To MOOC or not to MOOC: how can online learning help to build the future of higher education?

From Digital Culture & Society

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Revision as of 14:38, 28 November 2023

Context

The provided book chapter aligns seamlessly with the broader history of MOOCs, offering a detailed exploration that complements the general historical overview, characteristics, and designs of Massive Open Online Courses. The first part of the chapter provides an overview of MOOC history, identifying its inception in the 2008 research of George Siemens and Stephen Downes. This fits in with MOOCs' larger historical background and emphasizes how they emerged as a revolutionary shift in online learning. The impact of MOOCs on global trends in online learning is highlighted in the chapter. This is consistent with the larger historical background and recognizes MOOCs as a significant development in higher education. The conversation about the notable rise in the number of courses available and students enrolled fits with the larger pattern of MOOC proliferation since their launch. The chapter that is offered essentially acts as an illustration of the larger history of MOOCs, summarizing significant events, traits, and the changing face of online learning. It offers insightful information about the past, present, and possible future paths of MOOCs in relation to the larger landscape of innovative education.

Overview

This book chapter offers a thorough examination of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their development, covering their definitions, history, and various varieties. It starts by explaining some of the most important words related to educational technology, like online learning, technology-enhanced learning, and open educational resources. This chapter examines the continuing expansion of MOOCs, examining their influence on worldwide trends in online learning and providing data to show the sharp increase in both course offerings and student enrollments. MOOCs are seen as a major advancement in higher education, challenging conventional models and promoting a variety of learning styles, despite early criticism. The chapter lays the groundwork for future research on MOOC models and their implications.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One of the major strengths of this article is the way it introduces to the reader the Who, What, And Why Of MOOC’s. The chapter indicates that

The most commonly used terminology that is relevant to MOOCs is summarized below:

MOOC: a particular type of online course that is freely and publicly accessible to an infinite number of users. MOOCs are a type of online learning that depend on educational technology to run. They might also get the majority of their content from OER.

Massive: MOOCs are designed to be conducted on a large scale, with hundreds or thousands of participants and no cap on the total number of students enrolled.

Open: MOOCs are designed to be accessible to all users without charge or restriction. The term "open" implies that there are no fees associated with using MOOCs. MOOCs are available to learners of any age, location, and educational background and have no entry requirements.

Online: There is no in-person interaction required for MOOC delivery; all instruction is done online. Since they are delivered via Internet technologies, students can easily access resources that are available elsewhere on the web and communicate with one another while they are learning.

Course: One of the main characteristics that set MOOCs apart from other types of online learning resources is that they resemble traditional courses in that they are offered to students at a set time and follow predetermined curriculum, with instruction given during that period. Similar to traditional courses, MOOCs typically include an assessment component. This component may include accreditation.

Strength 2: analyzing the rapid growth at the time of MOOCs

MOOCs, despite appearing suddenly, have roots in a longer history of research and development in online learning, open education, and investments by public and private organizations. They represent the latest stage in the global growth of online learning, evident in both developed and developing regions. The Sloan Consortium's US survey reveals a significant increase in online students from 1.6 million in 2002 to 7.1 million in 2013. University management attitudes toward online learning have become more positive, with 74% of academic leaders in 2013 rating online education outcomes as equal or superior to face-to-face instruction. The rise of MOOCs since 2011 is noteworthy, with 2,230 MOOCs available in April 2014, a substantial increase from 409 in March 2013. The number of MOOC students, conservatively estimated at over 8.5 million, is growing rapidly, driven by an expanding awareness beyond tech-savvy early adopters to a broader global audience, especially outside the Western world. The surge in new courses in 2014 reflects increasing organizational commitment to the MOOC market.

limitations

One of the major Limitations of this article is that in 2023 after experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic that heavily influenced education to do more online academics has congested the online educational platforms. These platforms have been known to be more interactive learning experiences, more specialized educational websites and have more personalized and hands-on approaches.

Assessment

In conclusion, this article effectively summarised what moocs are, who and when they were created, why they were created and their scalability. By understanding some historical context surrounding MOOCs we can better understand their effect on the world. They began to gain popularity in the late 2000s and into early 2010s before losing popularity going into the late 2010s and early 2020s. Using data from 2002 to 2013 this book chapter analyzes their growth during the upbringing of MOOCS.