MOOCs
A MOOC is a massive open online course where a student has to have a computer and an Internet connection to engage in the learning outcomes. These courses were developed by elite instititions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University (Evans & Myrick, 2015). They have been elevated within journals as an innovative change agent that has the potential to address social justice issues, equity, and access (Pilli, Admiraal, & Salli, 2018). However, the newness of the platform may lead to a lack of quality that is more suited for personal development rather than online learning.
MOOCs Suited for the Fringe
To answer the question of whether MOOCs can work for undergraduate higher education or are a fringe method of learning, one needs to see how faculty members perceive the MOOC. Evans and Myrick (2015) surveyed faculty members on their thoughts and use of MOOCs in education. The professors who were more satisfied with the use of MOOCs purported that they are more effective in graduate education. In addition, MOOCs take more time to implement than face-to-face learning; professors felt that they needed additional training and support to implement this method of communication (Evans & Myrick, 2015). Further, Evans and Myrick (2015) learned that one-third of those who taught in a MOOC format had never taught in an online platform in the past. Considering this information, using MOOCs for education that is outside of degree-seeking education seems to have merit.
Learning from MOOCs
To be able to implement MOOCs in a more effective way, higher education needs to assess how the MOOCs are currently being used, what supports are needed to make them effective, and what is the purpose of using this platform for education. According to Pilli et al. (2018), MOOCs are being used by elite universities to increase their brand marketing. This type of education has a good reputation and the schools using this platform have increased their visibility within the field. In addition, the schools using MOOCs have implemented them in a couple of undergraduate courses as a pilot to see the types of interactions students are having on the platform (Pilli et al., 2018). While more assessment needs to take place, it would be important to analyze these pilot experiments to advance the MOOC.
Measuring Quality
Assessment is the most problematic component for MOOCs. Current technologies are limited in their interactivity and ability to grade work. Without increasing the technology of the MOOC system, faculty members will continue to have evaluation issues and quality will be decreased. Further, online education has a reputation for having increased cheating challenges. A student could have another person complete their work and the professor would not know (Pilli et al., 2018). Without addressing potential cheating issues, MOOCs may not increase their overall quality.
Multiple colleges and universities have placed their degree obtainment on a MOOC format that is similar to a Blackboard format. For example, the University of South Dakota allows students to take courses in an eight-month period where the student may engage in the lesson, complete papers, and take tests during that time. The work could be done within a week or within the eight-month deadline. However, these types of MOOCs do not allow for engage between students (Tobin, personal conversation, January 16, 2019). By not allowing for interaction, degree obtainment may be lessened in the eyes of employers.
References
Evans, S. & Myrick, J. (2015). How MOOC instructors view the pedagogy and purposes of
massive open online courses. Distance Education, 36(3), 295-311.
Pilli, O., Admiraal, W., & Salli, A. (2018). MOOCS: Innovation or stagnation? Turkish Online
Journal of Distance Education, 19(3), 169-181.
Jennifer's Tech Blog 
Hi Jennifer,
I enjoyed your blog post! How interesting to read that professors who reported more satisfaction with MOOCs thought this learning environment is better suited to graduate education. What about the more traditionally aged students seeking undergraduate degrees? Since current students are digital natives, one would assume they are more comfortable navigating the online environment thus learning better from a MOOC. However, Jaggars (2014) shares students who choose to enroll in an online class tend to be older students who are more likely have children, and are wealthier, less ethnic, and well-prepared for higher education in comparison to students who choose only in person courses. Perhaps the younger digitally native students see MOOCs as opportunities to learn about things they are interested in outside of their academic work, whereas non-traditional and graduate students are better suited to utilize online learning to support the other facets of their lives such as jobs and children.
Lederman (2019) reviews a study conducted by Massachusetts Institute of Technology staff, shares MOOC rates of completion continue to be low, perhaps in part because students enroll in these courses more for personal benefit instead of seeking transcript credit. Perhaps this is a good fit for MOOCs to participate in higher education, partly supplementing in person learning, but also providing an opportunity for learners to gain knowledge and skills in areas they are interested in earning certificates or micro-credential. Fain (2018) shares employers look to hire employees based on skills and competencies, using a degree as only one method for employees to highlight their ability to fulfill job expectations. Do you think MOOCs have a place in higher education to supplement and display additional learning and skills outside of earning a college degree?
-Mandi
References
Fain, P. (2018, December 14). The degree rules, for now. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2018/12/14/survey-finds-increasing-interest-skills-based-hiring-online-credentials-and-prehire
Jaggars, S. S. (2014). Democratization of education for whom? Online learning and educational equity. Diversity & Democracy, 17(1). Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/diversitydemocracy/2014/winter/jaggars
LikeLike
Hi,
I agree with you that I would have thought undergraduate students would use it for credit. However colleges implementing MOOCs are using them for personal development. Northern Illinois University’s first MOOC was about perspectives on disability to promote personal knowledge. Perhaps part of the issue is that schools see MOOCs as a platform for growth and not credit. What do you think? Jennifer Salmon
LikeLike