What’s a MOOC?
Exploring the Possibilities of Massive Open Online Learning
Phylise Banner . Society for Technical Communication . May 2013
Explorations
• The MOOC concept, origins and maturity stages
• Underlying learning theories and practices
• Applications for tech comm professionals
• Educational opportunities for STC
What’s a MOOC?
• Massive Open Online Course• Guided open learning opportunity
within a semi-structured framework
• Structure within which to serve free, open-access education
• Modeled from social networks and collaborative media sites
The Historical Perspective
• 2002: MIT Open Courseware• 2006: Khan Academy• 2008: Connectivism and
Connective Knowledge at the University of Manitoba
• 2011: Artificial Intelligence course at Stanford
The Evolution of Theory
• Behaviorism –Classical conditioning (Pavlov) –Operant conditioning (Skinner)
• Cognitivism (Piaget)
The Evolution of Theory
• Constructivism (Dewey)• Social Learning Theories–Socio-Constructivism–Connectivism
Principles of Connectivism (Siemens, 2004)
• Learning and knowledge rests in diversity of opinions.
• Learning is a process of connecting specialized nodes or information sources.
• Learning may reside in non-human appliances.
• Capacity to know more is more critical than what is currently known.
• Nurturing and maintaining connections is needed to facilitate continual learning.
Principles of Connectivism (Siemens, 2004)
• Ability to see connections between fields, ideas, and concepts is a core skill.
• Currency (up to date knowledge) is the intent of all connectivist learning activities.
• Decision-making is itself a learning process. Choosing what to learn and the meaning of incoming information is seen through the lens of a shifting reality. While there is a right answer now, it may be wrong tomorrow due to alterations in the information climate affecting the decision.
A Teaching and Learning Generation
• According to Downes, knowledge is distributed, interconnected, personal, and a recognition of a pattern in a set of introspective or behavioral events. (2006)
A Teaching and Learning Generation
We have become accustomed to learning on our own within self selected groups.
So, what do those groups look like?
Massive Communities of Learners
• What does a MOOC look like?• What are the core components?• What differentiates one from
another?• What does it mean to be a
participant?• How is my learning progress
measured?• Where can I find a MOOC for me?
A Peek at a Few MOOCs
Core Components
• Facilitation – Daily update
• Participation– Aggregate– Remix– Repurpose– Feed forward
What’s the Difference?
• Is this knowledge exploration or education?
• Is this just the digital version of a correspondence course?
• Are the new MOOC platforms just another LMS?
Assessment Strategies
• Most are not credit awarding, but assessment of learning has been done for certification and small cohorts.
• Many have embraced badges for credentialing.
Time to Learn!
“A course is a learning journey,led by an expert, and taken in the company of fellow travelers on a common quest for knowledge”
Ann Kirschner, 2012
Seek and You Shall Find
• The big players in MOOC offerings:
Udacity (Thrun)http://www.udacity.com/
Coursera (33 Universities)https://www.coursera.org/
EdX (Harvard, MIT, etc.)https://www.edx.org/
Udacity
Coursera
EdX
MOOC Technologies
CourseSiteshttps://www.coursesites.com
Canvas Networkhttps://www.canvas.net/
GRSSHopperhttp://grsshopper.downes.ca/
OpenMOOChttp://openmooc.org/
Google Course Builderhttp://code.google.com/p/course-builder/
MOOC Directories/Search Portals
Course Buffethttp://www.coursebuffet.com/
Class Centralhttp://www.class-central.com/
Knollophttp://www.knollop.com/
CourseTalk (ratings)http://coursetalk.org/
Benefits
• Open (and free) access for all• Connectivist exploration of
knowledge• Flexibility in time/place• Networking and community
cultivation• Lifelong learning opportunities• Large-scale professional
development possibilities
Challenges
• Retention and completion rates• Assessment and validity• Self regulation• Organic network management• Chaos
New Roles and Opportunities
• Exploration of a new instructional design paradigm
• Content development, curation, and delivery
• Community formation, coordination and facilitation
• Lifelong learning!
The STC Tech Comm MOOC
Topics of interest (22 SIGs):
Tech Comm basicsUsabilityContent StrategyInformation Design & ArchitectureInstructional Design & LearningInformation VisualizationPolicies and ProceduresTechnical EditingAnd more …
The STC Tech Comm MOOC
Featured content developers/presenters:
Mollye BarrettKai WeberDana WestBernard AschwandenPhylise Banner
The STC Tech Comm MOOC Team
For more information about MOOCs, or to join the STC Tech Comm MOOC team, please contact us via email:
[email protected]@gmail.com
Resources
The MOOC Model for Digital Practicehttp://www.elearnspace.org/Articles/MOOC_Final.pdf
Connectivism and Collective Knowledge 2011 http://cck11.mooc.ca/
MOOC Guide Wikihttp://moocguide.wikispaces.com
The Must-Have EdTech Cheat Sheethttp://edudemic.com/2012/07/edtech-cheat-sheet/
