Massive Open Online Courses Movement Research Articles

Value and Pricing of MOOCs

Reviewed in this article is the potential for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) to transform higher education delivery, accessibility, and costs. Next, five major value propositions for MOOCs are considered (headhunting, certification, face-to-face learning, personalized learning, integration with services external to the MOOC, marketing). Then, four pricing strategies for MOOCs are examined (cross-subsidy, third-party, “freemium”, nonmonetary). Although the MOOC movement has experienced growing pains similar to most innovations, we assert that the unyielding pace of improvements in network technologies combined with the need to tame the costs of higher education will create continuing demand for MOOC offerings.

Opportunities and Threats of the MOOC Movement for Higher Education: The European Perspective

<p>The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) movement is the latest ‘big thing’ in Open and Distance Learning (ODL) which threatens to transform Higher Education. Both opportunities and threats are extensively discussed in literature, comprising issues on opening up education for the whole world, pedagogy and online versus campus education. Most of the literature focus on the origin of the MOOC movement in the US. The specific context of Europe with on the one hand autonomous countries and educational systems and on the other hand cross-border cooperation and regulations through the European Union differs from the US context. This specific context can influence the way in which the MOOC movement affect education in Europe, both reusing MOOCs from other continents (US) as publishing MOOCs, on a European platform or outside of Europe. In the context of the EU funded HOME project, a research was conducted to identify opportunities and threats of the MOOC movement on the European institutions of higher education. Three sources of data were gathered and analysed. Opportunities and threats were categorized in two levels. The macro level comprises issues related to the higher education system, European context, historical period and institutional level. The micro level covers aspects related to faculty, professors and courses, thus to the operational level. The main opportunities mentioned were the ECTS system as being a sound base for formal recognition of accomplishments in MOOCs, the tendency to cooperate between institutions, stimulated by EU funded programs and the many innovative pedagogical models used in MOOCs published in Europe. The main threats mentioned were a lacking implementation of the ECTS system, hindering bridging non/formal and formal education and too much regulation, hindering experimenting and innovation.</p>

A strategic response to MOOCs: How one European university is approaching the challenge

<p class="normal">This paper briefly outlines some of the macro level claims, counter-claims and unresolved debates surrounding the rapid growth of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in Higher Education. It then reports insights, experiences and perceptions of those charged with developing a strategic institutional response to the challenges and opportunities presented by the MOOC movement framed within a wider European context. A description of the key drivers, strategic deliberations and major decision points at Dublin City University (DCU) is provided along with brief analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of a range of MOOC options set against an increasingly complex and rapidly evolving technology-enhanced learning terrain. In reflecting on this micro level experience, informed by lessons from the burgeoning literature on MOOCs, the paper aims to demonstrate the value of aligning key decisions with well-defined institutional drivers, which are used to help compare and contrast the affordances of different MOOC platforms. Finally, a number of strategic questions are presented that may help guide future decisions about the adoption of MOOCs by other institutions. </p>

Visual Analytics for MOOC Data.

With the rise of massive open online courses (MOOCs), tens of millions of learners can now enroll in more than 1,000 courses via MOOC platforms such as Coursera and edX. As a result, a huge amount of data has been collected. Compared with traditional education records, the data from MOOCs has much finer granularity and also contains new pieces of information. It is the first time in history that such comprehensive data related to learning behavior has become available for analysis. What roles can visual analytics play in this MOOC movement? The authors survey the current practice and argue that MOOCs provide an opportunity for visualization researchers and that visual analytics systems for MOOCs can benefit a range of end users such as course instructors, education researchers, students, university administrators, and MOOC providers.

Public Response to “the MOOC Movement” in China: Examining the Time Series of Microblogging

<p>In China, microblogging is an extremely popular activity and is proving to be an effective mechanism to gauge perceptions about social phenomena. Between 2010 and 2015 Sina Weibo, China’s largest microblogging website, generated 95,015 postings from 62,074 users referencing the term massive open online courses (MOOCs), a method of online course delivery popularized in North America that has spread globally. Time series analyses revealed distinct patterns in the volume of postings during a four-year period, and subsequently by month, by week, and by the time of day. The volume of postings during the week, for example, peaked on Monday and declined daily to a low point on Saturday. Relative to maximizing learner engagement, the findings may provide insight to parties who deliver MOOCs to employ or test strategies on timing (i.e., time of year to offer/not offer a MOOC, time of week to release/not release new material, time of day to schedule/not schedule chat sessions). The paper also serves to demonstrate a mechanism to retrieve big data from social media sources, otherwise underutilized in educational research.</p>

Value-Based Delivery Of Education: Moocs As Messengers

Value-based delivery of healthcare has been discussed in the literature for almost a decade. The concept focuses on the patient and defines value as the improvement of patient outcomes divided by healthcare costs. Further refinements, called the Triple Aim model, focus on improving patient outcomes, reducing treatment costs, and improving patient satisfaction. Inspired by the MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) movement in education, which should be seen as a wake-up message for educators, this paper attempts to reframe MOOCs, and related educational initiatives, within a Value-Based Delivery of Education (VBDE) model. The VBDE model focuses on the student learner and defines value as the improvement of learning outcomes, reduction of educational costs, and improvement of student stakeholder satisfaction. VBDE model elements are operationally defined, quantified, and used to identify and assess key components of MOOC and MOOC-related initiatives. Implications for the successful delivery of value-based education in the future are discussed as part one of a two-paper series on the topic.

La filosofía educativa de los MOOC y la educación universitaria

Introduction to the special issue by the Coordinators: The educational philosophy of the MOOC and university education In the 21st century, education is moving towards new models of open and free mass education. These interactive, collaborative and online models enable and increase universal access to Higher Education. The MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) movement is questioning traditional and ‘old smart’ ideas of education such as ‘packaged’ knowledge, limited access, imposed authority and a scientific rationalist paradigm, which are being upturned by a dynamic knowledge ecology. For teachers and students, new doors are unlocking onto knowledge. However, all that glitters is not gold, and the movement needs to overcome some controversies and challenges, such as the issues of authentication, accreditation and high drop-out rates. This new type of learning poses a challenge to universities and teachers as they need to redefine the current methodological paradigm and venture into designing new interactive, collaborative and ubiquitous educational materials, as well as new modes of dynamic self-assessments.

The virtual university: digital tools for e-learning and remote learning are becoming an increasingly important tool for teaching at universities.

The virtual university: digital tools for e-learning and remote learning are becoming an increasingly important tool for teaching at universities.

Academic libraries in the age of MOOCs

Purpose – The article aims to report on the current development of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), explore the strengths and weaknesses of MOOCs, and reflect on the possible relationships between academic libraries and MOOCs. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a mix of literature review (mostly current news) and personal observations. The author discusses the unique characteristics of MOOCs, speculates on the benefits of MOOCs on higher education, and explores the impact of MOOCs on academic libraries and how librarians can respond to it. Findings – MOOCs create global learning communities that benefit both students and universities, and generate unique challenges and opportunities for academic libraries. It is recommended that librarians stay informed of the latest developments and get involved in the MOOC movement on an institutional as well as personal level. Research limitations/implications – Further research needs to be done to evaluate the efficacy of MOOCs (especially in the non‐STEM areas), to explore best practices in instruction design and pedagogy, and to rethink on strategic positioning of traditional universities vis‐a‐vis MOOCs. Practical implications – The author speculates on a possible “iTunization of information” and how that might impact academic libraries as well as the open access movement. The author also calls for academic libraries to be fully engaged in the discussion and action on their own campus related to MOOCs, and to support individual librarians' exploration of MOOCs. Originality/value – This article is based on the author's personal experience as a MOOC student and her opinions and speculations on issues related to MOOCs. The article also explores the relationship between MOOCs and academic libraries, which has not been extensively discussed in the library literature.

Content that talks back: what does the MOOC explosion mean for content management?

This paper examines some of the particular challenges around licensing and intellectual property presented by the massive open online course (MOOC) movement. It offers a brief description of the history and nature of the MOOC movement, and underlines how the specific focus of many MOOCs on the collection and analysis of user data has an effect on the way content is presented and licensed. In particular, it focuses on the institutional impact of these decisions, and recommends the investigation of open licences as a means to allow institutions to glean maximum benefit from the time and money they have spent on content creation for MOOCs.This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/)

Making Sense of MOOCs : Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are the educational buzzword of 2012. Media frenzy surrounds them and commercial interests have moved in. Sober analysis is overwhelmed by apocalyptic predictions that ignore the history of earlier educational technology fads. The paper describes the short history of MOOCs and sets them in the wider context of the evolution of educational technology and open/distance learning. While the hype about MOOCs presaging a revolution in higher education has focussed on their scale, the real revolution is that universities with scarcity at the heart of their business models are embracing openness. We explore the paradoxes that permeate the MOOCs movement and explode some myths enlisted in its support. The competition inherent in the gadarene rush to offer MOOCs will create a sea change by obliging participating institutions to revisit their missions and focus on teaching quality and students as never before. It could also create a welcome deflationary trend in the costs of higher education.

Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility

MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are the educational buzzword of 2012. Media frenzy surrounds them and commercial interests have moved in. Sober analysis is overwhelmed by apocalyptic predictions that ignore the history of earlier educational technology fads. The paper describes the short history of MOOCs and sets them in the wider context of the evolution of educational technology and open/distance learning. While the hype about MOOCs presaging a revolution in higher education has focussed on their scale, the real revolution is that universities with scarcity at the heart of their business models are embracing openness. We explore the paradoxes that permeate the MOOCs movement and explode some myths enlisted in its support. The competition inherent in the gadarene rush to offer MOOCs will create a sea change by obliging participating institutions to revisit their missions and focus on teaching quality and students as never before. It could also create a welcome deflationary trend in the costs of higher education.