Academia and the MOOC

"Academia and the MOOC" is an upcoming online course I will be facilitating for NJEDge.Net using the Canvas Network.

"Academia and the MOOC" is itself a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) although we will be capping enrollment at a maximum of 2000 participants. (So, it is more of a Big Open Online Course.)

MOOCs are a huge topic in academia right now, but many schools are still wondering if they should be offering them or how they will deal with this alternative to their own offerings.

Can a course where the participants and the course materials are distributed across the web and the courses are "open" and offered at no cost to a very large number of participants who do not receive institutional credit be a worthwhile venture for a college?

The purpose of this particular MOOC is to gather a large group of people from academia who have an interest in this movement and give them information about MOOCs to get them thinking and discussing their impact on education.

This course will begin with some background in the history and development of MOOCs. Then, we will examine MOOCs from the perspectives of five academic roles (teacher, designer, support, administration and student). We will also critique some case studies of courses that have been offered. Throughout the course, we will consider how MOOCs might impact those roles and an institution in the near future.

I am referring to this offering as a "course" because it's a term we all understand, but I really believe this is not a course. If you associate courses with textbooks, assignments, grades, assessment, credits and all that comes with those things, then it is not a course because none of those elements exist in this experience. It might be best to think of the "C" in this MOOC as a Conversation, Community or Colloquium. Discussion, as with most online courses, will be at the heart of the experience.

The course is set to launch April 15, 2013 and will run for 4 weeks. It is open and free to anyone interested in this topic. To register, go to www.canvas.net.

NJEDge.Net 14th Annual Faculty Best Practices Showcase

Royal Geographical Society lecture, Brisbane, November 1946 - Flickr Commons

The 14th Annual NJ Faculty Best Practices Showcase will be held at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, New Jersey, on Friday, March 15th, 2013.  The Academic Technology Group (ATG) of NJEDge.Net sponsors the event.

The showcase features presentations and poster sessions on technology-mediated instruction by faculty, researchers and professional staff on the newest applications and the latest ideas about learning activities for on-ground, blended and online courses.

I will be the luncheon speaker this year and I will be speaking about “Academia and the MOOC.”

The New York Times said that 2012 was “the year of the MOOC” and EDUCAUSE said that they have “the potential to alter the relationship between learner and instructor and between academe and the wider community.” Many of the elite universities are offering these Massive Open Online Courses, but most colleges and educators are still unsure about what MOOCs are and if they are worthwhile.

Can a course where the participants and the course materials are distributed across the web and the courses are "open" and offered at no cost to a very large number of participants who do not receive institutional credit be a worthwhile venture for a college?

In this presentation, I will briefly cover some history of the development of  MOOCs, and talk about the possible benefits and problems for schools and students.