(http://learning.instructure.com/2014/02/top-ten-insights-into-the-wonderful-world-of-moocs/)
Top Ten Insights Into the Wonderful World of MOOCs
Over the past year, I worked on the development team for MOOCs (massive open online courses) at Google, and in doing so, I learned a lot about the world of online course creation and the bright future education will have because it’s coupled with technology. (The opinions expressed in this article are my own and do not reflect the opinions of Google, Inc.) Based on my past contributions and experiences, I would like to present my top ten insights into the wonderful world of MOOCs.
1. MOOCs are experiments. Very few companies come up with a great idea and immediately start making millions of dollars (while saving the world). Give MOOCs a chance to succeed (and fail). Because they are new to education and tech, developers, professors, and even students will need time to digest the different ways that MOOCs can be experienced. Embrace the thrill of experimentation while closely analyzing the experience, the data, and the outcomes. It’s going to take time for the best system to emerge.
2. The media hype is just hype. The media loves MOOCs (because they’re so experimental). It’s easy to take one piece of data and boldly state “MOOCs are going to DISRUPT higher education!” Or “MOOCs are going to FAIL!” The truth is, it’s far too early to say whether MOOCs are going to do either of these things. Just because there were low completion rates in Udacity’s pilot partnership with San José State University does not mean the intersection of university courses and MOOCs is inherently flawed. Any number of factors may have had an effect on that experiment.
3. MOOCs will not teach you everything about a subject. Most of them are introductory by design. Taking a four-week course on art history is not going to be as comprehensive as a semester-long class. Luckily, some MOOC providers, like edX and Coursera, offer advanced classes, too.
4. Just because they’re free, doesn’t mean they’re easy.
5. MOOCs build international community. MOOCs allow you to make friends from around the world. Students often comment in the forums about how great it is to be part of an international community. And unless you are afforded the opportunity to study abroad, taking a class with such a diverse group of students could otherwise be next to impossible.
6. MOOCs offer equal opportunity discussion. Online course forums allow better opportunities for shy or less vocal students to share their opinions. And because the students are usually multinational, there is inherently less ethnocentrism and more diversity in the discussion.
7. Completion rates are not the best judges of success. As a course developer or professor, you naturally want students to succeed. But given that MOOCs represent a paradigm shift in online education, the definition of student success may not necessarily be completion rates. Before success can be defined, students’ motivations must be carefully considered. Many are curious about MOOCs, so they sign up to see what they’re all about but don’t actually participate in the class. Or students take the first module and then find themselves unable to fit the next set of videos or readings into their schedule. With each and every MOOC completed (or not), MOOC developers get a better understanding of their audience. A lot of the original tools used to measure success are shifting based on student feedback and behavior.
8. MOOCs contribute a great deal of data about human learning behaviors that can shed light on how people think and behave. Beyond the classroom, MOOCs offer insight into how people learn. This knowledge can be applied to the way online learning and instructional design is developed in the future. For example, data from MOOCs can tell you how much time students spend watching course videos. With even more careful analysis, this type of data could answer more complex questions like, “Is there an ideal course video length regardless of topic?”
9. MOOCs are a movement. They are part of a paradigm shift toward free, open learning for everyone. Society is changing, and the landscape of education has not kept up. By participating in new, innovative facets of education (like MOOCs), you can you learn new skills and help shape the future of education.
10. MOOCs are not perfect (yet). I know I said this earlier, but it’s worth repeating: MOOCs are experiments. This could be the first time a professor (or a university) has created a MOOC (or an online course). Have an open mind when you take one, expect a few grammatical mistakes, enjoy the community, and provide lots of feedback.
MOOCs may not save the world, but they’re definitely shaping the future of online education.
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