“It’s been a real innovation in that Gannon is expanding access to education by engaging in online instruction,” Brieger said. “This project has been an outreach move to extend Gannon’s traditional geographic footprint.”
The MOOC is hosted online at www.canvas.net. The university first offered it in the fall and capped enrollment at 500. Every seat got filled. About 630 students are currently enrolled in the second offering that started March 10.
Topics include investigative techniques; photography; note taking and sketching; identifying, collecting, examining and processing physical evidence; obtaining information about suspects; and identifying and locating suspects.
Students watch professionally produced videos about the particular topic, led by Clark, participate in discussions, and take periodic quizzes to assess their understanding.
The course immerses any participant, no matter their background, in the investigation, Clark said.
“It gives them the backdrop, if we’re talking about a particular concept, how that concept was used in a practical way,” Clark said. “That’s how you learn best.”
The classes aren’t without debate—questions about typically low completion rates, their effect on traditional brick-and-mortar universities and staff, and whether they’re a passing fad or the future remain. Other local colleges have yet to enter the fray.
Penn State Behrend offers online, for-credit courses, as do other local colleges. Behrend itself doesn’t offer free, noncredit MOOCs, but the Pennsylvania State University system does, through Coursera. Classes include “Mapping and Geospatial Revolution,” “Intro to Art Concepts” and “Epidemics: the Dynamics of Infectious Diseases.”
MOOCs are good in that they expand access to education, said Jane Manning of Stanford’s Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning.
They can also be helpful in that they allow would-be students to explore a variety of potential career paths for free, before committing to a paid course of study in college.
There’s a winnowing function to help you figure out what you’re interested in, Manning said, but they don’t provide the same experience as a class taken in person.
©2014 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.). Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at www.GoErie.com. Distributed by MCT Information Services
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