Time-to-Adoption: Four to Five Years
Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Coined in 2008 by Stephen Downes and George Siemens, massively open online courses (MOOCs)
are conceptualised as the evolution of networked learning. MOOCs have not yet achieved their
envisioned potential, but early experiments are promising. The essence of a MOOC is that it is a
web course that people can take from anywhere across the world, with potentially thousands of
participants. The basis of each MOOC is an expansive and diverse set of content, contributed by a variety of experts, educators, and instructors in a specific field, and then aggregated into a central repository, such as a web site. What makes this content set especially unique is that it is “remixed” - the materials are not necessarily designed to go together but become associated with each other through the MOOC. A key component of the original vision is that all course materials and the course itself are open source and free — with the door left open for a fee if a participant taking the course wishes university credit be transcripted for the work. Interest in MOOCs has evolved at an unprecedented pace, fueled by high profile entrants like Coursera, Udacity, and MITx. In these examples, the notion has shifted away from open content or even open access, to an interpretation in which “open” equates to “no charge.” The pace of development in the MOOC space is so high that it is likely that a number of alternative models will emerge over the coming year. Ultimately, the models that attract the highest numbers of participants are gaining the most attention, but many challenges remain to be resolved in supporting learning at scale.
Relevance for Teaching and Learning in Singaporean K-12 Education
! MOOCs allow learners who want to participate in quality learning opportunities to do so
without having to go through the process of applying to a particular institution.
! MOOCs focus on learning rather than institutional requirements; they offer the potential
for building a network of learners who come together to explore topics of mutual interest.
! When more learners and institutions participate in MOOCs by sharing content, it leads to
sustainability of the MOOC ecosystem over time.
Massively Open Online Courses in Practice
! Based out of the University of Mary Washington, DS106 is a MOOC that teaches the tools
and skills of crafting digital narratives: go.nmc.org/hnxdt.
! Coursera, a start-up by two Stanford University professors, is offering over 30 free online
classes, including science fiction and health policy. A "calibrated peer-review" system is
currently in the works: go.nmc.org/course.
! MITx offers a wide variety of MIT courses for free to a global, virtual community of
students. MITx courses can be taken on their own or used to supplement existing classes
and labs on the physical campus: go.nmc.org/mitx.
Time-to-Adoption: Four to Five Years
Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs)
Coined in 2008 by Stephen Downes and George Siemens, massively open online courses (MOOCs)
are conceptualised as the evolution of networked learning. MOOCs have not yet achieved their
envisioned potential, but early experiments are promising. The essence of a MOOC is that it is a
web course that people can take from anywhere across the world, with potentially thousands of
participants. The basis of each MOOC is an expansive and diverse set of content, contributed by a variety of experts, educators, and instructors in a specific field, and then aggregated into a central repository, such as a web site. What makes this content set especially unique is that it is “remixed” - the materials are not necessarily designed to go together but become associated with each other through the MOOC. A key component of the original vision is that all course materials and the course itself are open source and free — with the door left open for a fee if a participant taking the course wishes university credit be transcripted for the work. Interest in MOOCs has evolved at an unprecedented pace, fueled by high profile entrants like Coursera, Udacity, and MITx. In these examples, the notion has shifted away from open content or even open access, to an interpretation in which “open” equates to “no charge.” The pace of development in the MOOC space is so high that it is likely that a number of alternative models will emerge over the coming year. Ultimately, the models that attract the highest numbers of participants are gaining the most attention, but many challenges remain to be resolved in supporting learning at scale.
Relevance for Teaching and Learning in Singaporean K-12 Education
! MOOCs allow learners who want to participate in quality learning opportunities to do so
without having to go through the process of applying to a particular institution.
! MOOCs focus on learning rather than institutional requirements; they offer the potential
for building a network of learners who come together to explore topics of mutual interest.
! When more learners and institutions participate in MOOCs by sharing content, it leads to
sustainability of the MOOC ecosystem over time.
Massively Open Online Courses in Practice
! Based out of the University of Mary Washington, DS106 is a MOOC that teaches the tools
and skills of crafting digital narratives: go.nmc.org/hnxdt.
! Coursera, a start-up by two Stanford University professors, is offering over 30 free online
classes, including science fiction and health policy. A "calibrated peer-review" system is
currently in the works: go.nmc.org/course.
! MITx offers a wide variety of MIT courses for free to a global, virtual community of
students. MITx courses can be taken on their own or used to supplement existing classes
and labs on the physical campus: go.nmc.org/mitx.
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