Access = equity:how MOOCs are like

exercise bikes or President Obama

Dr Phillip DawsonOffice of the PVC (Learning & Teaching)

Monash University

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/11/udacity_coursera_should_celebrities_teach_moocs.html

General Telephone, print ad from 1963

http://blog.coursera.org/post/64907189712/a-triple-milestone-107-partners-532-courses-5-2

Who is a typical Coursera student?

• Enrolled in 2 computer science MOOCs• Employed full-time• Has watched ~10 hours of videos• Has completed ~5 quizzes and

submitted 2 assignments• Probably from US/UK or BRIC

http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/coursera.org

https://theconversation.com/moocs-and-exercise-bikes-more-in-common-than-youd-think-9726

“Success starts with opportunity”

License: CC-BY-NC-SA from Barrack Obama’s Flickr

Faulty reasoning

• Anyone can afford home exercise equipment, therefore we all exercise and the gym industry collapses.

• Barrack Obama is President, therefore social disadvantage from racism is over.

• A student in a developing nation was dux of a MOOC, therefore MOOCs provide educational equality

“Access without support is not opportunity”

tamuccmarcom’s Flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/80429560@N03/7747388444/sizes/o/in/photolist-cNBoEQ-9b3eS5/

“a future where everyone has access to a world-class education” (Coursera mission statement)

Support is costly

Total Coursera VC = $65m$65m / ~5m students = ~$13/student

http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/mooc-company-snags-43-million-in-venture-capital/44667

How do they scale?

Access = equity