Alt-Ed

eLearning Papers Issue 37: Experiences and Best Practices In and Around MOOCs

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 28 Mar 2014 21:12:00 +0000

This special issue of the eLearning Papers is based on the contributions made to the EMOOCS 2014 conference jointly organized by the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and P.A.U. Education. The success of this conference with more than 450 participants demonstrates that MOOCs are at the beginning of a wave and a first step towards opening up education.

Why are MOOCs innovative? They provide alternative ways for students to gain new knowledge according to a given curriculum. MOOCs can also enhance learners’ ability to think creatively to select and adapt a paradigm to solve the problem at hand. These are the main findings of a case study on the Discrete Optimization MOOC on Coursera.

Many higher education institutions are asking their staff to run high quality MOOCs in a race to gain visibility in an education market that is increasingly abundant with choice. Nevertheless, designing and running a MOOC from scratch is not an easy task and requires a high workload. Professors from Universidad Carlos III in Madrid offer a set of recommendations that will be useful to inexperienced professors. An MIT study also gives key findings on optimizing video consumption across courses.

What are the defining characteristics of a MOOC? Can we categorically differentiate a MOOC from other types of online courses? This is one of the central questions of the debate on the future of MOOCs. An UNED study proposes a quality model based on both course structure and certification process. Most of the debate around the future of MOOCs focuses on learners’ attitudes such as attrition or a lack of satisfaction that leads to disengagement or dropout. A Stanford study shows how educational interventions targeting such risk factors can help reduce dropout rates, as long as the dropouts are predicted early and accurately enough. A French researcher shows that learners who interact on the forums and assess peer assignments are more likely to complete the course. Another Stanford study tested different approaches to measure the extent to which online learners experience a sense of community in current implementations of online courses. In a similar context, a German team of researchers studied the collaborative endeavour of planning and implementing a cMOOC.

One of the key elements of the discussion around MOOCs is their relevance to students in their respective cultural settings. A Leicester University researcher contemplates whether activities, tasks, assignments and/or projects can be applicable to students’ own settings; for example, giving students the freedom to choose the setting of their projects and the people with whom they work. These questions are central to making MOOCs truly accessible to all.

Source and Full Text Available At:

[http://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/paper/experiences-and-best-practices-and-around-moocs]

PDF

[http://openeducationeuropa.eu/sites/default/files/old/issue_37_0.pdf]

MOOCs in STEM: Exploring New Educational Technologies > June 5-6 2014 > San Jose University

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:24:00 +0000

NSF-funded conference on STEM education

Conference Dates: June 5-6, 2014
Conference Location: San Jose, CA

San José State University’s (SJSU) College of Engineering is holding a NSF-funded conference on learning and discussing the use of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and other intensive technologies in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

The Future of MOOCs and Turbocharged Technologies in STEM Education conference will be an opportunity for experts around the world to gather, share their ideas, and to have a discussion on how MOOCs and other technologies should be used to further the education within the STEM fields. This conference will be an opportunity for SJSU and other nationwide faculty to congregate, learn and discuss effective strategies for credit bearing courses.
The conference will also feature guest keynote speakers Yvonna Belanger of the Gates Foundation and Chris Dede of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, as well speakers and presentations from the professional and academic sides of MOOCs.

The overall goal of the conference is to discuss the future of MOOCS and other disruptive educational technologies in STEM higher education. Our secondary goals are to understand the role of MOOCs in modern academia in STEM fields, how to best introduce them into a university setting, and how they may supplement traditional and flipped STEM classrooms. It is supported by the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the IEEE Education Society.

Call for Proposals [PDF]
Online Application

Source, and Call for Proposals, and Application Links Available At:

[http://engineering.sjsu.edu/MOOC]

Invasion of the MOOCs: The Promise and Perils of Massive Open Online Courses

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 17:52:00 +0000

Invasion of the MOOCs: The Promise and Perils of Massive Open Online Courses is one of the first collections of essays about the phenomenon of “Massive Online Open Courses.” Unlike accounts in the mainstream media and educational press, Invasion of the MOOCs is not written from the perspective of removed administrators, would-be education entrepreneurs/venture capitalists, or political pundits. Rather, this collection of essays comes from faculty who developed and taught MOOCs in 2012 and 2013, students who participated in those MOOCs, and academics and observers who have first hand experience with MOOCs and higher education. These twenty-one essays reflect the complexity of the very definition of what is (and what might in the near future be) a “MOOC,” along with perspectives and opinions that move far beyond the polarizing debate about MOOCs that has occupied the media in previous accounts. Toward that end, Invasion of the MOOCs reflects a wide variety of impressions about MOOCs from the most recent past and projects possibilities about MOOCs for the not so distant future.

Contributors include Aaron Barlow, Siân Bayne, Nick Carbone, Kaitlin Clinnin, Denise K. Comer, Glenna L. Decker, Susan Delagrange, Scott Lloyd DeWitt, Jeffrey T. Grabill, Laura Gibbs, Kay Halasek, Bill Hart-Davidson, Karen Head, Jacqueline Kauza, Jeremy Knox, Steven D. Krause, Alan Levine, Charles Lowe, Hamish Macleod, Ben McCorkle, Jennifer Michaels, James E. Porter, Alexander Reid, Jeff Rice, Jen Ross, Bob Samuels, Cynthia L. Selfe, Christine Sinclair, Melissa Syapin, Edward M. White, Elizabeth D. Woodworth, and Heather Noel Young.
About the Editors

Steven D. Krause is a Professor in the Department of English Language and Literature at Eastern Michigan University. Some of his recent scholarship has appeared in College Composition and Communication, Kairos, and Computers and Composition, and he has published commentaries in AFT On Campus and The Chronicle of Higher Education. His blog at stevendkrause.com won the John Lovas Memorial Weblog award from Kairos in 2011.

SKU: 978-1-60235-533-0 / Edited Steven D. Krause and Charles Lowe / Information and Pricing
978-1-60235-533-0 (paperback, $30); 978-1-60235-534-7 (hardcover, $60). © 2014 by Parlor Press and the respective authors.

Source and Access to Full Text Available At

[http://www.parlorpress.com/invasion_of_the_moocs]

EMOOCs 2014: European MOOCs Stakeholders Summit > Proceedings > Research Track

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 12 Feb 2014 18:11:00 +0000

Table of Contents

> Understanding Persistence in MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses): Descriptive & Experimental Evidence 5
Rachel Baker, Brent Evans, Erica Greenberg and Thomas Dee
> Analysing student participation in Foreign Language MOOCs: a case study 11
Elena Bárcena, Timothy Read, Elena Martín-Monje & Mª Dolores Castrillo
> Signals of Success and Self-directed Learning 18
Penny Bentley, Helen Crump, Paige Cuffe, Iwona Gniadek, Briar Jamieson, Sheila MacNeill and Yishay Mor
> Analyzing completion rates in the First French xMOOC 26
Matthieu Cisel
> Challenges for conceptualising EU MOOC for vulnerable learner groups 33
Inge de Waard, Michael Sean Gallagher, Ronda Zelezny-Green, Laura Czerniewicz, Stephen Downes, Agnes Kukulska-Hulme and Julie Willems
> Scaffolding Self-learning in MOOCs 43
Israel Gutiérrez-Rojas, Carlos Alario-Hoyos, Mar Pérez-Sanagustín, Derick Leony, Carlos Delgado-Kloos
> Towards an Outcome-based Discovery and Filtering of MOOCs using moocrank 50
Israel Gutiérrez-Rojas, Derick Leony, Carlos Alario-Hoyos, Mar Pérez-Sanagustín and Carlos Delgado-Kloos
> Dropout Prediction in MOOCs using Learner Activity Features 58
Sherif Halawa, Daniel Greene and John Mitchell
> Self-Regulated Learning in MOOCs: Do Open Badges and Certificates of Attendance Motivate Learners to Invest More? 66
Simone Haug, Katrin Wodzicki, Ulrike Cress and Johannes Moskaliuk
> Extending the MOOCversity A Multi-layered and Diversified Lens for MOOC Research 73
Tanja Jadin and Martina Gaisch
> Encouraging Forum Participation in Online Courses with Collectivist, Individualist and Neutral Motivational
Framings 80
René F. Kizilcec, Emily Schneider, Geoffrey L. Cohen and Daniel A. McFarland
> MOOC Learning in Spontaneous Study Groups: Does Synchronously Watching Videos Make a Difference? 88
Nan Li, Himanshu Verma, Afroditi Skevi, Guillaume Zufferey and Pierre Dillenbourg
> Dropout: MOOC Participants’ Perspective 95
Tharindu Rekha Liyanagunawardena, Patrick Parslow and Shirley Ann Williams
> Reflections on Enrollment Numbers and Success Rates at the openHPI MOOC Platform 101
Christoph Meinel, Christian Willems, Jan Renz and Thomas Staubitz
> The SIRET Training Platform: Facing the Dropout Phenomenon of MOOC Environments 107
Sergio Miranda, Giuseppina Rita Mangione, Francesco Orciuoli, Vincenzo Loia and Saverio Salerno
> MOOCs in fragile contexts 114
Barbara Moser-Mercer
> Cultural Translation in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) 122
Bernard Nkuyubwatsi
> A typology and dimensions of a description framework for MOOCs 130
Marilyne Rosselle*, Pierre-André Caron**, Jean Heutte**
> Characterizing video use in the catalogue of MITx MOOCs 140
Daniel T. Seaton, Sergiy Nesterko, Tommy Mullaney, Justin Reich, Andrew Ho and Isaac Chuang
> How Students Learn using MOOCs: An Eye-tracking Insight 147
Kshitij Sharma, Patrick Jermann and Pierre Dillenbourg
> A Platform that Integrates Quizzes into Videos 155
Robin Woll1, Sven Buschbeck2, Tino Steffens1, Pascal Berrang1, Jörn Loviscach3
> Designing Video for Massive Open Online-Education: Conceptual Challenges from a Learner-Centered Perspective 160
Carmen Zahn, Karsten Krauskopf, Jonas Kiener and Friedrich W. Hesse
Reviewers of Research Track 168

Source and Links to Full Text Available At:

[http://www.emoocs2014.eu/sites/default/files/Proceedings-Moocs-Summit-2014.pdf]

OpenupEd Quality Label Published

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 07 Feb 2014 01:42:00 +0000

OpenupEd is an open, non-profit partnership on MOOCs. OpenupEd aims to contribute to opening up education to the benefit oflearners and the wider society while reflecting values such as equity, quality and diversity. The vision is to reach out to all those learners who are interested to take part in online higher education in a way that meets their needs and accommodates their situation.

The partnership published a quality label for MOOCs ('OpenupEd label') on 25 January 2014 after a review period. A first draft version of the OpenupEd label was presented on 23 October during a Master class and a slightly improved review version was published on 7 November 2013.

You could use the published OpenupEd label to make an initial assessment on the level of achievement for each benchmark. Note that it is not expected that every benchmark will be achieved by every HEI and a diversity of approaches is welcomed. We embrace the diversity in (institutional) approaches to open up education by the use of MOOCs.

Institutions interested in becoming a partner of OpenupEd should proceed with a self-evaluation on which to base a more detailed review. The label and review are part of the basic conditions for becoming an OpenupEd partner. Supporting documents are sent on request.

Source and Links Available At:

[http://www.openuped.eu/news/98-openuped-quality-label-published]

MOOCs FORUM > Premier Issue > Free Access

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 18:41:00 +0000

Editorial

Why the MOOCs Forum Now?
Nish Sonwalkar
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 1-1.

Interview

MOOCs Impact at Duke University: An Interview with Peter Lange, Provost
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 2-5.

Roundtable Discussion

State-of-the-Field Discussion
Moderator: Nish Sonwalkar, Participants: Jack Wilson, Andrew Ng, Peter Sloep
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 6-9.
sions

Review

Crowdsourcing to Assess MOOCs: A Position Paper
R.J. Clougherty Jr., Viktoria Popova
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 10-13.

Original Articles

Self-Driven Mastery in Massive Open Online Courses
Chuong B. Do, Zhenghao Chen, Relly Brandman, Daphne Koller
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 14-16.

Shall We MOOC? A SWOT Analysis at the Program Level
Vanessa P. Dennen, Amit Chauhan
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 17-21.

The First Adaptive MOOC: A Case Study on Pedagogy Framework and Scalable Cloud Architecture—Part I
Nishikant (Nish) Sonwalkar
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 22-29.

Letter to the Editor

Vijay Dixit
MOOCs FORUM. September 2013, 1(P): 30-30.

Source and Links To Full Text Available At:

[http://online.liebertpub.com/toc/mooc/1/P]

MERLOT JOLT > Special Issue on Massive Open Online Courses

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 27 Sep 2013 19:57:00 +0000

MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and Teaching

Vol. 9, No. 2, March 2013

SPECIAL ISSUE ON MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSES

A Message from the MERLOT Executive Director: MOOCs, MERLOT, and Open Educational Services Gerard L. Hanley

Guest Editors' Preface to the Special Issue on MOOCs: An Academic Perspective on an Emerging Technological and Social Trend / George Siemens, Valerie Irvine, and Jillianne Code

Research Papers
Patterns of Engagement in Connectivist MOOCs / Colin Milligan, Allison Littlejohn, and Anoush Margaryan

Learner Participation and Engagement in Open Online Courses: Insights from the Peer 2 Peer University / June Ahn, Brian S. Butler, Alisha Alam, Sarah A. Webster

Realigning Higher Education for the 21st Century Learner through Multi-Access Learning
Valerie Irvine, Jillianne Code, and Luke Richards

Case Studies
Wrapping a MOOC: Student Perceptions of an Experiment in Blended Learning / Derek O. Bruff, Douglas H. Fisher, Kathryn E. McEwen, and Blaine E. Smith

Liminal Participants and Skilled Orienteers: Learner Participation in a MOOC for New Lecturers /
Marion Waite, Jenny Mackness, George Roberts, and Elizabeth Lovegrove

Concept Paper
Evaluating the Strategic and Leadership Challenges of MOOCs / Stephen Marshall

Position Paper
Massiveness + Openness = New Literacies of Participation? / Bonnie Stewart

The Inside Story: Campus Decision Making in the Wake of the Latest MOOC Tsunami / Marilyn M. Lombardi

[snip]

All papers in JOLT are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share-Alike License

Source and Links Available At:

[http://jolt.merlot.org/Vol9_No2.htm]

Note: A forthcoming issue will include additional articles on MOOCs ; Sign-up tp receive advance notice at:

[http://grapevine.merlot.org/joltnews/joltlistserv.php?action=add]]

CT > MOOC Special Issue > The Rise of MOOCs

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 15:18:00 +0000

What Do Massive Open Online Courses Mean for the Future of Higher Education?
The MOOC Business Plan
With MOOCs still mostly free, course providers are searching for a viable business model.
Blended MOOCs: The Best of Both Worlds?
Combining in-class instruction with MOOC content may resolve some common MOOC hurdles
Assessment Tools for MOOCs

As MOOCs are made available for credit, scalable assessment options are essential.
How to Convert a Class Into a MOOC
The sheer size and diversity of the student body in a MOOC require a new approach to teaching.
Building a Sense of Community in MOOCs
Massive class sizes can breed feelings of isolation, but they can also enable more student interaction.
cMOOCs: Putting Collaboration First
Alternative MOOC models are fostering creativity and collaboration with peers.

Source and Full Text Links Available At:

[http://campustechnology.com/research/2013/08/magazine_august.aspx]

Behind-The-Scenes: How MOOCs Are Getting Money

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Sat, 11 May 2013 21:46:00 +0000

MOOCs and Beyond - eLearning Papers 33 Released

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:16:00 +0000

Issue number 33 of eLearning Papers focuses on the challenges and future of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a trend in education that has skyrocketed since 2008.

Guest edited by Dr Yishay Mor, Senior Lecturer at the Open University's Institute of Educational Technology (UK), and Tapio Koskinen, Director of the eLearning Papers Editorial Board, MOOCs and Beyond seeks to both generate debate and present a variety of perspectives about this new popular learning model.

The emergence of MOOCs poses a set of challenges to the educational community. This new special issue of eLearning Papers aims to shed light on the way these online courses affect both education institutions and learners, and tries to find answers to some of the questions confronted by teachers and researchers.

Among other topics, eLearning Papers 33 explores whether MOOCs may be a viable solution for education in developing countries and analyses the role of these emerging courses in the education system, especially in higher education. Furthermore, valuable examples from the field are presented, such as the quad-blogging concept and a game-based MOOC developed to promote entrepreneurship education.

This issue includes 4 In-Depth articles and 6 From the Field ones:

In-depth articles

The Impact and Reach of MOOCs: A Developing Countries’ Perspective by Tharindu Liyanagunawardena, Shirley Williams and Andrew Adams
MOOCs and disruptive innovation: Implications for higher education by Li Yuan and Stephen Powell
The Next Game Changer: The Historical Antecedents of the MOOC Movement in Education by David T. Boven
MOOC Design Principles. A Pedagogical Approach from the Learner’s Perspective by Lourdes Guàrdia, Marcelo Maina and Albert Sangrà

From the field articles

MOOCs are More Social than You Believe by Jan Blom, Himanshu Verma, Nan Li, Afroditi Skevi and Pierre Dillenbourg
Realising the Potential of Peer-to-Peer Learning: Taming a MOOC with Social Media by Emily Purser, Angela Towndrow and Ary Aranguiz
Learning from Open Design: Running a Learning Design MOOC by Patrick McAndrew
Quad-blogging: Its Potential to Transform Peer-to- Peer Learning in a MOOC by Angela Towndrow, Ary Aranguiz, Emily Purser and Madhura Pradhan
Game Based Learning MOOC. Promoting Entrepreneurship Education by Margarida Romero
The AlphaMOOC: Building a Massive Open Online Course One Graduate Student at a Time by Carmen McCallum, Stephen Thomas and Julie C. Libarkin

Source and Links To Full Text Available At

[http://elearningeuropa.info/en/news/moocs-and-beyond-elearning-papers-33-released]

Free Webinar > The MOOC Moment > May 30, 2013 > 2:00 - 3:00 PM ET

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:31:00 +0000

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become the talk of academe, with many colleges and universities debating whether they should start them or join one of the consortia offering the courses. Inside Higher Ed's recent survey of college and university presidents found that these leaders see MOOCs more as a threat to their business models than as an improvement for academe. Faculty responses range from fear for their jobs, to cynicism, to enthusiasm, to inspiration. MOOCs have prompted poetry, ad hominem attacks, calls for new college songs, multiple opinion pieces and countless comments on the Inside Higher Ed site.

Join editors Scott Jaschik and Doug Lederman as they review the history, frame the context, and look to the future of MOOCs in a free webinar on Thursday, May 30, at 2 p.m. Eastern. The webinar will consist of a 30-minute presentation and a 30-minute question period. There is no conference call required for this event -- the entire presentation, including audio, is delivered via the web. This event will be captioned for the deaf and hard of hearing by SpeechText Access. Read up before you join the conversation.

[snip] ... A free copy of The MOOC Moment -- .... [a] free booklet of forward-looking articles and essays about MOOCs, with enthusiasts and skeptics alike examining curricular and financial issues ''' is available for download]

The MOOC Moment booklet and webinar is made possible in part by the generous financial support of Academic Partnerships. Your registration information will be shared with the company.

Source and Link to Registration Are Available At

[http://bit.ly/11Z7ZfQ]

The Pedagogical Foundations of Massive Open Online Courses

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 10 May 2013 22:19:00 +0000

Abstract

In 2011, the respective roles of higher education institutions and students worldwide were brought into question by the rise of the massive open online course (MOOC). MOOCs are defined by signature characteristics that include: lectures formatted as short videos combined with formative quizzes; automated assessment and/or peer and self–assessment and an online forum for peer support and discussion. Although not specifically designed to optimise learning, claims have been made that MOOCs are based on sound pedagogical foundations that are at the very least comparable with courses offered by universities in face–to–face mode. To validate this, we examined the literature for empirical evidence substantiating such claims. Although empirical evidence directly related to MOOCs was difficult to find, the evidence suggests that there is no reason to believe that MOOCs are any less effective a learning experience than their face–to–face counterparts. Indeed, in some aspects, they may actually improve learning outcomes.

Contents

Introduction
Methodology
The efficacy of online learning
The importance of retrieval and testing for learning
Mastery learning
Peer and self–assessment
Short format videos
Online forums and video discussions
Conclusion

Source and Full Text Available At

[http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/4350/3673]

'The MOOC Moment': New Compilation of Articles Available

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Thu, 09 May 2013 23:56:00 +0000

Inside Higher Ed is today releasing a free compilation of articles -- in print-on-demand format -- about massive open online courses, or MOOCs. The articles aren't today's breaking news, but reflect long-term trends and some of the forward-looking thinking of experts on how MOOCs may change higher education. The idea is to provide these materials (both news articles and opinion essays) in one easy-to-read place. Inside Higher Ed will be releasing more such compilations in the months ahead, on a range of topics.

Source and Links Available At

[http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/05/09/mooc-moment-new-compilation-articles-available]

Free Webinar > MOOCs and the Completion Agenda: Lessons in Learning, Assessment and Application > May 28 2013 >

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 08 May 2013 17:12:00 +0000

Date: May 28, 2013 | Time: 13:00 pm (ET)

Throughout the higher education community, questions continue to swirl about massive open online courses (MOOCs). How are students benefiting by participating in MOOCs? In what ways are colleges and universities integrating MOOCs into their curricula? How can we effectively assess the quality of MOOC learning experiences?

Panelists will explore the opportunities and challenges that come from incorporating MOOC learning experiences into college curricula. The webinar will also offer examples of MOOC integration currently taking place on college campuses.

SPEAKERS

Daphne Koller / Co-founder of Coursera, Inc., and a Stanford University professor in the department of computer science

Elizabeth Allan / Associate Professor of Biology at the University of Southern Oklahoma, and an ACE CREDIT® faculty reviewer

Barbara Illowsky / Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at De Anza College

Michelle Pilati / Professor of Psychology at Rio Hondo College

Cathy Sandeen
Vice President for Education Attainment and Innovation, ACE (moderator)

Source and Links to Registration Available At

[http://www.acenet.edu/events/Pages/MOOCs-and-the-Completion-Agenda.aspx]

A/V Now Available > CCCOER FREE Webinar on Open Education, MOOCs, and Student Access > April 30 2013 > 12 PM - 1 PM (ET)

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:06:00 +0000

Join the Community College Consortium for Open Educational Resources and CCC Confer on April 30, 10:00 am Pacific for a panel discussion on rebooting California’s higher education system with Open Education, MOOCs, and an online Student Access Platform.

The California legislature, responding to shrinking budgets and huge wait lists for gateway courses, has proposed:

Open textbooks
Credit for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
The California Online Student Access Platform

Three leaders in the field share their thoughts on this revolution in higher education. What are the next steps for ensuring the success of our students? How do we continue the prominence of California’s institutions of higher education?

Dean Florez, CEO of the Twenty Million Minds Foundation, and former majority leader of the California senate, has been a driving force behind the new legislation and instrumental in bringing stakeholders and MOOC thought leaders together to reboot higher education in California.

Dr. Barbara Illowsky, Mathematics professor and open textbook faculty co-author at De Anza Community College. An early developer of open educational resources to make college affordable, Dr. Illowsky has continued to push for digital interactivity to improve student learning outcomes. In fall 2013, she plans to teach an introductory, descriptive, not-for-credit statistics MOOC.

Dr. Michelle Pilati, Psychology professor at Rio Hondo College and current president of the CCC Academic Senate has been closely involved with the implementation strategy for the new legislation to set up an Open Educational Resources (OER) Council containing faculty representatives from the three public higher education systems.

Note: Individuals who are not affiliated with the listed institutions and organizations can register as 'other organization'.

Source and Link To Registration Link Availale At

[http://oerconsortium.org/2013/04/16/apr-30-cccoer-webinar-on-open-education-moocs-and-student-access/]

YouTube Available At

[http://www.3cmediasolutions.org/node/1875]

Slides Available At

[http://www.slideshare.net/UnaDaly/open-education-moocs-student-access]

NPR > Making The Most Of MOOCs: The Ins And Outs Of E-Learning

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 01:27:00 +0000

Don't ever email the professor. Never friend the teacher on Facebook. Those are some of the rules A.J. Jacobs learned when he joined the ranks of millions enrolled in massive open online courses, MOOCs. Harvard, MIT and Stanford are among universities offering virtual classes free of charge.

Source and Link to Transcript and Audio Available At

[http://www.npr.org/2013/04/23/178623872/making-the-most-of-moocs-the-ins-and-outs-of-e-learning ]

Free MOOC > Academia and the MOOC > Apr 15 2013 - May 13 2013

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 17:56:00 +0000

The New York Times said 2012 was “the year of the MOOC” and EDUCAUSE said MOOCs have “the potential to alter the relationship between learner and instructor and between academe and the wider community.” Many elite universities are offering Massive Open Online Courses, but most colleges and educators are unsure about what MOOCs are and if they are worthwhile.

Can an "open" course offered at no cost to a very large number of participants who receive no institutional credit be a worthwhile venture for a college? And can a course be effective if participants and course materials are distributed across the Web?

In this class, we will briefly cover the history and development of MOOCs. Participants will engage in discussions about why institutions offer these courses, and the possible benefits to both schools and students. This four-week course will examine MOOCs from four perspectives: as a designer building a course, as an instructor, as a student, and as an institution offering and supporting a course.

Instructor

Kenneth Ronkowitz
Professor; Instructional Designer

Ken Ronkowitz has been designing and teaching online courses since 2000. He was the Manager of Instructional Technology at the New Jersey Institute of Technology and recently completed directing a five-year Federal writing grant at Passaic County Community College. He continues to teach for PCCC and in the graduate program in Professional Technical Communication at NJIT. He has taught in a MOOC environment for p2pu.org and has been taking and analyzing MOOCs the past year and writing about them at serendipity35.net, a blog about learning and technology. Ken started his career in education in 1975 as a secondary teacher of English.

Source and Enrollment Link Available At

[https://www.canvas.net/courses/academia-and-the-mooc]

FridayLive! > sMOOChers Continue Debrief on MOOCs with Amy Woodgate > April 12 2013 > 2:00-3:00 pm (ET)

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 18:16:00 +0000

Amy Woodgate, University of Edinburgh MOOC project director, rejoins "sMOOChers" who participated in THE INTENTIONALLY EXPERIMENTAL #EDCMOOC "eLearning and Digital
Cultures," . This is one of six MOOCs offered by the University of Edinburgh. Edinburgh was offering this "course" both as a MOOC and as a more traditional course simultaneously. Amy will share insights gleaned from participant feedback and you are invited to join in conversation regarding some of the questions raised during her last session. This link will take you to those questions. We will continue to add to the MOOC guidelines that are emerging.

Other questions to explore: Is TLT FridayLive a MOOC? How can TLT FridayLive learn from MOOCs and incorporate changes in form and function?

For the last 15 minutes, participants will be invited to discuss emerging plans for the TLT Group to offer a MOOC-ish experience based on John Sener's recent book "Seven Futures of American Education: Improving Teaching and Learning in a Screen Captured World."

Source and Link To Required Registration Available At

[http://tltgroup.roundtablelive.org/FridayLive?eventId=651110&EventViewMode=EventDetails]

Related

FridayLive! > sMOOChers Debrief with Amy Woodgate > March 8 2013 > 2:00-3:00 pm (ET)

[http://alternative-educate.blogspot.com/2013/03/fridaylive-smoochers-debrief-with-amy.html]

MOOCs and Open Education: Implications for Higher Education

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:41:00 +0000

Li Yuan and Stephen Powell / JISC CETIS / March 2013

This report sets out to help decision makers in higher education institutions gain a better understanding of the phenomenon of Massive Online Open Courses (MOOCs) and trends towards greater openness in higher education and to think about the implications for their institutions. The phenomena of MOOCs are described, placing them in the wider context of open education, online learning and the changes that are currently taking place in higher education at a time of globalisation of education and constrained budgets. The report is written from a UK higher education perspective, but is largely informed by the developments in MOOCs from the USA and Canada. A literature review was undertaken focussing on the extensive reporting of MOOCs through blogs, press releases as well as openly available reports. This identified current debates about new course provision, the impact of changes in funding and the implications for greater openness in higher education. The theory of disruptive innovation is used to help form the questions of policy and strategy that higher education institutions need to address.

Table of Contents

1. Executive Summary 3
1.1. The focus of the report 3
1.2. Making sense of MOOCs 3
1.3. Analysis of MOOC initiatives 3
1.4. Issues and challenges for MOOCs 3
1.5. MOOCs as disruptive innovations 4
1.6. Implications for higher education 4
2. Introduction 5
3. Making sense of MOOCs 5
3.1. The history and key features of MOOCs 5
3.2. cMOOCs vs. xMOOCs 7
4. Analysis of MOOC-style open education initiatives 7
4.1. Key developments of MOOCS-style Initiatives 7
4.2. Motivations for MOOC providers 8
4.3. Motivations for learners 9
4.4. Business models 9
5. Issues and challenges for MOOCs 10
5.1. Sustainability 10
5.2. Pedagogy 10
5.3. Quality and completion rates 11
5.4. Assessment and credit 11
6. MOOCs: Disruptive innovation in HE? 12
6.1. Disruptive innovation theory 12
6.2. MOOCs disruption and innovation in higher education 13
7. Implications for higher education 15
7.1. Drivers and trends towards open education 15
7.2. Implications for educational policy 17
7.3. Implications for HE institutions 17
8. Conclusions 18
9. References 19

Source and Full Text Available At

[http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2013/667]

ELI Online Spring Focus Session 2013 > April 3-4 2013 > Eventifier

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:17:00 +0000

Survey > Topic and Format Preferences for Postings to the _Alt-Ed_ MOOC Blog

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 14:01:00 +0000

Colleagues/

Over the past year, I have identified several thousands items relating to Massive Open Online Courses (M)OCs).

I estimate that I've blogged less than 5% in the _Alt-Ed_ blog

I am greatly interested in learning of your TOPIC and FORMAT interests and preferences with regard to future posting of items to the blog and have prepared a survey to solicit your priorities.

The survey requests your degree of interest in specific topics and formats (No Interest; Minor Interest; General Interest; Great Interest):

*1. Please Indicate your personal /professional TOPIC preferences by clicking on the appropriate interest level. Note: Each topic requires a response.

Administration
Analytics
Business models
Challenges and criticisms
Community colleges
Courses
Credits and credentials
Digital Badges
Future developments
Governmental involvement
History
Implementation
Instructor attitudes and experiences
Intellectual property
K-12
Legal issues
Legislation
Library role
Modalties (Asynchronous/Synchronous)
Non-U.S. initiatives
Open Resources
Overview
Pedagogy
Personalization
Platforms
Potential benefits
Privacy
Research
Student Assessment
Student Experience
Subjects
Technology
User-Contributed Content
Other (please specify)

*2. Please Indicate your personal /professional FORMAT preferences by clicking on the appropriate interest level. Note: Each format type requires a response.

Blogs
Chat
Conferences
Media
Podcast
Presentations
Seminar
Twitter
Webinars
Workshops

Please Note > All responses are anonymous and will only be used to set priorities for future postings.

Thanks for your assistance and cooperation !

The survey is located at

[http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NK68G3R]

/Gerry

A/V > NME 2013 > C2 - Who's Afraid of the Big Bad MOOC?

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 21:57:00 +0000

DURATION = ~ 56 MINUTES

This session will cover the current online learning landscape in higher education. The discussion will also include a review of recent innovations at the Columbia School of Continuing Education's online programs and an overview of the upcoming Columbia massively online open courses (MOOCs).

Scheduled Panelists

Michael Cennamo, CCNMTL Educational Technologist for Online Learning
Sree Sreenivasan, Chief Digital Officer, Columbia University
Marni Baker-Stein, School of Continuing Education

Source and A/V Link Available At

[http://ccnmtl.columbia.edu/nme2013/sessions/c2.html]

MOOC News and Reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 01:08:00 +0000

About Us

MOOC News and Reviews is an online publication devoted to thoughtful critique of individual MOOC courses and to discussion of the evolving MOOC landscape. We are independent and user-centric, and our goal in every review is to answer for readers, “What will I experience in this course and how will it impact my life?”

We are a multi-author blog striving to provide

A comprehensive and authoritative resource for insight about individual courses and for commentary on developments in the MOOC world
Essays that are in-depth.
Inclusion of voices and perspectives reflecting the global diversity of the MOOC student body.
Attention to lesser-known MOOC platforms.
A consistent focus on the interests of our audience – students, teachers and the institutional partners of MOOC providers. We want to address the questions students are asking – if and how a given course or platform will help them achieve their goals
Transparency. Our authors use their real names, are open about their biases and limitations, credit their sources and then make their case.MOOC News and Reviews is published and edited by Robert McGuire.

Site and Source Available At

[http://moocnewsandreviews.com/]

Mediasiting Your MOOC: How UW La Crosse Transformed Online Learning Modules into a Massive Open Online Course. > April 16 2013 > 11 AM - Noon

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 00:21:00 +0000

\Date: April 16, 2013 / 11:00am - 12:00pm CT

The seed for a math MOOC at UW La Crosse was planted in 2007 long before the term became mainstream, when Professor Robert Hoar and his colleagues created a large collection of online learning modules and webcasts to help students enhance their math skills. They gathered data, tracked viewing habits and assessed student performance. What they found was that students showed marked improvement in their math skills over time.

Last year, armed with a solid concept and assessment data, Dr. Hoar was ready to take those math modules to a larger audience. In collaboration with the UW System he applied for a Gates Foundation grant to develop a math MOOC and provide it free online to anyone. The UW La Crosse/UW System Math MOOC was born.

Now, with more than 1,900 students enrolled, the MOOC has attracted students diverse in location and background. More than 40 countries are represented and include those preparing for college, entire high school classes, an 11-year-old prodigy and an even an 83-year-old grandmother.

Join Dr. Hoar and Jim Jorstad from the UW La Crosse as they take you step-by-step through the process of creating their MOOC. They’ll take your questions live, share lessons learned along the way and discuss the future of this groundbreaking class, including:

How to break through the hype to discover what the reality and potential of MOOCs truly are. Can they be scalable, sustainable and profitable?
How Mediasite was leveraged to explain, promote and disseminate the MOOC concept as well as engage a massive international online audience
Data showing online courses support traditional pedagogies and enhance student success
How this course lays the groundwork to test the MOOCability of other teaching and learning experiences in other disciplines in the future.

Source and Registration Link Available At

[http://www.sonicfoundry.com/webcast/mediasiting-your-mooc-how-uw-la-crosse-transformed-online-learning-modules-massive-open]

Guardian > Does Europe Need Its Own Mooc?

noreply@blogger.com (Gerry McKiernan) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 23:04:00 +0000

While Moocs are on the rise in the US, little has happened in the rest of the world, with the exception of Futurelearn, the Open University partnership consisting of 17 UK universities, as well as the Berlin-based iversity. At European Union level, there have been reports about talks at the European Commission, but little action has been taken so far.

In May 2012, WiredAcademic reported that the EU's Erasmus programme might soon go online – a good start if we want to see the equivalent of Coursera on this side of the Atlantic. But this does not go far enough.

[snip]

What is missing from the equation is an institution that would not just bring together individual universities in Europe, but would be European in essence. At the moment there are no genuinely pan-European higher education institutions, apart from a few niche institutions in Warsaw, Florence and Bruges, specialising in postgraduate research.

[snip]

Europe and the rest of the world

A European Mooc will need to have its own brand name, degree awarding powers and a viable business model that would attract international students, not just Europeans. Students should have the option to combine online and in-campus education, perhaps by splitting their on-campus time across two or even three countries, as with international dual degrees.

[snip]

Why does Europe need a Mooc?

There are many reasons – one is that this might be the only means of survival for smaller universities. Even before Moocs became a part of our lives, there was speculation about the imminent shrinking of the industry, with only a bunch of universities around the world, perhaps not more than 50, surviving the next few decades. What was speculation now seems inevitable, as access to online courses reduces demand for on-campus education at mid-tier institutions.

[snip]

Finally, a European version of Coursera might spark in Britain a debate similar to the one about the UK's membership in the European Union. A European university without a few reputable UK institutions would be a halfway house. Chances are that some of them would be glad to join a partnership including Sorbonne, Freie Universitat and the like. Would this create a split across the UK sector between Europhile and Futurelearn institutions?

Source and Full Text Available At

[http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/blog/2013/mar/28/european-mooc-opportunities-challenges]