considering moocs: pros, cons, questions

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Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions Doug Holton , Associate Director Center for Teaching and Learning Excellence Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University These slides are at: http://bit.ly/considermoocs

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Issues for universities when considering whether to offer MOOCs and/or accept credit for MOOCs

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Page 1: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Considering MOOCs:Pros, Cons, Questions

Doug Holton, Associate DirectorCenter for Teaching and Learning ExcellenceEmbry-Riddle Aeronautical University

These slides are at: http://bit.ly/considermoocs

Page 2: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

What are MOOCs

MassiveOpenOnlineCourses

Page 3: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

What are MOOCs

MOOCs are online courses that are open for anyone in the world to take, usually for free and not for credit.*

These courses have had anywhere from a few thousand to over 180,000 people enroll.

*Exceptions include California State University: http://chronicle.com/article/California-State-U-Will/136677/ See also MOOC2Degree and OERu in later slides

Page 4: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

MOOC Timeline

via http://mfeldstein.com/four-barriers-that-moocs-must-overcome-to-become-sustainable-model/

Page 5: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

History of MOOCsA timeline of MOOC articles:http://chronicle.com/article/What-You-Need-to-Know-About/133475/

Infographic on the rise of MOOCs: http://visual.ly/rise-moocs

Page 6: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

MOOCs TodayUdacity, Coursera, and Edx are now offering hundreds of MOOCs to millions of people.

Via http://visual.ly/rise-moocs

Page 7: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Try Out a MOOC YourselfSee http://www.class-central.com/ for a list of courses available from Coursera, Udacity & edX.

Other independent MOOCs:● http://learn.media.mit.edu/● http://mooc.olds.ac.uk/

Page 8: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Pros and Cons of MOOCs

Let's look at pros and cons from a few different points of view:

1. students (ours and others)2. faculty3. the university4. teaching and learning (pedagogy)

Page 9: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Perspective from Our Students: MOOCsSee this article from the perspective of a Stanford student.

Pros● Higher profile, exposure to prospective employers, help

from and to outsiders, learn from world expertsCons● Less one on one contact with instructor, less interactive,

high dropout rate● Some students need expert support: “sharing of

erroneous information and other shortcomings of peer-to-peer coaching”

Other pros and cons?

Page 10: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Outside Students in MOOCsMOOC demographics: most students are non-traditional, international, already have degrees. 39% “just curious about the topic”, 30% wanting to "sharpen their skills"

Pros● Learn for free about college topics for which they may not

have access, like engineering, computer science● Prospective students can learn about a university● Former students can refresh knowledge

Cons - same as cons for our own students

Page 11: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Faculty Perspective: MOOCsPros● Greater exposure of your work and teaching and the

university.● MOOC-wrapping - using a MOOC as a textbook● Example motivations from MIT OpenCourseWare:

reputation, networking, improved course content and student feedback

Cons● Example concerns from a U. Wisconsin faculty member● Quality of learning, extremely high dropout rate (>90%)● Demands on time: both planning and teaching● Intellectual Property Rights, Risk, Cost, Reimbursement

Page 12: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

University Perspective: MOOCs

Benefits● Outreach, service to the community and public● Marketing the university and its courses and faculty● Fosters sense of community across campuses● Spur innovations in teaching and learning - see next slide

Challenges● Won’t directly generate revenue (unless you charge for certificates)● Requires investment - faculty time, resources● Other questions to consider in following slides, such as

accreditation, competition, and evaluation

Provosts and presidents are split down the middle on MOOCs

Page 13: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Teaching & Learning Perspective: MOOCs

Pros● Encourages sharing of teaching practices, research and

data on teaching (SOTL), highlight & showcase faculty teaching, more student-centered practices.

● "Placing their MOOCs in the public domain for a worldwide audience will oblige institutions to do more than pay lip service to importance of teaching and put it at the core their missions. This is the real revolution of MOOCs."

Cons● Videos+quizzes not enough. MOOCs need better learning

design.● MOOCs: The Dark Side (infographic)

Page 14: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Frequently Asked QuestionsHow do MOOCs make money?

See How EdX Plans to Earn Money and Emerging business models for MOOCs.

Are accrediting agencies paying attention to MOOCs?

Yes. ACE recently accredited 5 MOOCs.

Are employers paying attention to MOOCs?Yes. Employers are recruiting top students from

MOOCs. MOOCs are charging for access to student data.

The last two in particular suggest universities shouldn't ignore MOOCs.

Page 15: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat's involved in designing and implementing a MOOC?

See http://bit.ly/dukecoursera for a behind the scenes look, and also a later slide: "Differences When Teaching a MOOC." MOOCs should not be taught like regular courses.

Can students get a degree or credit taking MOOCs?

Various solutions for credit such as digital badges, certificates, e-portfolios. Universities are starting to give credit for MOOCs with MOOC2Degree & OERu (next slide)See also http://myeducationpath.com/

Page 16: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

MOOC2Degree & OERuhttp://www.mooc2degree.com/● Multi-university partnership to offer MOOCs for college

credit.● "Through this new initiative, the initial course in select

online degree programs will be converted into a MOOC."

http://wikieducator.org/OER_university/Home● OER = Open Educational Resources● "The OER university aims to provide free learning to all

students worldwide using OER learning materials with pathways to gain credible qualifications from recognised education institutions."

Page 17: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Frequently Asked QuestionsAre MOOCs a fad?Probably not● Millions of dollars invested in MOOCs● Millions of students signing up for MOOCs around globe● Developing & using new and innovative tools to support

MOOCs - cheat detection, better discussion forums, sophisticated learner analytics, new MOOC platforms, Google Apps, etc.

Are MOOCs hyped?Probably yes● MOOC hype cycle (next slide)

Page 18: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions
Page 19: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Open Questions● How do we evaluate Quality, ROI of

MOOCs?● How are MOOCs to be accredited?● How do we assess learning in MOOCs?● What about alternative models, such as:

○ Self-Paced Learning? (like Khan Academy, Udemy)○ Blended/Hybrid Models? (Open Learning Initiative)○ Games? Gamification?○ MOOC-Wrapping?○ Online Professional Development Communities? (like

Tappedin)

Page 20: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

What Should We Do?● Talk to Faculty

○ Is there faculty interest & enthusiasm for MOOCs?

○ Do their courses use copyrighted materials? Would they scale to MOOCs?

● Talk to Students○ Current, Former, Prospective

● Try Out MOOCs Yourself: ○ http://www.class-central.com/

● If Need Be: Implement a Pilot Test

Page 21: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

3 Levels of MOOC Implementation● Individual

○ Individual faculty can use free MOOC hosting services like CourseSites, Canvas.net, Wikis, Blogs, Google Apps...

● Standard○ University adopts a standard platform for hosting

MOOCs (coursesites, coursera, etc.) with several courses

● Showcase ○ University invests in developing custom showcase

courses targeting prospective students (flight simulation, aviation, etc.)

Page 22: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Differences When Teaching a MOOC vs. Reg. Course● takes more time, less room for error● copyright issues - no more fair use● many tools you use may not scale to thousands of

students - different set of tools needed for MOOCs● things that cause a few to grumble in a regular online

class may cause a revolt in a MOOC - expensive textbook, too much reading, boring lectures, powerpoint

● some issues are amplified in a MOOC: dropout rate, cheating, off-topic noise in forums, time zone issues, accessibility

● most MOOCs are shorter - 5-8 weeks instead of 15

Page 23: Considering MOOCs: Pros, Cons, Questions

Create Your Own MOOC:MOOC PlatformsOpen Source● CourseBuilder, by Google● Class2Go, by Stanford● OpenMOOC● MechanicalMOOC, by P2PU ● Edx platform by MIT, to be releasedFree● Google Apps - Google+, Google Sites, Google Groups

● CourseSites by Blackboard● Canvas.net by Instructure (based on open source)

● Wordpress, Wikis, Blogs, Twitter, Facebook