How goes the revolution?: Three themes in the shifting MOOC landscape (original) (raw)
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A radical rethink is going on about what it means to go to an educational institution, asking profound questions about what the classroom of the future should look like and the way we should learn. Given the emerging nature of massive open online courses (MOOCs), this paper is a synthesis of critical reflections, commentaries and cautionary tales from a variety of perspectives, looking at the issues facing education and considering whether traditional teaching methods have outlived their usefulness. In times when educational institutions are facing financial cuts and student debt is increasing, some argue that free university online courses will be the saviour of education, (Koller et al, 2013). Others argue that they could destroy centuries of tradition and threaten some of the world's greatest universities (Vardi, 2012). Much research focuses on the design and categorisation of MOOCs (Clark, 2013, Downes, 2010 and Reich, 2013) and the role of the educator (Ferguson and Whitelock, 2014). This paper builds on the research by examining some of the phenomenal changes to technology-enhanced learning being brought about by new technologies and business. It summarises some of the key discourses about MOOCs, which continue to generate heated debates and divide opinions about their credibility, value and importance. I argue that any form of technology that drives engaging education, tailored precisely to the needs of individuals, and opens up education to those who cannot afford it, must be a viable alternative and challenge traditional academic institutions both to question what they offer and respond accordingly.
2020
Higher education is entering a phase of dramatic change and innovation. Mainstream media often present massive open online courses (MOOCs) as both a reflection of the need for universities to undergo a metamorphosis and as a means of forcing a new perspective on digital teaching and learning practices (i.e., This special issue presents a series of peer reviewed articles the guest editors believe will aid in increasing the quality of the research focus across a growing field of research and participation from numerous academic fields. Articles in this special issue contrast theoretical and empirical research related to MOOCs through a careful examination of thematic issues from student perceptions, engagement, and participation to campus leadership and decision-making challenges. In the opening article, Milligan, Littlejohn, and Margaryan (2013) focus on participation patterns in connectivist MOOCs (cMOOCs) in which learner autonomy and engagement are favored over rote learning. The ...
Learning in the openness: the lost way of the MOOC
Digital Education Review, 2020
At the end of the 2000´s, MOOCs broke into the educational field with the promise of learning with features more suited to the demands of our times. Their connectivist genesis provided a provocative expectation regarding the potential of collaboration, sharing, reuse, and free access, as factors of a possible transformation of the current educational system, which has been characterized by being rigid and reluctant to change. Given the relevance and growing participation of MOOC in education, there is a strong interest in understanding both their functioning and structure so that they can be considered as relevant educational options for a networked society. In this sense, a multi-method, exploratory and mixed study was conducted on 225 MOOCs based on the four categories that make up their denomination: Massive, Open, Online and Course. The study was developed through three stages: enlistment, fieldwork and report. The results of the study show that the contributions of MOOCs as generators of shared and collaborative learning experiences as proposed in their origins are not reflected in the reality of their current offering.
MOOCs: Evolution and Revolution
This chapter introduces the evolution of the MOOC, using narratives that are documented by research generated from the educational community. It concentrates on the history and progression of distance learning and its movement toward online education. The authors' perspectives focus on their own anecdotal evolution, from traditional classroom teaching, infusing distance and online learning, to designing and teaching in a MOOC setting. In examining whether the MOOC is more of an evolution or a revolution in learning, they explore questions that have emerged about MOOCs including what distinguishes this model from other online offerings, characteristics of learners who succeed in this environment, and debates regarding best practices. Critical reaction and responses by proponents of this learning format are presented and acknowledged. The research, perspectives and debates clearly impact what the future of the MOOC appears to offer. This continues the discussion within the book section ‘RIA and education practice of MOOCs,' aligning to the discussion on the topic of ‘educational training design.'
A Comprehensive Overview of MOOCs: Antecedents and Successful Developments
Proceedings of Ikasnabar 2013, the 6th International Conference on Open Education and Technology (MOOCs, PLEs and eLearning platforms) ISBN: 978-84-9860-842-7, 2013
In the last decade universities have added in their educational structure the e-Learning Systems. ICT have eased the utilization of these systems. While in the past education community put the focus on how to improve the learning process, from 2012 this focus turns into how to reach a massive number of learners. MOOCs allow massive amounts of participants to enroll in a course that it is situated in an open environment and it is available on-line. However, it is argued the difficulty in finding a common definition of MOOCs, since they are developed in different contexts and with distinct purposes. This paper goes into detail about MOOC movement and the main concerns about them. There are two distinct approaches: cMOOCs and xMOOCs. The former is based on connectivism, whilst the latter on conductive theory. Also, five successful developments of MOOCs are briefly analyzed in order to give a whole vision of MOOCs. Every MOOC bears a high rate of enrolment, but also its dropout rates are huge. The paper exhibits an analysis of these rates of the most relevant platforms. On one hand, xMOOCs have caused a high impact. On the other hand, cMOOCs provides a new model of teaching/learning.
Involvement of MOOCS in the teaching-learning process
Journal of Entrepreneurship Education , 2021
The MOOCs is the century of technological transformations representing a renewal in terms of platforms and educational methodologies through a computer. The current social requirements demand an education that adapts to the needs of people in terms of availability, time, and even lifestyle. These arise as a response to the digital vortex as a training resource in which a series of tools that promote their empowerment is implicit. The objective of this study is to carry out a bibliographic review of the last five years to establish the central interference of the MOOCs, their perspectives, and implications in the process of formation and knowledge. This study is developed in horizons marked by technological transformations and precisely for this reason, nothing is definitive, since digital variations arise every second, thus constituting a limitation due to its speed. It is concluded that the MOOCs allows promoting alternative learning, able to adapt to the users' needs, with some specific thematic axes that include gamification aspects that will enable to dynamize and, therefore to optimize their development.
MOOCs Revisited: Still Transformative or Passing Fad?
2018
Although Massive Open Online Courses have been in the media limelight for a relatively short time, their roots date back to the Open Access movement of the early 1990s as access to the World Wide Web was increasing and online publishing was coming of age. Once heralded the great disruptors of higher education, the hype surrounding MOOCs has fluctuated through multiple upsurges and slumps over the past 5 years (Corbeil & Corbeil, 2015). Are MOOCs the great disruptors of higher education? Are they a passing fad? What is the status of MOOCs today? Where will they be 5-10 years from now? This paper will attempt to answer these questions by providing a brief history of the MOOC phenomenon from its early beginnings, through its quick ascension, into a period of experimentation and soul-searching, concluding with a look at today's MOOCs and where they are heading in the next five to ten years.