↗MOOC REPORTGDIT 711

Emtinan AlqurashiElif Gokbel

Vanessa Steiner

April 2015

MOOC

MOOC: Design and Development of Educational Technology, MIT

Rationale: “This course explores educational technologies, outlines the theories

that influenced their development, and examines their use.”

MOOC Findings

The three main issues found in the MOOC are:

1. Reading materials (either outdated, too long, or sometimes irrelevant).

2. Videos (either too long or too many).

3. Goal-oriented (There are no specific goals to achieve in each week).

Part 1: Reading materials

Concerns:

- Out-dated materials - Length of readings- Relevance of readings

Part 1: Reading materials

Solution 1 : Suggest the learners find their own articles which are relevant to the weekly topic and share them with the MOOC

Participant#10: “The relevant reading materials can be provided in a separate place so people could go and look at, it would be less overwhelming”Participant#8: “Having each learner to find articles, it may be too many.”Participant#7: “The level of participants’ previous knowledge might differ. Then, how can we trust their judgment?”

Part 1: Reading materials

Solution 2: Simply update the reading materials to articles which have been written within the last five years.

Part 1: Reading materials

Solution 3: Reducing the number of the reading materials and providing a follow-up activity after reading to help students analyze concepts for a deeper understanding

Participant#2: “I like the idea of reducing the number of materials and providing a follow up activity. In my learning, it helps me better to have a deeper understanding that when you do an activity, it helps you reiterate what you have learned. So I did like that idea”.

Part 1: Reading materials

Final Findings: From the findings, we should consider solution #2 as best solution with a small revision:

“Updating the readings (except theory-based, seminal works,etc.)”

Part 2: Videos

Issues:

- Number of Videos

- Rigid consistency of the videos

Part 2: Videos

Solution 1: In place of a video, have a hands-on activity so the learner can be an active participant of the class.

Part 2: Videos

Solution 2: In place of some of the videos: have the learners search for their own video.

Part 2: Videos

Solution 3: Make the videos optional while providing the same information in another format such as word, powerpoint, etc.

Part 2: Videos

Final Findings:

From the findings, we should consider solution#3 as best solution:

“Make the videos optional while providing the same information in another format such as word, powerpoint, etc.”

Part 3: Goal-Oriented

Issues:

- No specific goal to follow for certain activities

- The MOOC is very specific in some activities but in other sections it has no goals - inconsistent

Part 3: Goal-Oriented

Solution #1: For the activities, include goals the learner should be working towards or a small task they can complete on their own.

Participants’ Reflections: The majority of participants agreed with this solution (seen by green check marks) 7 out of 8 participants agreed with this solution

Part 3: Goal-Oriented

Solution #2: Mix up the instructions and/or tasks for different areas in the course allowing students more freedom in certain parts while more structured in others, varying the timing.

Participants’ Reflections: The feedback was favored against this solution, participants stating that they preferred the consistency of the course.

Part 3: Goal-Oriented

Solution #3: Insert a checklist along with the Activities, readings, and/or videos to keep the learner on task and help highlight the main points.

Participants’ Reflections: 7 out of 8 participants agreed with this solution

Part 3: Goal-Oriented

Final Findings:

From the findings, we should consider using SOLUTION #1to solve our issues in our MOOC

Thank you!