moocs and distance learning - what's all the fuss about?

Joint SALT PGT Academic Board Seminar – MOOCs and Distance Learning

MOOCs and Distance LearningCouncil Chamber, 12-2pm, Thursday 7th March 2013

How MOOCs started

Why all the hype?

A real life MOOC

Discussion on what MOOCs can or can’t do

for usLunch

Why is this bloke standing here talking to us?

TRIO Project - DACE

2007

2009

“Learning is free but accreditation costs money”

Local Television

First some questions……….

What does MOOC stand for?

A. Massively Open Online Course

B. More Object Orientated Computing

C. Massive Open Online Course

D. More Open Online CollegeE. Massive Open Online

CollegeF. More Overrated

Overhyped ClaptrapM

assive

ly Open O

nline C...

More O

bject Orie

ntate

d...

Massi

ve O

pen Onlin

e Course

More O

pen Onlin

e College

Massi

ve O

pen Onlin

e Col...

More O

verra

ted Overh

yp..

0% 0% 0%0%0%0%

Have you taught on a distance learning course?

A. YesB. No

YesNo

0%0%

Have you been a student on a distance learning course?

A. YesB. No

YesNo

0%0%

Which of the following best describes your reading about MOOCs?

A. I’ve read nothingB. I’ve read a couple of articlesC. I’ve mainly followed what’s

been in the Times HigherD. I’ve read some information

from sources like JISC, Times Higher and a few bloggers

E. I’ve read more than twenty articles from a variety of different sources

F. I am Stephen DownesI’v

e read noth

ing

I’ve re

ad a couple of a

rticle

s

I’ve m

ainly follo

wed what..

I’ve re

ad some in

formatio...

I’ve re

ad more

than

twen..

I am Ste

phen Downes

0% 0% 0%0%0%0%

Have you taught on a MOOC?

A. YesB. NoC. Maybe but I’m not

sure if it was a MOOC

YesNo

Mayb

e but I’m not s

ure i..

.

0% 0%0%

Have you been a student on a MOOC?

A. Yes, I’m taking a course at the moment.

B. Yes, and I completed the course

C. Yes, but I didn't complete the course

D. NoYes,

I’m ta

king a course

..

Yes, an

d I complete

d th...

Yes, but I

didn't complet..

. No

0% 0%0%0%

MOOCs are...You can choose up to three if you like

A. The end of modern universities as we know them

B. A global opportunity for Swansea

C. Something we should explore with scepticism

D. A way of developing our on campus provision

E. A fad we should not take seriously

F. Something we should actively develop

The end of modern

unive...

A global opportu

nity fo

...

Something w

e should ex..

.

A way of d

eveloping our ..

A fad w

e should not t

ake...

Something w

e should act.

..

0% 0% 0%0%0%0%

Where does the story begin?

Not to be confused with….

Open Educational Resources (OER)

iTunesU

You Tube Edu

Khan Academy

Etc etc etc ……

https://twitter.com/dkernohan/status/250889990828089344/photo/1/large

http://www.downes.ca/ http://www.elearnspace.org/about.htm

Stephen Downes George Siemens

cMOOCs

Experimental

25 fee paying students2,300 other students

Connectivism and connected knowledge2008

Provide all who want to learn with access to available resources at any time in their lives; empower all who want to share what they know to find those who want to learn it from them; and, finally furnish all who want to present an issue to the public with the opportunity to make their challenge known.

Illich,1971

The second O - Open

Moodle

Second Life

Blogs

Online meetings

RSS

Learners choice of

tools

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc

Very time consuming

Huge amounts of information

Need to be an advanced independent learner to get the most form the course

Criticisms

http://connect.downes.ca/

PLENK 2010 - Personal Learning Environments, Networks and Knowledge

Kop, R. (2010) The Design and Development of a Personal Learning Environment: Researching the Learning Experience, European Distance and E-learning Network Annual Conference 2010, June 2010, Valencia, Spain, Paper H4 32 (conference paper) conference presentation

Kop, R. (2011) The Challenges to Connectivist Learning on Open Online Networks: Learning Experiences during a Massive Open Online Course. The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Vol 12, No 3 (2011): Special Issue - Connectivism: Design and Delivery of Social Networked Learning (journal article)

Fournier, H., Kop, R. and Sitlia, H. (2011), The Value of Learning Analytics to Networked Learning on a Personal Learning Environment, 1st International Conference on Learning analytics and Knowledge 2011, Banff, February 27-March 1st, 2011. Paper 14 (conference paper) conference presentation

Kop, R. and Fournier, H. (2011) New Dimensions to Self-directed Learning in an Open Networked Learning Environment, International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, Volume 7, Number 2, Fall 2010, page 1-18 (journal article) - conference presentation

Kop, R. and Fournier, H. (2011) Facilitating Quality Learning in a Personal Learning Environment through Educational Research, online session at the Canadian Institute of Distance Education Research, May 2011. The link gives access the the Elluminate recording, an Mp3 and Powerpoint slide.

Kop, R., Fournier, H. and Mak, S.F.J. (2011) A Pedagogy of Abundance or a Pedagogy to Support Human Beings? Participant support on Massive Open Online Courses, International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, Special Issue - Emergent Learning, Connections, Design for LearningVol. 12, No. 7, pg. 74-93 ( journal article)

Fournier, H. and Kop, R. (2011) Factors affecting the design and development of a Personal Learning Environment: Research on super-users, in the International Journal of Virtual and Personal Learning Environments, Volume 2, Issue 4, 12-22, October –December 2011. (journal article) conference presentation conference paper

Kop, R. and Carroll, F. (2011) Cloud Computing and Creativity: Learning on a Massive Open Online Course, European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning, Special Issue on Creativity and OER (journal article)

Rita Kop

http://www.you-learn.org/

The facilitators said we couldn’t possibly read everything, but I feel like I’ve not read anything from Weeks 4 and 5. As you can see there’s a huge amount of discussion going on in the Week 4 forum and it’s already building up in Week 5 which has just started. And that’s not even counting the twitter feed and The Daily. I feel like a marathon runner who went too fast for the first 3rd and is not going to make the 13 mile marker.

Part of the problem is the encroachment of my real job …

Jobling, 2010

2012

Mainstream media gets exited abut xMOOCs

The intersection between Wall Street and Silicon ValleyCaulfield, 2012

xMOOCS

62 Universities

2.7 million learners5 languages

4 continentsCoursera, 2013

Impressive numbers at MIT

155,000 registrations on one course

23,000 tried first problem set

9,000 passed the mid-term

7,157, passed the course

40 years worth of MIT students

CriticismsIt seems pretty obvious that no one who had any working knowledge of research in pedagogy was deeply involved in the creation of the course.

Armstrong, 2012

[T]he xMOOCs begin developed by US institutions…. follow a more behaviourist approach.

Daniel, 2012

Too soon for any real research into the learner experience

Online learning. Really?

Something a little smaller perhaps?

University of Arkansas at Jonesboro

University of Texas at ArlingtonLamar University

Retention rates

+ +

Smaller numbers but………..

Company worked intensively to develop courses with-

Good distance teaching calls for teams that support academics with a range of skills

Daniel, 2012

Librarians

Learning Technologists

Pedagogy specialists

Administrative Support

IT Services

TRIO Project - DACE

2007

Technology

MoodleSecond

Life

BlogsOnline

meetings

RSS

Learners choice of

tools cMOOC

xMOOC

£62 million 900 students

A real life MOOC

Lunch

Discussion on what MOOCs can or can’t do for us

MOOCs are...You can choose up to three if you like

A. The end of modern universities as we know them

B. A global opportunity for Swansea

C. Something we should explore with scepticism

D. A way of developing our on campus provision

E. A fad we should not take seriously

F. Something we should actively develop

The end of modern

unive...

A global opportu

nity fo

...

Something w

e should ex..

.

A way of d

eveloping our ..

A fad w

e should not t

ake...

Something w

e should act.

..

0% 0% 0%0%0%0%

MOOCs are...You can choose up to three if you like

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

100

The end of ...

A global op...

Something w...

A way of de...

A fad we sh...

Something w...

First Slide Second Slide

http://followersoftheapocalyp.se/morris-snooks-he-loves-his-moocs/

http://followersoftheapocalyp.se/morris-snooks-he-loves-his-moocs/

http://followersoftheapocalyp.se/morris-snooks-he-loves-his-moocs/

References

Illich, Ivan (1971). Deschooling Society. Marion Boyars, London and New York

Caulfield, M. (2012). Why We Shouldn't talk MOOCs as Meritocracieshttp://hapgood.us/2012/09/01/why-we-shouldnt-talk-moocs-as-meritocracies/ accessed 5th March 2013

Futurelearn (2013) MOOCs Explained http://futurelearn.com/moocs-explained/ accessesed 5th March 2013

Coursera (2013) 29 New Schools, 92 New Courses, 5 Languages, 4 Continents and 2.7 Million Courserians http://blog.coursera.org/post/43625628117/29-new-schools-92-new-courses-5-languages-4 accessed 5th march 2013

Jobling (2010) PLENK2010 – It’s a Marathon not a Sprint!http://blog.cpjobling.me/2010/10/12/plenk2010-its-a-marathon-not-a-sprint/ accessed 5th March 2013

Armstrong, L. (2012). Coursera and MITx: Sustaining or disruptive?http://www.changinghighereducation.com/2012/08/coursera-.html Accessed 6th March 2013

Daniel J. Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility. Journal Of Interactive Media Retrieved March 6, 2013, from http://www-jime.open.ac.uk/jime/article/view/2012-17.