MOOC Manna—Part 2

I have listed some of the positive aspects of MOOCs that I enjoy. But they can't be the greatest thing since "sliced bread," so what are some of their downsides? Since they are a current, well-received phenomenon—if not exceedingly popular right now—do they as yet have a downside that has had a chance to show up? Well, yes, a few detractors have offered a few criticisms, or have asked a few pointed questions.

Are the MOOC courses being over hyped? Is the quality as high as advertised or expected? Will there be a letdown on the part of students who are led to expect too much from a course? What about access to the lecturer: there is little chance to have access to the professor, when thousands of students are taking the course. Some courses offer credit: How do you grade appropriately or avoid students cheating on tests? Of students who sign up, typically only 10% finish a course. With this dropout rate, what's really been accomplished by offering that course?

I recognize that some of these concerns are valid, but have either discarded them as not relevant for me or worked through them for my needs. But I have my own misgivings about MOOCs—mostly in the arena of money. Right now they are free and of high quality, but how long before greedy profit motives muck things up? At the moment, MOOCs are almost too good to be true, and I fear that commercial interests will spoil the treat or dilute the teachings. TV once (back in the 1950s) promised to be a medium of merit, but has degraded into shallow and trivial entertainment. Will the money grubbers eventually demand their pound of flesh from MOOCs?

Another concern I have about the future of MOOC manna: right now, MOOCs are being taught by highly-qualified professors, who I think may be offering these courses for several motivations (none of them money): (1) reaching a worldwide student audience, (2) exploring a new venue, and (3) teaching students who really want to be there. (Too many of today's university professors lecture to an audience of minimally-interested students.) How long will the teachers' enthusiasm last and how long will the high quality continue?

Who knows where the MOOCs will go? No one. In the meantime, I aim to take full advantage of their remarkable manna.

MOOC Manna—Part 1

We online beings currently have been offered access to a wonderful educational opportunity—something dubbed MOOCs—Massive Online Open Courses. They come in the form of instructional videos—as if you are sitting in a college lecture hall, listening to a qualified professor giving you a lesson on an academic subject, but in the comfort of your own living room. (With maybe even a beer in your hand!)

MOOCs have erupted into the online world as the latest form of what's been designated as "distance education." Numerous leading universities around the world are participating in this process, offering their most experienced teachers the opportunity to present their courses to thousands of curious people worldwide. These online courses are provided free of charge to anyone who is interested. What a bargain!

MOOCs give us a unique opportunity to broaden our minds in an extremely wide variety of subjects—virtually all of which are exceptional learning experiences, given the fact that the most reputable universities are participating. Most of the courses do not require prior knowledge or prerequisite college courses to participate. Most are introductory enough or general enough that virtually anyone can sign on and learn.

Distance education has existed for over 100 years. The internet has provided the perfect medium for their emergence in this new medium. In the late 19th century, postal correspondence courses were the first distance education process that arose, followed by radio courses in the 1920s, followed by TV courses in the 1980s. So now we have the latest manifestation of distance education in the form of MOOCs.

This new phenomenon of what could be also designated as the Chautauqua process (an outdoor adult mass educational experience that originated on Chautauqua Lake in New York State in the late 19th century) is now available to anyone with online access, from their own home. Many universities (MIT, Harvard, Stanford, Princeton, etc.) have encouraged their professors to offer their courses. Coursera is a major MOOC offerer—providing over 300 online courses. EdX is another main offerer. Some courses enroll hundreds of thousands of students worldwide. So the term “massive” is certainly relevant.

I have signed on to four MOOC courses in the last year. Two of them I have followed and completed, for a dozen weeks or more each—watching lectures, taking quizzes, and participating in online forums and discussions with other students. The other two I dropped after a week or so—upon realizing that I either did not have the appropriate prerequisites after all, or the subject matter did not appeal to me, or the lecturer's style was problematic for me. Unlike my college classes all those many years ago, I can easily drop a MOOC course without the stigma of feeling inadequate or suffering the loss of tuition.

I love the ability to be able to watch lectures from home at my leisure. I can take notes, repeat a lecture, join a forum, or further pursue the subject on my own, via references that are given. My science education did not provide me with an extensive background in the humanities, literature, or other liberal arts—so MOOCs give me a wonderful opportunity to pick up on those subjects I missed in my formal education.

More on MOOC manna next time...