MOOC Usage Statistics

Lawrence Biemiller cites Penn State statistics that the vast majority of MOOC registrants do not attend classes . Comments indicate that some MOOC users are emboldened to register for courses they question taking because there is no cost commitment.

The Penn State study shows that course completion varies from two to fourteen percent.

-DD

Who Decides On Classroom Technology?

Steve Kolowich reports on contention between San Jose State faculty and administration over technology implementation . As administration seeks ways to both incorporate rich media and save money, decisions by administrators to mandate/outsource curriculum decisions reduces the responsibility of faculty.

-DD

MOOCs and Entertainment

Rebecca Schuman shares her thoughts about Thomas Friedman's predictions about MOOCs . Friedman predicts positive things about MOOCs, while Schuman and Richard Wolff air concerns about the utility or educational benefit of these massive online courses.

My take: It seems to me that that MOOCs are a good answer if someone just wants a "sage on a stage." MOOCs are too massive for much interaction with faculty.

-DD

School of the Air

Susan Matt and Luke Fernandez examine how before MOOCs there were "Colleges of the Air" which provided students with course content by radio.

Comments noted that while the radio courses disappeared in the U.S. by the 1950's, in Australia the broadcasting of education by radio has a long and continuing history, as Elaine Lopes described in her research proposal literature review.

-DD

MOOCs and Librarians

Jennifer Howard discusses how "For Libraries, MOOCs Bring Uncertainty and Opportunity ." Her article is based on an OCLC conference held in Pennsylvania on March 18, 2013. Howard encourages librarians to participate in a MOOC in order to authoritively discuss their possibilities and limitations. She also reports that:

Several panelists said that working on MOOCs can be a great way to heighten instructors’ awareness about open access and the licensing of course materials. Jennifer Dorner is the head of instruction and user services at the University of California at Berkeley. “This is a real opportunity [for librarians] to educate faculty about the need for owning the rights to their content and making it accessible to other people,” Ms. Dorner said in one session. “This is a really good place for us to educate them about open source and push them in that direction.”

-DD

MOOCs

"What You Need to Know About MOOCs" is the title of an article in the Chronicle. Primarily a timeline of the history of the concept, significant implementations, and news events.

Lee Gardner and Jeffery Young report that California Legislation Moves to Endorse MOOCs.

Steve Kolowich reports on the experiences of those teaching a MOOC.

-DD

 

^{"What is a MOOC" by David Cormier}

 

 

^{"Success in a MOOC" by David Cormier}

The Role of MOOCs

Nigel Thrift projects the future role of MOOCs in a Chronicle of Higher Education post. An energetic comment stream follows. My own belief is that if MOOCs are utilized by governments to provide inexpensive university education, then existing universities need to document the added value of face-to-face interaction in the university.

-DD