MOOCs for Professional Development

MOOCs for professional

development

13:00 – 14:30 April 11th 2013 in DG10 Bea Orpen

Dr. Eloise Tan, Learning Innovation

Unit, Dublin City University

MOOCs are freely available

online courses that are offered

by universities worldwide.

We will discuss what MOOCs are,

where to find them, and

different strategies for

engaging with them for

professional development.

The workshop is based on my

experiences with MOOCs as a

participant and I will do a tour

of a current MOOC so that

participants can see how a MOOC

might function in practice.

On completion of this

workshop you will be

able to:

1) Identify and

evaluate MOOCs for

your professional

development

2) Develop a general

strategy for

participating in MOOCs

effectively

What was the experience

like?

Did you achieve your

personal goals?

Did you complete?

How much time did

you spend a week on

it?

Was the technology easy

to manage?

What was your

motivation?

What appeals to

you?

What concerns you?

What are you hoping to

achieve?

@t_eloise Dr. Eloise Tan 2013

M

O

O

C

Massive

Open

Online

Course

Can accommodate large numbers of students, sometimes tens of thousands.

Anyone can register, no institutional affiliation necessary, ‘free’, discussed in detail next.

Delivery, feedback, and assessment (if any) are done virtually. Sometimes supplemented with physical ‘hang outs’.

There is a curriculum although in some cases it is very flexible.

Video explaining MOOCs http://www.connectivistmoocs.org/what-is-a-connectivist-mooc/ @t_eloise Dr. Eloise Tan 2013

http://www.connectivistmoocs.org/what-is-a-connectivist-mooc/









‘Open’ carries many

meanings…

http://www.openclassroomonline.com/open-learning-trying-to-define-and-apply-to-k12-again/ “Open Learning – trying to define and apply to K12 …again” Posted on October 30, 2012 by Verena Robert


http://www.openclassroomonline.com/open-learning-trying-to-define-and-apply-to-k12-again/




















MOOCs are early on in

Gartner’s Hype Cycle www.gartner.com


http://www.gartner.com/

http://www.gwhatchet.com/files/2

013/01/cartoon-1281.jpg @t_eloise Dr. Eloise Tan 2013

http://www.gwhatchet.com/files/2013/01/cartoon-1281.jpg




cMOOC s

Connectivist MOOCs

• Focus on connected aspect of learning , building a community of practice

• Can feel ‘chaotic’ as it is learner-driven

• “inherently personal and subjective, as participants create their meaning and build and navigate their own web of connections”

• No fixed competencies and usually no certification.

• Often run by professional associations (ex. ALT ocTEL, Association for Learning Technology), but always (ex. Uni. Of Edinburgh’s EdCMooc)

• Learners encouraged to add to the curriculum in their own spaces such as blogs, Google Hangouts, Twitter.

xMOOCs (Ex. Coursera, EdX, Udacity)

• Usually video

content and

discussion forums

• Automated testing

• Instructor-guided

lesson

• Linear

• Fixed competencies.

“ Learning is seen as

something that can be

tested and

certified.”

What is a MOOC? What are the different types of MOOC? xMOOCs and cMOOCs

Posted on August 23, 2012

By Martin Lungton @t_eloise Dr. Eloise Tan 2013

http://reflectionsandcontemplations.wordpress.com/2012/08/23/what-is-a-mooc-what-are-the-different-types-of-mooc-xmoocs-and-cmoocs/







Linear Instructor-led Fixed

competencies

Learner


cMOOC

• I’m comfortable with learning technologies and social media

• I want flexibility in my online learning, in terms of where I can post, how I work through content.

• I’m very interested in connecting with others around this topic

• A big part of my learning process is departing from the curriculum and exploring on my own

• My focus is gaining a deep understanding of the topic, not so much acquiring facts or specific competencies.

• I’m looking for a learner centred experience.

• Getting a certificate at the ‘end’ is not important to me.

• I have the time, space, and resources to manage my own online learning.

xMOOC

• I’m ‘okay’ with learning technologies, but I wouldn’t call myself an expert.

• I want my learning to happen in one online place.

• I want to learn specific content or competencies.

• Connecting with others is nice but it is not my priority.

• I need a learning experience where I can log-on and tick the boxes.

• Certification is not my main aim, but it is an objective.

• I have the time, space, and resources to manage my own online learning.


Where to find MOOCs

cMOOCs

http://www.conne

ctivistmoocs.org

/

Connectivist

Moocs aggregates

current and

forthcoming

cMOOCs. Also

provides helpful

background on

cMOOCs.

xMOOCs

http://www.class-central.com/

Class Central aggregates

xMOOCs from Coursera, EdX,

Udacity, and others.

https://www.udacity.com/

https://www.edx.org/

https://www.coursera.org/


http://www.connectivistmoocs.org/














Udacity Coursera EdX

- Able to sign in with Facebook

or Twitter

- All advertised courses are

available to enroll onto

straight away (apart from 4

courses which are coming soon)

- All courses feature a video

overview of the course

- Courses do not follow a

traditional textbook format

- Highly interactive tutorials

- Able to learn at your own

pace with no deadlines

- All courses offer

certificates

- Community forum where user

are rewarded for participation

- Some courses offer a

proctored exam (fee payable

- Great range of courses

covering many subject areas

- Lots of information provided

on individual courses

- All courses feature a video

introduction to the course

- Many of the video lecture have

an option to display subtitles

in languages other than English

- Almost all courses offer

certification

- Offer a career matching

service

- Central forum, following a

gamification rewards system

- Good range of courses

covering different subject

areas

- Lots of information

available on individual

courses

- Most courses have a video

introduction

- Some courses have foreign

language options, either in

text transcription or whole

course format

- Certificates of mastery

available for all courses

- Proctored certificates also

available if exam is taken

under proctored conditions

(there is a fee for this)

- Course forums available to

interact with peers of that

course

- Limited range of courses

- Not much written information

on individual course contents

- Does not currently offer any

form of translation into

foreign languages

- Not all advertised courses are

currently available to enroll

onto

- Operate peer grading for some

exercises which can be off

putting

- To achieve certification you

must meet all course deadlines

- Estimated weekly hours and

deadlines can be difficult to

meet for some people

- Not all advertised courses

are currently available to

enroll onto

- Some courses that require

prior knowledge offer a self-

assessment but this is not

available until the course has

actually started

- Estimated weekly hours and

deadlines can be difficult to

for some people to meet

Catherine Round ‘The Best MOOC provider” http://www.skilledup.com/the-best-mooc-provider-a-review-of-coursera-udacity-and-edx/


http://www.skilledup.com/the-best-mooc-provider-a-review-of-coursera-udacity-and-edx/






















Once you found one

•Is there a book you

need to buy?

•Do you have a

suitable space where

you can learn?

•If it is for CPD inform your line

manager/head

•Include it on your c.v.

•Strive for completion.

•Identify how the MOOC will fit with

other courses or with other MOOCs,

create a year long MOOC plan or

integrate with other learning.

•Log-in before the MOOC starts to

become familiar with the

platform.

•Check if you are expected to

engage over Twitter, Google

Hangouts.

•Secure a headset to watch

videos, make sure there is a mic

if there are synchronous

sessions to participate in.

•Try to find someone who is

willing to help you with the

technology throughout the course

if you get stuck.

•Before the course starts set up

a separate folder in your email

and a filter that will send all

emails there.

•Set a day/time for

MOOCing.

•Register at least two

weeks before the MOOC

starts.

•Check how many hours the

instructor recommends

spending each week.

•If there are synchronous

components check the time

zone. Time Technology

Resources CPD Plan


Don’t let MOOCs do this to

your life

Image part of the Microsoft Blue Monster series.

Sourced here: http://gcaptain.com/the-vast-sea-of-chaos/ @t_eloise Dr. Eloise Tan 2013

http://gcaptain.com/the-vast-sea-of-chaos/











Phil Hill’s 4 MOOC student

archetypes http://mfeldstein.com/the-four-student-archetypes-emerging-

in-moocs/

Lurkers

– observe or

sample a few

items at the

most.

Passive

Participants

– view a course as content to

consume. - watch videos,

perhaps take quizzes, but

tend to not participate in

activities or class

discussions.

Active Participants – Intend to participate in the MOOC,

including consuming content, taking

quizzes and exams, taking part in

activities such as writing assignments

and peer grading, and actively

participate in discussions via

discussion forums, blogs, twitter,

Google+, or other forms of social

media.

Drop-Ins – These are students who

become partially or

fully active

participants for a

select topic within the

course, but do not

attempt to complete the

entire course


http://mfeldstein.com/the-four-student-archetypes-emerging-in-moocs/














What to expect from an

xMOOC • Videos

– You can adjust speed of videos.

– Sometimes the video lectures are verbal presentation of content available elsewhere, decide which suits you : reading or watching.

• Discussion forums

– Brush up on your netiquette.

– Be aware that anyone can be in a MOOC, so conduct yourself professionally.

– Posting anonymously is of limited value.

– Be careful of ‘auto-subscription’ to forums lest you get 100s of emails overnight.

– Choose one or two forums and interact with those.

– Posting in a discussion forum is different than writing academically, read others to get a feel for tone.

• Quizzes

– These are knowledge checks, so be realistic about your expectations.

– If you want a certificate find out what the requirements are.

• Peer assessment

– The experience of others on the MOOC will vary so be open to the various types of feedback you might get.


Recap

• Now you know a little about MOOCs, xMOOCs, cMOOCs

• You know where to find them

• How to choose between xMOOCs and cMOOCs

• A little about what to expect and tips on how to prepare for

taking a MOOC for professional

development


The world of MOOCs changes

rapidly

March 2013 an Australian MOOC platform has launched: https://www.open2study.com/

UK Platform will

launch in 2013 with

Russell Group

http://futurelearn.c

om/


https://www.open2study.com/

http://futurelearn.com/

http://futurelearn.com/

Education

MOOCs for Professional Development