My first thoughts on signing up for a MOOC

After reading Laurillard (2014),  Five myths about MOOCs I am writing below my first thoughts on signing up for a MOOC.

Actually, my thoughts are written /expressed in a form of questions that need to be answered in order to make the big step.

  1. Are MOOCs really free of cost or is it a myth?
  2. If answer to the above question is YES then who pays the costs for the design/development/implementation of the course/s,  at which benefit/advantage and why?
  3. Who will support me during the course, when and how? Will I have any support from any tutor or other learners or I will be left/feel alone and lonely?
  4. What is the educational level of other learners taking the same course with me? Do they have any college/university degree or are there any prerequisites in signing in/enroll in a MOOC provider/course?
  5. Will I be able to start and finish a MOOC course with the same enthusiasm as if I would have in a classroom or eLearning platform environment?
  6. Are the Verified Certificates or Honor Code Certificates that a learner ‘gain’ after completing a MOOC course recognized globally and how? Are they recognized as college/university level certificates?

Even though I mentioned all the above thoughts/questions I would like to inform you that today I signed in Edx Dashboard platform and I was enrolled in the course ILX1 Inclusive Leadrship Training: Becoming a Successful Leader. Later on I did the same with Coursera platform and I was enrolled in a course about Gamification. It is True – I like challenges!

2 thoughts on “My first thoughts on signing up for a MOOC”

  1. Des,
    I read with interest the various highly relevant questions you pose about MOOCs. What follows are some impressionistic responses to some of them.

    Question No.3
    The various aspects of this question are pertinent, to a greater or lesser degree, to all learners, but particularly so to individuals who have not been involved in education for some time or are not so well-practised in IT. Predictably, such students might need more consistent tutor support.

    Question No.4
    Nowadays, a number of British universities will take an applicant’s work experience and/or non-formal education into account when deciding whether to offer him/her a place on a residential or distance learning course. MOOC providers should, in my opinion, also look at an individual’s suitability for acceptance on to a course on a case-by-case basis.

    Question No.5
    As you suggest it is only to be expected that a person’s motivation will vary over the duration of a course. Maintaining one’s enthusiasm may prove even more challenging when taking an online course as opposed to one delivered face-to-face. Perhaps there’s a niche in the MOOC market for a MOOC on how to maintain one;s motivation when following a MOOC!!!

    Question No.6
    The validation of qualifications gained by means of a MOOC is a real ‘can of worms’. Is there a need for some form of national regulatory body in each country. Having said that, the amount of work involved in setting up and operating such an organisation would be mind-boggling.

    Cheers

    Simon

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  2. Hello Des,

    i have really enjoyed your post and your question-style approach in terms of first thoughts/worries on the MOOCs subject. I have also those questions pretty-much for myself.
    From what I have understood so far, is the willingness for those who are getting involved with MOOCs – different MOOCs providers – to expand their learning nature to a greater audience in order to attract many many more people to attend their offered courses.

    I guess that since most of the courses are offered for free – not the specializations or badges of knowledge though – a possible source of earning might be internet advertising and overall popularity of each provider’s site/offerings. Maybe major universities are behind the funding that such providers attract in order to develop/expand these free offered courses. These extra help might come because from their side these academic organizations might see MOOCs as an way for a vast number of people to enter into the educational context in general, and then attract them to more specialized and extended matters that a MOOC cannot offer itself. Also, side gain might come from all the adjunct things you might sell via a MOOC.

    To my eyes until now, a MOOC seem to be a complementary thing to a traditional, either physical or e-learning approach.

    BR
    Dimitris

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