Join a candid conversation with instructional designers from an R1 institution about working with faculty to plan, create, and support large-scale public courses. Discussion topics will include recruitment of faculty, quality control, assessment of learners, and plans for using MOOCs to recruit students to the University.
According to Class Central, a MOOC search engine and review site, more than 81 million students have enrolled in at least one MOOC with 23 million enrollments coming in 2017 (Shah, 2018). MOOCs (or massively open online courses) have had a varied, and sometimes controversial, history since the term was coined in 2008. One one hand, some MOOCs are developed to provide free, public access to as many people as possible to courses at elite institutions of higher learning such as Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. On the other hand, some MOOCs are driven by content and/or online interaction rather than sheer enrollment. Though MOOCs are generally offered as free educational experiences, they are also generally monetized by providing credentialing to anyone willing to both meet some standard of completion for the course and pay for the credential itself. Credentials range from certificates of completion to university credit to full higher education degrees.
There are many different reasons why higher education institutions may decide to explore MOOCs. As mentioned above, some see it as an access issue and commitment to open educational resources. Others may see it as a way to attract new students or otherwise expand upon a brand name by using a MOOC platform to demonstrate quality educational offerings and/or the expertise of faculty. MOOCs may also be seen as an alternative potential revenue stream by providing desired content that meets specific individual or business needs for licensure, professional development, or continuing education. These reasons may not be exclusive, with different faculty or departments at the same institution generating interest in MOOCs for different reasons.
Along with different reasons for creating MOOCs, there are also different MOOC platforms to choose from that take different approaches to content and learning. Some of the biggest like Coursera or edX follow a model where quite a bit of content is freely available for those who register for a course, but premium content, such as graded assignments or proof of completing a course, is only available to those who pay a fee. Udacity is a MOOC platform that specifically focuses on tech skills. FutureLearn is a smaller MOOC platform that emphasizes social learning as its core approach to course design and therefore runs courses in a more synchronous manner than completely self-paced.
During this session, the presenters will discuss their experiences with planning, designing, and developing MOOCs in FutureLearn at a large, R1 University. Planning MOOCs with R1 faculty members can present many challenges, from understanding a global audience of a la carte learners to understanding the boundaries of instructional activities and assessment in courses with thousands of concurrent learners. We will share some of the lessons we have learned from our experiences and break down some factors that have lead to more successful MOOC implementations based on learner evaluations and retention rates.
By the end of this session, participants should be able to:
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Identify key factors to consider when designing and developing a MOOC
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Discuss approaches to student assessment within a MOOC
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Generate strategies for setting expectations with faculty and staff about creating MOOCs
Shaw, D. 2018. A Product at Every Price: A Review of MOOC Stats and Trends in 2017. Retrieved from https://www.class-central.com/report/moocs-stats-and-trends-2017/.