The Positives of the MOOC:
Before I even started the MOOC, I was pleasantly surprised by the wide variety of courses from very credible institutions that were offered. Topics ranged from simple to wildly complex and there were thousands to choose from.
I quite enjoyed the learning style of the MOOC. The videos were interesting, the assignments were very manageable and the time commitment was about 5-10 hours a week (depending on how quickly you did the readings). The feedback from the assessments was instant, and it was satisfying to see the checkmarks of passed sections as you progressed through the course. I thought the fact that there were hundreds of people taking my MOOC from all over the world was also pretty cool.
I was also very surprised about how I felt a connection to Orin, the instructor. I enjoyed his videos, and his personality. He even took us into his home in one of the sections. I did not think that personal connections to the instructor were really possible in a MOOC, but I would have to say that it was there, even if it was just one-sided.
Another reason I wanted to wait was to see how the course material stuck around in my head and what key outcomes I remembered. Video lectures and readings are fairly effective teaching techniques for me, so when I think back on the course, I have retained much of the material.
The Drawbacks of the MOOC:
Watching videos and reading may work for me, but it's not the best way to learn for others. There is a lack of variety in the coursework and assignments. Logistically this makes sense, but still is a limiting factor.
When it comes to the student assessment, the sheer number of students in a MOOC limits assessment to multiple choice, simple short answer, and true or false types of work. There is simply too many students to have people grade projects, presentations, papers, group work, learning journals, blogs ect. When proper assessment is lacking, the validity of the MOOC will always be questioned. It's hard to see counting a MOOC as a class towards a degree. This is one way that a MOOC differs from an online course offered at a University or College.
Ethics is also a factor when it comes to MOOC's. It's tough to identify who really did take the course. Perhaps someone else took the MOOC for you that's done it in your name. Also even in my MOOC I could have easily created a fake account and done all the tests repeatedly, failing of course, until I knew what the right answers where to the test questions. I could then have made my real account, and proceeded to get 100% in the course without really learning anything. I suspect that as online security and technology progress though that MOOCs can become much more secure. I don't think the time is too far off when your retinal scan could log you in. Biometrics is certainly a field that will impact MOOCs and their validity in the future.
 |
| Photo Credit: devaraj_arts via Compfight cc |
A final real challenge for me was the time management. You need to be on top of things weekly or you can get behind really easily. Obviously someone with better time management skills than myself would probably love the ability to work ahead and get it done well ahead of time!
Final Thoughts:
I was satisfied with my choice to do a MOOC. It was a good experience and was perhaps a glimpse into what the future of learning holds. Despite the drawbacks of MOOC's I see a lot of potential in them. I look forward to monitoring the progress, or evolution, of the MOOC, something that I did not even know existed before the start of this course!
 |
| Leaning Online- The Future of Learning? Photo used with permission of Regina Catholic Schools. |
