Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are not disrupting traditional higher education as predicted by Anant Agarwal, president of edX, almost one year ago.
[1]To date, MOOCs are not bubble-busters, tuition-busters, or even “democratizers” of higher education.
Granted MOOCs show great promise for continuing education and professional development for working adults, but the value of MOOCs in undergraduate education is questionable.
Moreover, the lack of data supporting positive learning outcomes with the MOOC format is for the most part, nonexistent. Given that considerable time, money, and energy have preoccupied institutional resources as applied to MOOCs, now is as good as time as any to re-focus and leverage what we do know about MOOCs gleaned from faculty and instructor experiences.
Discussions about improving access and expanding graduation rates by leveraging technology effectively have been stalled in recent months by over-exuberance and misinformation about MOOCs.
It doesn’t help that several institutions have excluded faculty and other affected stakeholders from conversations and strategic planning in the first place.
Open dialogue about a variety of topics with stakeholders is needed, for instance discussions about the changes in knowledge acquisition due to abundance of information and resources, the use of mobile devices, student demand for learning anytime and anywhere, online learning and MOOCs (and the difference between the two), and open educational resources.
The way forward
Constructive discussions leading to position statements or institutional guidelines for each of these areas should include affected stakeholders, but a starting point is productive discourse by informed parties.
A core element of any successful debate, negotiation, or constructive discussion is knowledge of the topic at hand, including a grasp of the differing perspectives of the issue.
In this instance, institution leaders, faculty, and administrators don’t need to be experts in online learning, MOOCs, or open education resources for example, but should be informed before engaging in discussions and decisions pertaining to changes in learning models or methods.
Fortunately, faculty documented experiences with MOOCs and online learning have come to light.
For instance, a survey conducted for The Chronicle identified that faculty gained deeper insight into their own teaching and learning, and how online learning works. The majority of faculty claimed to benefit personally and professionally.
Professor Mitchell Duneier [2] of Princeton University taught one of the first courses on Coursera, Introduction to Sociology. Duneier openly shared his enthusiasm for MOOCs, writing an opinion piece after the completion of the courses’ first offering.
However, he recently backed away from teaching his MOOC, due to the unfavorable contract terms between Coursera and higher ed institutions and its faculty.
Duneier acted from an informed perspective, and his positional statement will no doubt influence the path and direction of MOOCs and online education within his own institution.
Higher education, especially in public institutions is complex—yet at the very least, stakeholders familiar with the current issues and events affecting higher education and their respective institution will benefit greatly—personally and as a voice in their institution.
Imagine if all faculty, administrators, policymakers, and board members participated in a MOOC or online course as a student?
I close with this excerpt from Professor Head’s blog piece [3]. She’s nailed it— “the positive conversation is just beginning” —will you be part of it?
“I’d like to close with this challenge: Please continue to think about the process and practice of teaching MOOCs as objectively as possible, using constructive academic discourse. We frequently hear this topic talked about in terms of “disruption,” a word I really disdain. I wonder how such a term—meaning disorder, turmoil, destruction —became the preferred way to talk about improving education. Why haven’t we gravitated instead to words like augment, extend, progress, or strengthen? Our MOOC has ended, but a larger, more positive conversation is just beginning.”
This post originally appeared on the blog Online Learning Insights [4]. The author, Debbie Morrison, has an M.A. in Education and Human Development, focus on Educational Technology Leadership, George Washington University [5], B.A. Organizational Management, The Master’s College, Diploma: Business Administration, Ryerson University.