Journal #9: MOOCs Are the Next Big Thing in Online Learning

In the article, "MOOCs Are the Next Big Thing in Online Learning" by Karen Fasimpaur, the author discusses what MOOCs are , as well as there importance in education.  MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, are online classes that are open to thousands of people and allow one to receive college credit for their participation and success in the course. These educational courses have become so popular because they are relatively open, incorporate face-to-face learning, they are held online, and the teacher is not the center of the classes educational learning.  This format can be less intimidating for those students that would rather take the class in isolation or just observe others online participation. There are two types of MOOCs.

cMOOCs are geared in a more participatory fashion and allow the students to be the teacher. This type of MOOC allows for students to work in peer groups that can consist of both facilitator and peers. Lastly, this class is geared towards developing and showcasing one's creativity through blogging and other creative projects.

The next type of MOOC that has been very popular over the past couple years is the xMOOCs. These courses are held through a website, such as Udacity and Coursera. These courses are a form of independent study and are mostly geared towards computer science and mathematics courses. One con is that these courses are primarily independent and offer little support from a facilitator.  Liz Renshaw, a adult literacy consultant in Australia states that, “I found the lack of support, encouragement, acknowledgment, or collaborative spirit extremely disturbing, unsettling, and uncomfortable,”(Fasimpaur).

These MOOCs can be very important for teachers because they can develop and strengthen ones PLN. They also provide a sense of community and can give teachers lessons that they can use in their own classrooms.

Question 1: How could I incorporate MOOCs into my curriculum?

Answer: I could create a MOOCs for my students and have them do online or take home work through the MOOCs. Students could collaborate and work in peer groups online and at home. This could save time for other topics that need to be worked on in class and can help students develop good online etiquette.

 Question 2: Why might MOOCs not be a good fit for all students?

Answer: All students are not fully independent or dependent when it comes to school work. Students who have dependency issues might not get work done if the class is all independent. There is also a lack of support in the MOOCs and allows for a lot of self teaching.

Work Cited
Fasimpaur, K. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.iste.org/learn/publications/learning-leading/l-l-march-april-2013/feature-massive-and-open-moocs-are-the-next-big-thing-in-online-learning