Learning from MOOCs
Brita L. Williams
Concordia University - Portland
Learning from MOOCs
The demographic trends in higher education are forcing institutions to innovate, disrupting the historical template (Christensen, & Eyring, 2011). While Harvard will most likely remain for a very long time, new institutions will not find themselves as able to weather the storms of change. The technological revolution has brought a permanent change in the educational format with the non-traditional methods of delivery (Prensky, 2012). With that change, a new demographic of students are seeking to take advantage of the new way to acquire an education. Some universities have sought to capture this new trend with the development of MOOCs.
MOOCs in Higher Education Landscape
Higher education is the place where students are seeking an education to become more learned or provide them with more job possibilities. MOOCs as stand-alone courses, free or not, only fill the first purpose, to become more learned. For universities and their programs to maintain their accreditation, specific outcomes must be planned for and assessed (Marx, 2006). Programs that lead to a professional certification are regulated by the certifying industry. Teacher preparation programs are regulated by state boards of education and state law in addition to any professional accreditation (PESB, n.d.). MOOCs are not usually programmatic in nature and universities usually have a continuing education program which offers a variety of courses to enrolled students or the general public. MOOCs fill that niche nicely.
MOOCs Learning Effectiveness
Traditional institutions in higher education can learn from the development of MOOCs. First, what these universities and colleges need to understand is that there is more than one way to offer an education. MOOC designs are useful in the for-profit education industry because they can cater to the working individual with other responsibilities. Enrollment for classes can be taken one at a time and at a pace that works for them. The traditional institutions need to recognize the growing demographic of the non-traditional students who are seeking an education and possibly a professional certification but who require more flexibility in time and mode of delivery (Hess, 2011). The key is to offer valuable alternatives to the traditional educational structure. Receiving value for their educational dollar is of growing importance to students with the increasing costs of tuition and books (Johnstone, 2016).
MOOCs – Assessing Their Legitimacy
Assessing the legitimacy of any program or course is important to gain and maintain accreditation. Accrediting agencies review syllabi, program and course outcomes, and evaluate the data collected by the institution (Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, n.d.). The data represents student achievement in relation to the stated outcomes. Any MOOCs would need to go through a similar assessment to be worthy of credit posted on a student’s transcript. If a MOOC was developed through an existing department in the institution, it could offer stand-alone courses with legitimate outcomes to assess students. It is more likely that a MOOC would be offered as a legitimate graduate course. There are many industries that suggest or require additional credit hours to maintain certification (Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction, n.d.). If the courses were developed at a graduate level it could bring the institution more money and the student may benefit financially from their company as well.
Conclusion
Innovative leadership is how the traditional institutions will learn how to meld a legitimate program design with the non-traditional MOOCs (Christensen, & Eyring, 2011). Technology will continue to evolve requiring administration and faculty to be flexible. Students will become more adept and expect their college choice to be current with the fast-paced changes in technology. The 21st-century workforce is calling for graduates who are prepared for the future.
References
Christensen, C. M., & Eyring, H. J. (2011). The innovative university: Changing the DNA of higher education from the inside out. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Hess, F. (2011, September 28). Old school: College's most important trend is the rise of the adult student. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2011/09/old-school-colleges-most-important-trend-is-the-rise-of-the-adult-student/245823/
Johnstone, D. B. (2016). Financing American higher education. In Bastedo, M. N., Altbach, P. G., & Gumport, P. J. (Eds.). (2016). American higher education in the twenty-first century: Social, political, and economic challenges (4th ed.) (pp. 310-341). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Marx, G. (2006). Future focused Leadership: Preparing schools, students, and communities for tomorrow’s realities. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Development.
Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU). (n.d.). Accreditation standards and related policies: Standard two-resources and capacity 2. C.8. Retrieved from http://www.nwccu.org/Standards%20and%20Policies/Standard%202/NWCCU_Standard_Two.htm
Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. (n.d.). Continuing education. Retrieved from http://www.k12.wa.us/certification/clockhours.aspx
PESB. (2011). Residency Teacher. Professional Educator Standards Board. Retrieved from https://www.pesb.wa.gov/preparation-programs/program-standards/standard-5-knowledge-and-skills/residency-teacher/
Prensky, M (2012). From digital natives to digital wisdom. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.
Stokes, P. (2011). What online learning can teach us about higher education. In Wildavsky, B., Kelly, A. P., & Carey, K. (Eds.). (2011). Reinventing higher education: The promise of innovation (pp. 197-224). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.
Brita,
ReplyDeleteYour post addressed so many valid points about how MOOC’S should be viewed and utilized effectively as a learning tool in connection with traditional institutions of higher learning. One point in particular that you shared was that it offered more than one way to learn. MacGregor (2013) believes that the value of these programs stems from their “ innovative formats and multifaceted pedagogy offerings” (para. 8). The opportunities it provides for the working non-traditional student are endless. In signing up for a course to fulfill this week’s upcoming assignment I was impressed to see the course offerings that were listed. I was also impressed with the simplicity and setup of these course options.
One quality layout these types of programs provide is their flexibility in the pace of learning and time you will be able to put into the assigned modules. Students are also able to complete assignments ahead without the fear of missing out on the learning opportunities being provided. All of the learning is organized and easily accessible for the student who pursues learning through this layout. Ideally I can see why it works best for the working student because life happens and sometimes when you come home from a long day the pressure that traditional online learning offers can feel overwhelming. Traditional online programs still require students to complete assignments in most cases nightly and for the working professional that can be difficult. MOOC’s on the other hand allow students control over how those deadlines will be met and when (Selingo, 2014). I would agree that if traditional online programs provided similar layouts for the working professional more working students would pursue education at the higher level.
As Always Brita nicely done!
Respectfully,
Darlys
MacGregor, K. (2013). Top universities embrace moocs, but opinion is divided. Retrieved from http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=2013092109051039
Selingo, J. J. (2014, October 29). Demystifying the MOOC. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/education/edlife/demystifying-the-mooc.html
Dar,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment. I agree with the concept of working at your own pace. As someone who works in higher education, it would be difficult to teach courses like that and assess them so they would be legitimate. It is probably why those who chair masters and doctoral students' thesis or dissertations do not have many students. I have seen the struggle some professors have in staying on top of those when students take a long time.
Brita
Brita,
ReplyDeleteMany individuals in the United States seem to feel that MOOCs represent a kind of "new magic": online higher education for free. Although never explicitly stated this way, conservative individuals could seem to be hoping that for-profit online higher education can finally rid the republic of those pesky, left-wing universities. Progressive individuals, on the other hand, seem to be hoping MOOCs will end what they view as outrageous university tuition rates, driving tuition through the floor and making higher education more accessible than ever before. What are your thoughts??
Dr. G
Dr. G,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your response. It is interesting that you put it like that, conservatives vs progressives. I brought this topic up with my students in assessment, introducing the concepts of MOOCs in relation to the importance of assessment and validity. I asked them if they thought college should be free. Only a handful raised their hands. It was a great discussion on the merits and the emotions behind higher education, the related costs, the value received, and the concept of motivation and accountability. Personally, I would like it if there was no “left-wing, right-wing” in education, but just education for the benefit of oneself and our civilization. Nothing in life is free.
Brita