unlimited number of learners working together. It’s open because anyone can participate. Traditional MOOCs are offered free of charge, unless they are taken for university credit. The work all takes place online, through a combination of social networking, wiki creation, real-time meeting in venues like Skype, and through audio and video podcasts. It’s a single-topic course, lasting from a few weeks to an entire semester.
The nature of MOOCs produces a number of pros and cons. cMOOCs are usually free, while xMOOCs are usually provided at cost; where these are offered for college credit, sometimes the cost will be prohibitive for the average person. Some colleges have opened their MOOCs to non-credit participants, which holds closely to the original MOOC model.
Learning in a MOOC is much less formal than the traditional lecture-test method of teaching. Students work at their own paces and in collaboration with others in whatever time is agreeable to all. A drawback to the online-only venue can be the lack of in-person engagement, but MOOCs often develop local cohorts of participants, particularly when those learners live close to each other geographically.
No expensive materials are needed, beyond computer and internet access. While this could be a hindrance for those who have not bridged the “digital divide” yet, such facilities are available in nearly every library, and most cell phones will offer internet access. Computer procedures can always offer technical difficulties, so it is up to facilitators to make sure their efforts are well prepared and undergo test runs.
In MOOCs, students are encouraged to share work and to collaborate with others to enhance learning. Some educators believe this sets up MOOCs for academic dishonesty issues, but where knowledge is free and open, dishonesty is not a great problem. The point of MOOC interaction is not to own knowledge but to share it with others.
Some MOOCs are facilitated by leading scholars in their fields. This offers MOOC participants the opportunity to learn from some of our greatest minds, without the expense of the major university’s tuition.
One factor that can be both a pro and a con is the responsibility students have for their own learning. Students who are accustomed to having their knowledge handed to them in bits may find the independent nature of the MOOC difficult to manage at first. With practice, however, most students will realize that they get more benefit when they put in more effort, and they will spend more time in MOOC participation.
Rather look at MOOCs as learning opportunities for learners at a particular level (possibly post-graduate), providing the necessary requirements
