MOOCs for Beginners

MOOCs for Beginners

The term, MOOC, may be new to you. MOOC stands for Massive Open Online Classroom, and they are probably more popular than you think. MOOCs have been around since 2008, but now prestigious universities such as Yale, MIT, and Harvard are now joining the open education movement.

The History of MOOCs

Distance learning began as correspondence courses as early as the late 1800s. Lessons and assignments were mailed to and from instructors. Feedback was slow. Completion rates were extremely low. After the turn of the century, some radio stations began broadcasting lectures while students listened at home. By the 1980s closed-circuit videos replaced radio broadcasts. Students would sit together in a room and watch the broadcast and take notes. One student would call in to the teacher and everyone would take attendance over the phone. If anyone had a question, they had to ask over the telephone. While these early attempt did open the door for many individuals who were not able to attend a traditional classroom, the courses were still limited in size based on the teacher's workload and the availability of physical space.

The term MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) was coined in 2008 by a Canadian blogger who reported on the work of two researchers at the University of Manitoba. Over 2200 students accessed the course for free through RSS feeds, blogs, Moodle, and virtual classrooms. The course was to encourage connective knowledge. As the concept grew in popularity, connectivity gave way to scalability. The MOOC format through various platforms is now a popular teaching tool in many places of higher education. Consortiums have formed with major platform developers including Coursera, edX, and Udacity. In September 2013, Google partnered with edX to begin development of Open edX.

Quality of these online courses varies. Most MOOCs are self-paced courses that do not transfer to academic credit, but this is beginning to change. Some MOOCS are now offering paid, secure proctoring for final exams and paid Certificates of Completion. Obtaining academic credit is still a challenge.

The Purpose of MOOCs

The purpose of MOOCS has changed since their inception. Originally MOOCs were designed to connect learners in remote areas and open access to free education. The emphasis on community has decreased in recent years, but the desire to connect learners to free learning opportunities remains strong. MOOCs can be accessed anywhere that has internet access. Because these courses are free or low cost, they remove many of the barriers associated with training or college entry. In addition, MOOCs remove time zone and distance variables.

How to MOOCs work?

The original idea for this open education resource was an experiment in learning. Two Canadian researchers, named Stephen Downes and Geroge Siemens, believed that knowledge is conveyed through a network of connections. They believed that learning involved the ability to work within those networks.

In the beginning, the researchers sent out free resources in the forms of articles, videos, discussions, social media posts, and collected information from students. The researchers assigned reading and discussions began. The concept was to facilitate the connections and seed the conversation. It was not to create an organizational scaffold for the course.Ultimately, it was a dynamic form of group learning.

Four years after the first course, the idea has taken off. Now high school students can take college level courses in preparation for college. Some even offer credit. College students can expand their learning with courses not offered by their campus. Employees can learn new skills independently or through a work-sanctioned training program.

Today technology has added new tools and features. Users have access to experts in the field. Courses are generally 12 - 15 weeks long and include listening to lectures, reading, completing homework, and taking quizzes and a final exam. Don't let the word "free" lull you into the misconception that these courses are easy. MOOCs offered by top universities simulate full courses taught at the campus. MOOCS allow users to gain a wealth of knowledge and often a certificate from a highly regarded institution.

Resources

Several organizations have made themselves a name in the MOOC environment. The big three are Coursera, edX, and Udacity, but many more are emerging. Each of these platforms varies depending on content, affiliation, and user goal.

1. Coursera offers a great range of courses with both video and language selections. It contains a forum for collaboration, a career matching service, and nearly all of the courses come with a certificate. The platform does incorporate deadlines, however, so it is not self-paced. For working adults, the amount of work can be considered high. In addition, the platform uses peer grading, which can be uncomfortable for some learners.

2. EdX also offers a large range of courses. There are some foreign language options and a forum for collaboration. All courses come with a certificate of mastery. Some courses require prior knowledge. This information is not shared until after the course has started when the self-assessment is analyzed. Like Coursera, the high workload can be daunting.

3. Udacity offers highly interactive tutorials as well as other multimedia. Courses are self-paced. There is a forum for collaboration. Certificates are available for fee-based proctored exams. Udacity offers a limited number of courses at this time and does not provide details on course content before registering. There is no language translation.

These are not the only MOOCs in town, however. Many university are now hosting their own MOOCs and Google just partnered with edX to develop their own platform. Other platforms to watch are Udema, Coursesites, and Education Portal.

Rachel E Kovacs 10/2013

References

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