MOOCs (Udemy)
Overview
A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course.
A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course.
- Massive - Taken by thousands of students at once.
- Open - Available to anyone around the world, with no entry requirement or fee.
- Online - Completely online, using a mixture of collaborative technologies and online resources.
- Course - Course syllabus, course materials, a instructor and students.
Teaching Ideas
Idea 1- Support Transition from High School to Postsecondary Education
Engineering Prep Course, Math Prep Course, UofT MOOCs, US University Application Process MOOC
Idea 2 - Supplement Formal School Programs
Idea 3 - Supplement and Reduce Corporate Training Costs
Idea 4 - Create a MOOC yourself (Teach Language Acquisition)
Idea 5 - Develop yourself (Teacher Professional Development)
Idea 1- Support Transition from High School to Postsecondary Education
Engineering Prep Course, Math Prep Course, UofT MOOCs, US University Application Process MOOC
- There are already many examples of universities offering preparatory courses for prospective students to bring their skills up to the required level to meet entrance requirements. In addition, some institutions now offer sample MOOCs of their programs so students can test them out and decide which is right for them. This will help ensure more students choose the program that is right for them, thus reducing post-secondary dropout rates and wasted student time and money on incompatible programs. It also gives students an understanding of the type of learning demands to expect from the institution.
Idea 2 - Supplement Formal School Programs
- Use a MOOC to supplement traditional formal education, such as a university course, to expand the impact of teaching and research. Although there is a great deal of enthusiasm and interest in higher education, it is less so in the compulsory younger grades because of the skills required in digital literacy and independent learning. However, many K-12 ideas have been generated and can be found in the above linked study. Ideas include using MOOCs to deliver additional courses for students at a level above or below the class norm.
Idea 3 - Supplement and Reduce Corporate Training Costs
- As an employer, use MOOCs to train your staff. MOOCs can provide your employees up-to-date skills training to keep current in their profession.
Idea 4 - Create a MOOC yourself (Teach Language Acquisition)
- As a language teacher, Create a MOOC for participants to improve their existing second language skills or learn an additional language from scratch.
Idea 5 - Develop yourself (Teacher Professional Development)
- There is a requirement for ongoing professional development for teachers. The flexibility and cost make it beneficial for teachers to develop their skills on a continual basis. With MOOCs, there is an opportunity to practice, ask, questions, implement and try new things on a schedule that is easily adaptable for them. The low-cost option for professional development on MOOCs makes it ideal for administrators and school boards.
Guidelines for Use
Tip 1 - Try a MOOC to understand how they work before using it with students
- Preview the course as a student. Review the website. Check the prerequisites, the participation guidelines and the course structure.
Tip 2 - Understand the Time Commitment and the Prerequisite Skills Required
- As a student, ensure that you are able to make the time commitments to the course. You will have a more complete experience if you make full contributions throughout the course. When busy, you can still benefit from a positive experience by planning to attend the weeks where the topics are of more interest to you. As an instructor using MOOCS in your classroom, it is important to be choose well designed and easy to participate in courses for your students. Become familiar with the technology so you can help. The student's focus should be on the contact and interaction with other participants instead of spending time learning the technology tools of the MOOC course.
Tip 3 - Know Your Role as an Instructor
- As an instructor, the role is different in a MOOC than in more traditional forms of online learning. You act as a creator and curator of digital content, using different design strategies to encourage student sharing and contribution the world's body of knowledge. Also know your audience. Instructors will have students who are most likely professionals and may have limited time to spend on the course. A MOOC course on average, lasts 4 weeks and students will spend an average of 4 hours a week.
Tip 4 - Design using Sound Pedagogy
- Creating MOOCs using old pedagogy used in xMOOCs does not build 21st century skills so make sure you design following constructivism and connectivism strategies. An active learning environment is required, allowing for content creation, thus keeping the students engaged. Don't fall back on lecture based instruction and quizzes. Remember there are people out there. . Avoid some classroom-based learning pedagogies which are ineffective or more difficult online. Using proven online pedagogies such as peer-to-peer learning, blogs, chats, discussion forums, wikis and group assignments will make for a successful MOOC course. Well designed MOOCs have been found to promote critical thinking and communication skills but often fall short of collaboration and creativity skills. Read the above link for more details.
Benefits and Challenges
Benefit 1- Promotes Learning for Learning's Sake
Benefit 2 - Removes Financial Barriers to Education - It's Free!
Benefit 3 - Builds Skills in Digital Citizenship, Literacy and Self-Sufficiency
Benefit 4 - Causes Education Disruption and Evolution
Challenge 1 - Student Drop Out
Challenge 2 - Teacher Support (Accessibility/Feedback/Assessment)
Challenge 3 - Cheating
Challenge 4 - Sustaining the Free Model
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Helpful Resources Everyone What is a MOOC? (VIDEO) A MOOC Overview by David Cormier, the Canadian credited with coining the term MOOC in 2008. Why MOOCs? WHat we're learning from online education(VIDEO) Daphne Koller, a Stanford professor sells the idea of MOOCs and free online education for all talking about the Stanford experience & Coursera. Interview with Udemy Co-founder What is Udemy and how did it get started? An interview with its Co-founder & Chairman, Eren Bali. MOOC News and Reviews A MOOC site with MOOC history, current MOOC news, reviews and case studies. MOOC Infographics A collection of MOOC Infographics that summarize MOOC history, providers benefits, challenges and statistics. CBC’s The Education Revolution: The MOOC (VIDEO) Duncan McCue looks at the MOOC. How it started in Canada and how the idea took off at Stanford. Duncan profiles the MOOC and how it is changing the way teachers teach and the way students learn. Students How to Succeed in a MOOC (VIDEO) David Cormier talks about the five steps that will help you succeed in a MOOC as a learner. Free Educator Professional Development on Udemy The MOOC site Udemy’s teacher section of their course catalog. Instructors (Udemy course creators) Udemy Instructor Community Udemy’s online Instructor Community, where you can connect and learn everything you need to know to create and market your course. How To Create a Udemy Course A Udemy Course on how to create a Udemy course. Picking a topic, target audience, do a course outline and build the course including video and audio production. Udemy Quality Review Standards and Best Practices A Udemy Course Quality Checklist. A guide for Udemy course creators on what makes a good Udemy course and what is absolutely required to publish. |
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Research
Dillahunt, T., Wang, B.Z., Teasley, S.(2014) Democratizing higher education: Exploring MOOC use among those who cannot afford a formal
education. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1841/3112
HM Government. (2014). MOOCs: Opportunities for their use in compulsory-age education. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315591/DfE_RR355_-_Opportunities_for_MOOCs_in_schools
_FINAL.pdf
Gamage, D., Perera, I., & Fernando, S. (2016). MOOCS to provide 21st century skills: Learner's perspective. doi:10.21125/inted.2016.0940
Mcauley, A., Stewart, B., Siemens, G., & Cormier, D. (2010). The MOOC model for digital practice. Retrieved from
https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/files/MOOC_Final.pdf
Daniel, S. J. (2014, November). Are MOOCs the long-awaited technological revolution in higher education? Digital Transformations Conference.
Retrieved from http://sirjohn.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/141016Montreal_Digital1.pdf
Dillahunt, T., Wang, B.Z., Teasley, S.(2014) Democratizing higher education: Exploring MOOC use among those who cannot afford a formal
education. Retrieved from http://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/article/view/1841/3112
HM Government. (2014). MOOCs: Opportunities for their use in compulsory-age education. Retrieved from
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/315591/DfE_RR355_-_Opportunities_for_MOOCs_in_schools
_FINAL.pdf
Gamage, D., Perera, I., & Fernando, S. (2016). MOOCS to provide 21st century skills: Learner's perspective. doi:10.21125/inted.2016.0940
Mcauley, A., Stewart, B., Siemens, G., & Cormier, D. (2010). The MOOC model for digital practice. Retrieved from
https://oerknowledgecloud.org/sites/oerknowledgecloud.org/files/MOOC_Final.pdf
Daniel, S. J. (2014, November). Are MOOCs the long-awaited technological revolution in higher education? Digital Transformations Conference.
Retrieved from http://sirjohn.ca/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/141016Montreal_Digital1.pdf