Activity 12: Background to MOOCs Notes
Streamed live on 15 Oct 2012
An interview/discussion with Dave
Cormier and George Siemens on MOOCs, to be used in the Open University
open course, on, erm, open education.
2008 MOOC - George - 2007 online conferences, open. Made use of technology in teaching.
Dave - Why the term MOOC.
PLE MOOC - set aside 10 weeks of time to work together where ever one adds in and learns together. MOOCs = connection. Open = Transparent
Course -> Need a date and topic. People feel a part of something, a member of a group (it is social). The blogs and forum postings re-enforce this feeling. The feeling that something is alive. So a bit like a classroom except you have to digitally walk through the door to receive and partake of it. And it is easier not to walk through this digital door. But the MOOC endurance, participatory involvement, will be enhanced by VR and AG because of the ease and speed of entering and leaving. No need to turn on the computer, sign in, open blogs, open sites. It will all be open and in front of your eyes, with Google Glasses or similar. Got a spare 10 minutes whilst in traffic or a shopping queue, then go back to school. Learning will be done in discrete packets.
Watch this interview in which George Siemens and Dave Cormier are
interviewed by Martin Weller, about a range of issues concerning MOOCs.
Early MOOCs issues:
- High drop out rates
- Students do not complete the course
- Participation - requires a deeper input (in my opinion)
- The person who "chats" a lot gains significance - although they may not be studying - too busy chatting
- Learner expectation - Learner feedback - can be negative feedback
- Expectations to finish a course, may not be the goal
- That's bullshite though. MOOC VIPS are redefining the terms of course success because of the high dropout rate. Citing that something good always comes out of a limited exposure to the course. Agree, but only of the mindset of the person who "drops out" does not see themselves as a failure for having done so (as school teaches).
- So many participants results in too much content/feedback which results in work overload.
- Need more MOOC organisers/supervisors to volunteer to help
- Open -> more surprise from free-loaders
- Open -> allows development of course content etc. And allows one to learn more and reflect
- Massive - pedagogy changes (peer learning), need to adjust way of learning, i.e. my aspect is to ignore it all, or to find a system or tool to help me locate what I am interesting.
- Cliques form in MOOCs.
- Is there a MOOC on how to learn from a MOOC - or is this it?
- MIT etc. just copy classroom structure
- But is that not a good way to introduce online learning to new learners?
- MOOCs -> add a business model might fuck it all up
- Small payment for MOOCs -> May lead to mainstream of topics.
- Trade organization should run their own MOOCs
- Coursera - Developing world students take the courses.
- Joining big MOOCs means a loss of creative and different MOOC structures
- MOOC future
- Just named what was happening anyway (Think of NAND computer course)
- Universities are dead already if their contract is about delivering content
- Practical skills and experience cannot be gained - all lab work
- Machine learning for auto-assessment
- New models of education will result from MOOCs
- MOOCs cause the questioning of the Higher Education system and where it is going
Interesting. It wasn't just about MOOCs but the effect they have on society and the future of education.
Read McAuley et al. (2010), The MOOC Model for Digital Practice
. NOTES FOLLOW BELOW for this report
. NOTES FOLLOW BELOW for this report
This
is a lengthy report so if you do not have time to read it all focus on
the Executive Summary and the section entitled ‘Gaps in knowledge about
MOOCs’.
This paper is about how participants of MOOCs can make money, based in Canada.
By exploring the relationship of MOOCs to the digital economy in general and their potential roles to prepare citizens for participation in that digital economy in particular, it illustrates one particularly Canadian model of how these needs may be addressed.
The first summarizes what a MOOC is:
What is a MOOC? by Dave Cormier - seen it already, see previous post
The second summarizes what new users may need to consider for success in a MOOC:
The third touches on the creation of knowledge in a MOOC:
Knowledge in a MOOC by Dave Cormier
economy:
http://edactive.ca/mooc/digitaleconomysample = http://innovation2010.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/video-archive2010.php?video=21&lang=en and http://innovation-forum.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/video-archive2010.php?video=21&lang=en
Social media
Open course
Topic within a company - for IBM perhaps?
MOOCs create a social space.
MOOC on Future of Education
India and Mexico contributed to change the thinking
Gains - collaboration, gain an Internet presence
Gain network around the same topic people are interested in
Gain - an online presence
Q&A
How "Massive" do you want?
>100 professionals in a MOOC begins to make things confusing
A set of MOOC videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eNoTC5jRqs&list=PLQnexh-7vC1fqS9eFYj7agFvTskqoMWRJ
p.4 MOOC: An integration of:
1. Social network
2. Expert(s) in the field
3. Collection of free resources
Q. Percentage breakdown? How to measure? Is there an ideal amount for the "perfect", most successful MOOC? What makes a successful MOOC?
MOOCs seem to be offered in real-time, but what about working through a MOOC later?
P.5. "Participation in a MOOC is emergent, fragmented, diffuse, and diverse. It can be frustrating. It’s not unlike life."
Agreed. Being part of one is like a newborn. I am attempting to crawl before I can walk and then run. I do not wish to participate in the social network until I am out of nappies.
P.7 "parallels between MOOCs and commercial ventures such as the Massive Open Online Novel (http://mongoliad.com) or the “Indigo MBA” (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/Indigo-MBA/indigomba-giz.html)argue that there may be potential for revenue generation that do not unduly compromise the free and open nature of the MOOC model."
Massive Open Online Novel (http://mongoliad.com)
The Mongoliad was originally conceived and presented as a community-driven, enhanced, serial novel that could be read on your Web browser, smart phone, or tablet. This site and the material available through the iOS and Android apps is a record of the serialized experience, but is no longer considered to be the definitive text of The Mongoliad.
The story is set in the year 1241 CE when Europe thought that the Mongol Horde was about to completely destroy their world and only a small band of warriors and mystics stood in the way of utter defeat and subjugation by the great Khan.
Indigo MBA” (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/Indigo-MBA/indigomba-giz.html)argue
Dead link - I guess their commercial venture didn't succeed.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/indigomba/ - A link to some books.
If lots of people become involved in the "Digital Economy" who is left to do the "real" work? Growing food, doing the plumbing, wiring, building. In the developed world, people will want to be part of the "Digital world" because it's a damn sight more comfy to work on the computer rather than get their hands dirty. People with good practical skills will benefit because of the lack of people with those skills.
We need to run a small MOOC for children to follow. One done: http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2012/12/02/moocs-for-kids-too/
But last week, the University of Miami Global Academy–an online high school sponsored by UM’s Division of Continuing and International Education. launched what may be the first free MOOC for high school students–a three-week test prep class designed to get students ready for the Collage Board’s SAT Subject Test in Biology.
Hello!
I am developing the OC@ADLC – The Open Classroom at ADLC. We offered #BEFA12, a course about digital identity and digital literacy for HS students in November/12. Please check it out. Version 2 will be offered in April 2013 – Free and open to any High School student.
http://www.openclassroomonline.com/beyondfacebook12-open-online-course-4hs-students-by-hs-students/
Back to the article - ICT in the classroom has not helped develop a knowledge-based economy. Probably because the ICT teachers haven't a clue. The report believes MOOCs will do the job.
P.9 "In a digital economy, capital lies in the capacity to leverage, connect, and promote knowledge
(Lesser, 2000). The capacity for production and flow of manufactured goods defined prosperity in
the industrial economy. Similarly, the capacity to create, improve, innovate with, and apply knowledge will define prosperity in a digital economy (Cormier, 2010). "
Just as the capacity to service existing infrastructure will define prosperity for those who can do it.
An investigation in to MOOCs as used by International secondary school students within Bangkok, Thailand.
P.10 "The term came into being in 2008, though versions of very large open online courses were in existence before that time (McAuley, 2010)."
P.14 'webcast academy'http://webcastacademy.net/
P.19 "I had been participating from the position of a person with both something to contribute and something to learn. Once I felt I didn't have much to offer, I had trouble maintaining my sense of my role."
Right! So, if she were a person with something to learn before something to contribute she may have found it easier to return, since she had no perceived expectations to hold up to, built up from past postings. Q. Check the number of people who complete the OU MOOC and the extent of their postings compared to those who did not complete and the number of their postings.
This report contains a historical account of the main players in MOOC research. The question begs, what do the people who actually create the large MOOCs say and think?
P.24 The model that defines MOOCs:
gRSShopper - created by Downes, contains adverts. Looks defunct. 2 reviews.
CCK08
http://www.fininformatica.it/wp/category/cck08/
About a year ago, I launched a survey on the use of the wide range of technological tools used within the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Online Course (CCK08).
This might be interesting - his paper on
The Technological Dimension of a Massive Open Online Course: The Case of the CCK08 Course Tools, trying to summarize the results and make some hypothesis on the findings.
The study has now been published in The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL) in its Special Issue: Openness and the Future of Higher Education edited by David Wiley and John Hilton III.
Okay, enough of this report - got too boring. Waffled on too much and become a bit repetitive in places. i.e. the number of MOOCS can be counted on the fingers of 2 hands.
Read Weller (2012b), MOOCs Inc .
28/05/2012
Curtis Bonk’s course ?
Hmm.. last post 7 May 2012, nearly a year ago.
I agree with the benefits of mainstreamed MOOCs
1. Can up scale the MOOC
2. Legitimizes the course - i.e. it become recognized.
3. Creates a defined structure and standard that works, in theory
4. More robust - not experimental - more professional - less user frustrations
5. Possible to make money from them - pay for the accreditation at the end.
Current large MOOCs not Open, free yes, Open no.
Weller sounds upset that he will be forgotten, or become a has-bean. Surely not? "and 10 years from now people will be writing papers that cite Stanford as the initiator of open courses."
Internet memory lasts about a month on average.
Success in a MOOC by Dave Cormier
5 Steps to Succeed in a MOOC
- Orient - yourself
- Where are the materials
- What do I need to sign up for
- How to search the blogs and forums
- How to post to them
- Where are all the links?
- (See my first blog posts...)
- MOOC is paced - defined time structure (A big disadvantage and issue, because when the time has elapsed is the MOOC not dead? Am I the only one playing catch-up? No, but having fallen behind am I now the inferior person, despite all the valid reasons on job, family, home commitments? This is, in my opinion, a huge disincentive to continue the MOOC. MOOCs should re-start every time period, they should have no time scale (like Stanford MOOC Computing 101). Any MOOC that obliges one to meet the exact time schedule is dead in the water as far as I am concerned.
- "The more material you cover the more you can participate". Yes but, if you dedicate 100% of your available time to covering the material then there is no time for participation. And what do we gain from a few comments to a posting etc? compared to covering more material? So far, covering out-weighs participation for me.
- Declare
- Blogs, tags,
- Reflections
- Nothing happens - yep, no comments on my blog, but do I care? No.
- Network
- To get feedback on our posts - why? Yes, all the usual answers, but generally speaking the comments do not provide insight, more of a forced distraction really.
- Why is the course all about my vapid comments on someone else's posts? I don't see this as being a necessary integral part of a MOOC. Yes, helpful to drop in and out of them, but only if time allows.
- The problem of making "connections" is the time required, and lost, to engage in the conversations. Which then can often result in intellectual arguments over semantics and grammar. There is an opportunity for too much wasted time, unless we can agree on some "networking" ground rules such as:
- The author of the original piece is in no way obliged to respond to any comments, feedback or question presented to him/her
- The original author does not even need to commit to reading any 3rd party comments made to their work
- None of this would be viewed as being rude
- Other people may post if they wish or not in the understanding that they may receive nothing in return
- To put it bluntly, who gives a shit what you think?
- Cluster
- Grouping with people of the same opinions - thus given that my opinion is that I don't want to spend time "Networking" then that "unNetworking" group is not going to cluster.
- Focus
- Half-way through we might wander off. But hang on, is that not the mark of a successful MOOC? The individual has found what they are really interested in, as a result of the MOOC, and then gone off to follow this path "follow their dream"? Is a call to focus the right thing?
- Success is Open after all. The expression "Failure is not an option" may well be literally interpreted to mean exactly that, no one fails as MOOC, as success is having participated for some of it. I would argue that perhaps when the going gets tough the drop-outs exceed all expectations at success.
The third touches on the creation of knowledge in a MOOC:
Knowledge in a MOOC by Dave Cormier
- MOOC creates a dynamic knowledge base
- Network creation
economy:
http://edactive.ca/mooc/digitaleconomysample = http://innovation2010.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/video-archive2010.php?video=21&lang=en and http://innovation-forum.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/video-archive2010.php?video=21&lang=en
Social media
Open course
Topic within a company - for IBM perhaps?
MOOCs create a social space.
MOOC on Future of Education
India and Mexico contributed to change the thinking
Gains - collaboration, gain an Internet presence
Gain network around the same topic people are interested in
Gain - an online presence
Q&A
How "Massive" do you want?
>100 professionals in a MOOC begins to make things confusing
A set of MOOC videos at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eNoTC5jRqs&list=PLQnexh-7vC1fqS9eFYj7agFvTskqoMWRJ
p.4 MOOC: An integration of:
1. Social network
2. Expert(s) in the field
3. Collection of free resources
Q. Percentage breakdown? How to measure? Is there an ideal amount for the "perfect", most successful MOOC? What makes a successful MOOC?
MOOCs seem to be offered in real-time, but what about working through a MOOC later?
P.5. "Participation in a MOOC is emergent, fragmented, diffuse, and diverse. It can be frustrating. It’s not unlike life."
Agreed. Being part of one is like a newborn. I am attempting to crawl before I can walk and then run. I do not wish to participate in the social network until I am out of nappies.
P.7 "parallels between MOOCs and commercial ventures such as the Massive Open Online Novel (http://mongoliad.com) or the “Indigo MBA” (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/Indigo-MBA/indigomba-giz.html)argue that there may be potential for revenue generation that do not unduly compromise the free and open nature of the MOOC model."
Massive Open Online Novel (http://mongoliad.com)
The Mongoliad was originally conceived and presented as a community-driven, enhanced, serial novel that could be read on your Web browser, smart phone, or tablet. This site and the material available through the iOS and Android apps is a record of the serialized experience, but is no longer considered to be the definitive text of The Mongoliad.
The story is set in the year 1241 CE when Europe thought that the Mongol Horde was about to completely destroy their world and only a small band of warriors and mystics stood in the way of utter defeat and subjugation by the great Khan.
Indigo MBA” (http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/Indigo-MBA/indigomba-giz.html)argue
Dead link - I guess their commercial venture didn't succeed.
http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/indigomba/ - A link to some books.
If lots of people become involved in the "Digital Economy" who is left to do the "real" work? Growing food, doing the plumbing, wiring, building. In the developed world, people will want to be part of the "Digital world" because it's a damn sight more comfy to work on the computer rather than get their hands dirty. People with good practical skills will benefit because of the lack of people with those skills.
We need to run a small MOOC for children to follow. One done: http://blogs.slj.com/neverendingsearch/2012/12/02/moocs-for-kids-too/
But last week, the University of Miami Global Academy–an online high school sponsored by UM’s Division of Continuing and International Education. launched what may be the first free MOOC for high school students–a three-week test prep class designed to get students ready for the Collage Board’s SAT Subject Test in Biology.
Hello!
I am developing the OC@ADLC – The Open Classroom at ADLC. We offered #BEFA12, a course about digital identity and digital literacy for HS students in November/12. Please check it out. Version 2 will be offered in April 2013 – Free and open to any High School student.
http://www.openclassroomonline.com/beyondfacebook12-open-online-course-4hs-students-by-hs-students/
Back to the article - ICT in the classroom has not helped develop a knowledge-based economy. Probably because the ICT teachers haven't a clue. The report believes MOOCs will do the job.
P.9 "In a digital economy, capital lies in the capacity to leverage, connect, and promote knowledge
(Lesser, 2000). The capacity for production and flow of manufactured goods defined prosperity in
the industrial economy. Similarly, the capacity to create, improve, innovate with, and apply knowledge will define prosperity in a digital economy (Cormier, 2010). "
Just as the capacity to service existing infrastructure will define prosperity for those who can do it.
An investigation in to MOOCs as used by International secondary school students within Bangkok, Thailand.
P.10 "The term came into being in 2008, though versions of very large open online courses were in existence before that time (McAuley, 2010)."
P.14 'webcast academy'http://webcastacademy.net/
P.19 "I had been participating from the position of a person with both something to contribute and something to learn. Once I felt I didn't have much to offer, I had trouble maintaining my sense of my role."
Right! So, if she were a person with something to learn before something to contribute she may have found it easier to return, since she had no perceived expectations to hold up to, built up from past postings. Q. Check the number of people who complete the OU MOOC and the extent of their postings compared to those who did not complete and the number of their postings.
This report contains a historical account of the main players in MOOC research. The question begs, what do the people who actually create the large MOOCs say and think?
P.24 The model that defines MOOCs:
Based on this discussion, we settled on the pedagogical model that continues to define MOOCs:
- High levels of learner control over modes and places of interaction (Users can pick from a choice of communication methods)
- Weekly synchronous sessions with facilitators and guest speakers (Contact to keep people engaged)
- The Daily email newsletter as a regular contact point for course participants. The Daily includes a summary of Moodle forums, course participant blogs, Twitter discussions related to the course, etc.
- Using RSS-harvesting (gRSShopper) to track blogs of course participants
- Emphasis on learner autonomy in selecting learning resources and level of participation in activities
- Emphasis on social systems as effective means for learners to self-organize and way finding through complex subject areas
- The criticality of “creation” - i.e. learners create and share their understanding of the course
- topics through blogs, concept maps, videos, images, and podcasts. Creating a digital artifact helps learners to re-centre the course discussion to a more personal basis.
gRSShopper - created by Downes, contains adverts. Looks defunct. 2 reviews.
CCK08
http://www.fininformatica.it/wp/category/cck08/
About a year ago, I launched a survey on the use of the wide range of technological tools used within the Connectivism and Connective Knowledge Online Course (CCK08).
This might be interesting - his paper on
The Technological Dimension of a Massive Open Online Course: The Case of the CCK08 Course Tools, trying to summarize the results and make some hypothesis on the findings.
The study has now been published in The International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning (IRRODL) in its Special Issue: Openness and the Future of Higher Education edited by David Wiley and John Hilton III.
Okay, enough of this report - got too boring. Waffled on too much and become a bit repetitive in places. i.e. the number of MOOCS can be counted on the fingers of 2 hands.
Read Weller (2012b), MOOCs Inc
.28/05/2012
Curtis Bonk’s course ?
Hmm.. last post 7 May 2012, nearly a year ago.
I agree with the benefits of mainstreamed MOOCs
1. Can up scale the MOOC
2. Legitimizes the course - i.e. it become recognized.
3. Creates a defined structure and standard that works, in theory
4. More robust - not experimental - more professional - less user frustrations
5. Possible to make money from them - pay for the accreditation at the end.
Current large MOOCs not Open, free yes, Open no.
Weller sounds upset that he will be forgotten, or become a has-bean. Surely not? "and 10 years from now people will be writing papers that cite Stanford as the initiator of open courses."
Internet memory lasts about a month on average.
Additional resources
The MOOC Guide : Stephen Downes (undated) sets out some of the history of MOOCs.
Online guide, can cache with :
http://www.httrack.com/ - HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. See C:\My Sites
Amnesimooc : Martin Weller (2012a) outlines the differences between online distance education courses and large-scale online open courses.
Web posting on difference between large scale distance learning and MOOC
What is a MOOC? : JISC webinar (2012) describing the MOOC phenomenon and demonstrating examples of practice and support in the UK.
A blackboard recorded session. Seminar -> Webinar - a bit clunky. Didn't fully load.
Now for the activity itself.
: Stephen Downes (undated) sets out some of the history of MOOCs.Online guide, can cache with :
http://www.httrack.com/ - HTTrack is a free (GPL, libre/free software) and easy-to-use offline browser utility. See C:\My Sites
Amnesimooc
: Martin Weller (2012a) outlines the differences between online distance education courses and large-scale online open courses. Web posting on difference between large scale distance learning and MOOC
What is a MOOC?
: JISC webinar (2012) describing the MOOC phenomenon and demonstrating examples of practice and support in the UK. A blackboard recorded session. Seminar -> Webinar - a bit clunky. Didn't fully load.
Now for the activity itself.
