{"id":166,"date":"2014-11-16T06:27:52","date_gmt":"2014-11-16T11:27:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/part\/chapter-7-moocs\/"},"modified":"2014-11-16T06:27:52","modified_gmt":"2014-11-16T11:27:52","slug":"chapter-7-moocs","status":"publish","type":"part","link":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/part\/chapter-7-moocs\/","title":{"raw":"Chapter 5: MOOCs","rendered":"Chapter 5: MOOCs"},"content":{"raw":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3>Purpose of the chapter<\/h3>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">It has been claimed that\u00a0<\/span>MOOCs (Massive, Open, Online Courses) are the most disruptive of all technologically-based innovations in higher education, and as a result are the most controversial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">When you have finished this chapter you should be able to:<\/p>\n\n<ul>\n \t<li>understand the differences between various\u00a0kinds of MOOCs, and between MOOCs and other forms of online and open learning;<\/li>\n \t<li>decide on whether or not to develop your own MOOC and what kind of MOOC;<\/li>\n \t<li>advise your administration on whether or not to invest in MOOCs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_3803\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"156\"]<a href=\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/04\/Tony-in-Rio.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-18\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2025\/05\/Tony-in-Rio.jpg\" alt=\"For a my personal introduction to this chapter, please click on the podcast below.\" width=\"156\" height=\"282\"><\/a> For a my personal introduction to this chapter, please click on the podcast below.[\/caption]\n\n[audio mp3=\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/10\/MOOCs-2015-10-06-3.55-PM.mp3\"][\/audio]\n<h1>What is covered in this chapter<\/h1>\nThis chapter covers the following topics:\n<ul>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-2\/\">5.1 Brief history<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-1\/\">5.2 What is a MOOC?<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-4-design-models-for-moocs\/\">5.3 A taxonomy of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-5-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-moocs\/\">5.4 Strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-political-social-and-economic-drivers-of-moocs\/\">5.5 Political, social and economic drivers of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-why-moocs-are-only-part-of-the-answer\/\">5.6 Why MOOCs are only part of the answer<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/7-7-references-on-moocs\/\">Scenario F: How to cope with being old<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nAlso in this chapter you will find the following activities:\n<ul>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #008000\">Activity 5.1 There is no activity provided for this section<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><span style=\"color: #008000\">Activity 5.2<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000\">There is no activity provided for this section<\/span><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-4-design-models-for-moocs\/\">Activity 5.3\u00a0Thinking about MOOC design<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-5-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-moocs\/\">Activity 5.4\u00a0Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-political-social-and-economic-drivers-of-moocs\/\">Activity 5.5. Assessing the importance of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n \t<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/7-7-references-on-moocs\/\">Activity 5.6\u00a0Strategising about MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">1. MOOCs are\u00a0forcing\u00a0every higher education institution to think carefully both about its strategy for online teaching and its approach to open education.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">2. MOOCs are not the only form of online learning nor of open educational resources. It is important to look at the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs within the overall context of online learning and open-ness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">3. There are considerable differences in the design of MOOCs, reflecting different purposes and philosophies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">4. There are currently major structural limitations in MOOCs for developing deep or transformative learning, or for developing the high level\u00a0knowledge and skills needed in a digital age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">5. MOOCs are at still a relatively early stage of maturity. As their strengths and weaknesses become clearer, and as experience in improving their design grows, they are likely to occupy a significant niche within the higher education learning environment<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">6. MOOCs could well replace some forms of traditional teaching (such as large lecture classes). However, MOOCs\u00a0are more likely to remain an important supplement or alternative to other conventional education methods. They are not on their own a solution to the high cost of higher education, although MOOCs are and will continue to be\u00a0an important factor\u00a0in forcing change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">7. Perhaps the greatest value of MOOCs in the future will be for providing a means for tackling large global problems through community action.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>","rendered":"<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-highlight\">\n<h3>Purpose of the chapter<\/h3>\n<p class=\"no-indent\"><span style=\"color: #008000\">It has been claimed that\u00a0<\/span>MOOCs (Massive, Open, Online Courses) are the most disruptive of all technologically-based innovations in higher education, and as a result are the most controversial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">When you have finished this chapter you should be able to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>understand the differences between various\u00a0kinds of MOOCs, and between MOOCs and other forms of online and open learning;<\/li>\n<li>decide on whether or not to develop your own MOOC and what kind of MOOC;<\/li>\n<li>advise your administration on whether or not to invest in MOOCs.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3803\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3803\" style=\"width: 156px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/04\/Tony-in-Rio.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18\" src=\"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/22\/2025\/05\/Tony-in-Rio.jpg\" alt=\"For a my personal introduction to this chapter, please click on the podcast below.\" width=\"156\" height=\"282\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3803\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">For a my personal introduction to this chapter, please click on the podcast below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-166-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/10\/MOOCs-2015-10-06-3.55-PM.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/10\/MOOCs-2015-10-06-3.55-PM.mp3\">http:\/\/opentextbc.ca\/teachinginadigitalage\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/29\/2015\/10\/MOOCs-2015-10-06-3.55-PM.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/p>\n<h1>What is covered in this chapter<\/h1>\n<p>This chapter covers the following topics:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-2\/\">5.1 Brief history<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-1\/\">5.2 What is a MOOC?<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-4-design-models-for-moocs\/\">5.3 A taxonomy of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-5-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-moocs\/\">5.4 Strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-political-social-and-economic-drivers-of-moocs\/\">5.5 Political, social and economic drivers of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-why-moocs-are-only-part-of-the-answer\/\">5.6 Why MOOCs are only part of the answer<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"chapter type-1\"><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/7-7-references-on-moocs\/\">Scenario F: How to cope with being old<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also in this chapter you will find the following activities:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000\">Activity 5.1 There is no activity provided for this section<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #008000\">Activity 5.2<\/span>\u00a0<span style=\"color: #008000\">There is no activity provided for this section<\/span><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-4-design-models-for-moocs\/\">Activity 5.3\u00a0Thinking about MOOC design<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-5-strengths-and-weaknesses-of-moocs\/\">Activity 5.4\u00a0Assessing the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/section-7-6-political-social-and-economic-drivers-of-moocs\/\">Activity 5.5. Assessing the importance of MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/chapter\/7-7-references-on-moocs\/\">Activity 5.6\u00a0Strategising about MOOCs<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"bcc-box bcc-success\">\n<h3>Key Takeaways<\/h3>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">1. MOOCs are\u00a0forcing\u00a0every higher education institution to think carefully both about its strategy for online teaching and its approach to open education.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">2. MOOCs are not the only form of online learning nor of open educational resources. It is important to look at the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs within the overall context of online learning and open-ness.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">3. There are considerable differences in the design of MOOCs, reflecting different purposes and philosophies.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">4. There are currently major structural limitations in MOOCs for developing deep or transformative learning, or for developing the high level\u00a0knowledge and skills needed in a digital age.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">5. MOOCs are at still a relatively early stage of maturity. As their strengths and weaknesses become clearer, and as experience in improving their design grows, they are likely to occupy a significant niche within the higher education learning environment<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">6. MOOCs could well replace some forms of traditional teaching (such as large lecture classes). However, MOOCs\u00a0are more likely to remain an important supplement or alternative to other conventional education methods. They are not on their own a solution to the high cost of higher education, although MOOCs are and will continue to be\u00a0an important factor\u00a0in forcing change.<\/p>\n<p class=\"no-indent\">7. Perhaps the greatest value of MOOCs in the future will be for providing a means for tackling large global problems through community action.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media-attributions clear\" prefix:cc=\"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/ns#\" prefix:dc=\"http:\/\/purl.org\/dc\/terms\/\"><h2>Media Attributions<\/h2><ul><li >epistemology       <\/li><\/ul><\/div>","protected":false},"parent":0,"menu_order":4,"template":"","meta":{"pb_part_invisible":false,"pb_part_invisible_string":""},"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-166","part","type-part","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/part"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/166\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=166"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/openstudio.pub\/teachinginadigitalagev3m\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}