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MOOCs: From ‘course
and a half syndrome’
to the micro-courseAdam Forrester
Associate Director, English Language Centre
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Asia TEFL International Conference 2019
Outline
1. Background on MOOCs
2. ELC PolyU MOOCs
3. Course and a half ‘syndrome’ Implications
4. Time on task analysis
5. From macro to micro
6. Recommendations
MOOCs Background
Massive Open Online Course
2012 - Year of the MOOC
2015 – 4200 courses
2018 – 11,000 courses
Over 100 million students
(Shah, 2019)
MOOCs Providers
Background
HK PolyU ELC MOOCs
Job applications
Job interview skills
Five runs since end of 2015
120,000+ students since launch
“Course and a half syndrome”
Asia TEFL presentation
25 minutes + 5 minutes Q&A
How many slides?
39 hour subject – 13 weeks
How many LOs / assessments / amount of materials?
3 hour class
How much materials?
How many activities?
“Course and a half syndrome”
Online course /materials (e.g. MOOC / LMS)
Instructor – no time limits
Automatic marking
Self/Peer assessments
Tendency to keep adding more materials
Always adding; never taking away(Sabourin, 2014)
Course and a half: Implications
Bloated online materials
Overwhelming for students
Low completion rates
Lack of engagement
Difficult for teachers to integrate into f2f subjects
Course and a half: Implications
MOOC completion rates - Lederman, D. (2019)
Course and a half: Implications
Swop, J. (2013)
Teacher feedback
“I don’t have enough time to go through all the online materials”
“The curriculum is already packed”
“My students are already busy”
“I just use some of the videos”
Original Courses
English@Work: Job applications
5 week course Importance of leadership and creativity
CVs
Cover letters
Online presence
Assessment
Original Courses
English@Work: Job interviews
4 week course (assessments embedded)
Preparing for a job interview
Answering basic questions
Answering challenging questions
Ending the job interview + follow-up + skype interviews
Original Courses: One week
English@Work: Job interviews
Preparing for a job interview
6 steps for interview success
Standing out in an interview
STAR technique
Vocabulary for hard and soft skills
Interview practice
Assessment
Solution: Time on Task Analysis
evaluate course from learner-centered point of view: how much time spent:
watching videos
reading texts
completing quizzes
participating in discussions
finishing assessments
reflecting / downtime
Solution: Time on Task Analysis
Estimate time spent completing course estimate from a novice student perspective
estimate will improve with time / as more students complete course
have required and optionalmaterials
Solution: Time on Task Analysis
6 steps for interview success
Learning sequence – break down1. Pre-video questions – (raise interest)
2. Video - (Length 1:33) (input)
3. Quiz on summary of video (consolidation)
4. Discussion (extension)
Total time: 45-60 minutes + ?
Solution – From Macro to Micro
Original Courses New courses
1. English@Work: Job
applications
2. English@Work: Job
interviews
1. English@Work: CVs
2. English@Work: Application
letters
3. English@Work: Online
presence
4. English@Work: Basic job
interviews
5. English@Work: Advanced job
interviews
New Courses: Desired impact
Easier for students to find information - less overwhelming
Higher completion rates
More engagement
Easier for teachers to find relevant materials to integrate into their subjects
New Courses: Detailed Outline
English@Work: Online presence Introduction
What is an online presence
Case study
Vocabulary
Creating a LinkedIn profile
Assessment
New Courses: Still issues
English@Work: Online presence Introduction
What is an online presence
Case study Vocabulary
Creating a LinkedIn profile
Assessment
(required)
(required)
(required)
(optional)
(optional)
MOOCs: From ‘course and a half
syndrome’ to the micro-course
Do a ‘time on task analysis’
Remove old materials – do not
only add new materials
Have required and optional
materials
Micro rather than Macro courses?
ELC PolyU MOOCs New run starting September 2019
https://elc.polyu.edu.hk/MOOCs/
References
Lederman, D. (2019). Why MOOCs Didn't Work, in 3 Data Points.
https://www.insidehighered.com/digital-learning/article/2019/01/16/study-offers-
data-show-moocs-didnt-achieve-their-goals
Pappano, L. (2012, Nov 14). The Year of the MOOC. New York Times,
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/04/education/edlife/massive-open-online-courses-
are-multiplying-at-a-rapid-pace.html
Sabourin, K. (2014). How much is too much? Avoiding the course and half syndrome.
Educational Technology Publications.
Shah, D, (2018). By The Numbers: MOOCs in 2018, Class Central,
https://www.classcentral.com/report/mooc-stats-2018/
Swope, J. (2013). What Do We Know About MOOC Students So Far?: A Look At Recent
User Data. http://moocnewsandreviews.com/what-do-we-know-about-mooc-students-
so-far/#ixzz5sBvk0tnu
