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What is a MOOC? edX MOOCs What are MOOCS? MOOCs are: Massive Open Online Course • Typically free and credit-less • Being offered by elite universities through partnerships with MOOC providers (such as Coursera) • Open to anyone with an Internet connection • Very large and often have a student enrollment so big (as many as 50,000 or more) that faculty cannot respond to everyone individually • Designed to give students automatic or peer-generated feedback Sample of MOOC Providers Apple iTunesU Canvas Class2Go Coursera CourseSites edX Google Course-Builder Khan Academy Udacity Udemy MOOCs By-the-Numbers • As of September 11, 2012: – Udacity had over 200,000 people signed up for its courses • As of November 2, 2012: – EdX had 370,000 students in its fall courses • As of November 26, 2012: – Coursera had reached more than 1.7 million students MOOC Goals MOOC Goals 1. Offer quality education to the most remote corners of the world. 2. Help people further their careers. 3. Help people expand intellectual and personal networks with strong communities. MOOC Benefits & Possibilities Recognized instructors and industry leaders have the ability to reach large volumes of students in ways never before possible. MOOC Benefits & Possibilities Students can make global connections. MOOC Benefits & Possibilities MOOCs will have an important impact in two ways: 1. Importing teaching (global reach of instructors and topics). Sir John Daniel 2. Encouraging institutions to develop distinctive missions (incentivizing pedagogical change). MOOC Benefits & Possibilities Without disrupting traditional brick and mortar schools! Customize your education according to how you learn best! The Innovative University Christensen and Eyring What’s the Motivation? Brand Enhancement “They will in no way diminish the value of a UVA degree, but rather enhance our brand and allow others to experience the learning environment of Jefferson’s Academical Village.” Teresa Sullivan President, University of Virginia Improving Pedagogy “Through this partnership, we will not only make knowledge more available, but we will learn more about learning. We will refine prove teaching methods and develop new approaches that take full advantage of established ane emerging technology…” Drew Faust President, Harvard University Public Service “The missions of Harvard and MIT are to provide access to learning and education and improve the general quality of life of humankind. What we’re doing is simply a continuation of the mission.” Anant Agarwal President, EdX Fear of Missing Out “You’re known by your partners, and this is the College of Cardinals. It’s some of the best universities in the country… We’re doing this in the hope and expectation that we’ll be able to build a financial model, but I don’t know what it is. But we can’t be too far behind in an area that’s growing and changing as fast as this one.” E. Gordon Gee President, Ohio State University MOOC Benefits & Possibilities MOOCs could cut the large costs of higher education, which in the US have increased by 360% above inflation since 1986. MOOC Challenges • Developing self-sustaining revenue models • Delivering valuable signifiers of completion • Authenticating students in a manner to satisfy accrediting institutions or hiring companies • Providing value that enables higher course completion rates MOOC Challenges • The Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s MITx (now a part of edX) MOOC initiative started with one class • Out of 154,763 registrants, only 7,157 students successfully completed the course • The completion rate was about 5% (compared to a 14% completion rate for Stanford’s A.I. class). MOOC Challenges • Few typically stick through the duration of the class • Engaging students without overwhelming them • Student experiences and socializing are done virtually and without real-world tangibility • Students must be responsible for their own learning • Students can be ill-prepared for university-level work • Credential models are still emerging • Grading is imperfect • Cheating is a reality Research Questions • Can learning be scaled up so exponentially? • Will proprietary MOOC platforms gradually give way to open source solutions? • Will the administrative components of MOOCs be too complex for a teaching unit in a university to operate without huge resources? • Will MOOCs address the challenge of expanding education in the developing world? • Will elite universities offer transferable credit or full credentials for MOOCs? • Will traditional undergraduates consider virtual courses an alternative to a residential experience? • Will working adults see MOOCs as an alternative to professional education courses? • Will employers accept MOOC certificates as evidence of relevant skills? The Future of MOOCs • MOOCs are here to stay and evolving rapidly. • Expectations and methods of presentation will likely standardize over time, becoming more consistent and predictable. • Large classes may be used as outreach tools. • Institutions may open their content to a wider audience and extend their reach within the community. Credit, Credentialing & Competencies • Western Governors University – competency based credits since 1997 • Southern New Hampshire University - $5k online competency AA degree • Northern Arizona University – Jan ‘13, competency based courses & degrees in partnership with Pearson • American Council of Education – identified 4 MOOCs for credit equivalency. What does it mean for WVU? • Comm Studies currently offering MOOC • Niche Programming, e.g. Radio Astronomyrecognized faculty, Greenbank awareness, Citizen Science & potential funding. • Expanding literature for an emerging discipline: MSU – Urban Sustainability • Greater credit and “competency” transfers • Technology infused learning • Faculty role and compensation • Best Practices – WVU eCampus Advisory and recommended support Conclusion eCampus Advisory Committee WVU Extended Learning – [email protected] Sue Day-Perroots, Ed.D. Dean of WVU Extended Learning David Murphy [email protected] Brian Lauffer [email protected] idesign.wvu.edu Sources • 6.003z: A Learner-Created MOOC Spins Out of MITx – • Four Barriers that MOOCs Must Overcome to Build a Sustainable Model – • http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-are-multiplying-at-arapid-pace.html?_r=0 Massive Open Online Course – • http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eli7078.pdf The Year of the MOOC – • http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/26/moocs-skepticism_n_2191314.html Seven Things You Should Know About MOOCs – • http://academicpartnerships.com/docs/default-document-library/moocs.pdf?sfvrsn=0 MOOC Skepticism Persists Among University Presidents, Despite Rapid Growth Of Online Courses In 2012 – • http://mostlytechnology.wordpress.com/2012/08/13/how-would-you-teach-a-mooc/ Making Sense of MOOCs – • http://moocguide.wikispaces.com/0.+Home+Intro+to+MOOC How Would You Teach a MOOC? – • http://mfeldstein.com/four-barriers-that-moocs-must-overcome-to-become-sustainable-model/ Home Intro to MOOC – • http://www.hackeducation.com/2012/08/14/6.003z-learner-organized-mooc/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course Open educational resources – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_educational_resources