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Meet the moocs

Meet the moocs. MOOC. M assive O pen O nline C ourse Arguments about each part of the definition. http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/07/connectivism-course-draws-night-or-behold-the-mooc.html. Where do moocs start?.

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Meet the moocs

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  1. Meet the moocs

  2. MOOC • Massive • Open • Online • Course • Arguments about each part of the definition http://infocult.typepad.com/infocult/2008/07/connectivism-course-draws-night-or-behold-the-mooc.html

  3. Where do moocs start? • Bryan alexander coined the term (Senior Fellow for the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) • Part of a course on Connectivism

  4. Connectivism • “At its heart, connectivism is the thesis that knowledge is distributed across a network of connections, and therefore that learning consists of the ability to construct and traverse those networks. Knowledge, therefore, is not acquired, as though it were a thing. It is not transmitted, as though it were some type of communication”

  5. “…And while it is convenient to talk as though knowledge and beliefs are composed of sentences and concepts that we somehow acquire and store, it is more accurate -- and pedagogically more useful -- to treat learning as the formation of connections.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/stephen-downes/connectivism-and-connecti_b_804653.html

  6. The Connectivistmooc or cmooc • Aggregation/distribution • Remixing/Repurposing • Lack of boundaries, except maybe time

  7. Emphasis on social • Producing information, tied usually through hashtags

  8. Implications of connectivism • Large number of participants is actually a feature, not a bug • “Sage on the stage” is less important because they represent only one connection • The process of navigating the course is just as important as the course itself

  9. Challenges/critiques • Lots of education or meta courses • Validity of knowledge • Coherence • Eschewing of assessments (Can you drop out of a MOOC?)

  10. Rise of the “Xmoocs” • These are the most well-known of the bunch • So named because of edX • Difference between cMOOC and xMOOC can be problematic

  11. Definition of an xmooc • Massive • Video • Automated tasks • Discrete begin and end points(?) • Centered around a list of materials • “Crowd-sourced” feedback (some courses)

  12. The major players • Udacity • EdX • Coursera

  13. Udacity • Started from Stanford AI class • Class was essentially offered as an xMOOC • Professor left Stanford; started Udacity • Focus on Math and Computer Science • Some high school courses offered as well

  14. Features of Udacity • Videos with quizzes • Automated testing • Discussion forums • Optional certification test for a fee • Resume passed on to “partner companies”

  15. edX • Cross-institution platform includes MIT, Berkeley and Harvard • Each site is an “_____x”

  16. Coursera • For profit started by Andrew Ng and Daphne Koller from Stanford University • Initially a focus on Math and Computer Science

  17. Canvas.net • Instructure launches its own blogging platform • Aimed at being a more egalitarian MOOC

  18. Controversy

  19. The place of the professor • Focus on • Performance • Big credentials • Abuse

  20. Learning • Cary Nelson, the outgoing president of the American Association of University Professors, said that online models such as Coursera – an online entity offering free courses from Stanford University, Princeton University, University of Michigan and the University of Pennsylvania – can be terrific for delivering educational materials to retirement homes, “where folks are unlikely to assume any social responsibilities for the ‘knowledge’ they have acquired.”Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/05/23/faculty-groups-consider-how-respond-moocs#ixzz1zZj2iaXoInside Higher Ed 

  21. Pedagogy • Little person-to-person interaction • What is there is students teaching themselves • “Sage on the stage” returns

  22. Grading • Peer or automated grading • What’s the value? • Research is ongoing

  23. Certificates • Number awarded up 800% in the last 30 years • Concern about gender discrepancy • What do they mean for an employer?

  24. Access • Survey of Machine Learning course • 20% were graduate students • Many white and male* • Many already had familiarity with the topic • Developing nations can’t afford the fees *Some criticism that applies to instructors as well

  25. Context • Helter-skelter catalog • Prior learning • Cultural imperialism • Misconceptions (11 year old and Game Theory)

  26. Sustainability • High dropout rates (varies; around 80-90%) • What is the financial model for MOOCs? • Credits? Certificates? • Large up-front costs for delivery

  27. Where do we go from here?

  28. Questions?

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