Investigación en MOOC: tendencias y metodologías

The MOOC phenomenon has generated huge interest in the field of education from the outset, giving rise to a significant number of research studies. In this paper we will take a look at previous research into MOOCs and we believe the relevant research trends from the education perspective will focus on new developments in hybrid MOOCs, both in their technological and pedagogical aspects, and in placing students’ learning and academic results at the forefront of research. The use of more sophisticated research designs is also recommended, paying greater attention to causal factors that promote student learning.El interés despertado por el fenómeno MOOC en la educación ha generado casi desde sus comienzos un buen número de estudios de investigación. En este trabajo, repasamos la investigación precedente en MOOC y consideramos que las tendencias de investigación relevantes desde la educación se centrarán en los nuevos desarrollos de MOOC híbridos, tanto en sus aspectos tecnológicos como pedagógicos, y en situar el aprendizaje y el resultado académico de los estudiantes como punto central de la investigación. Se recomienda igualmente la utilización de diseños de investigación más sofisticados que presenten atención a factores causales que promuevan el aprendizaje de los estudiantes

A literature synthesis of personalised technology-enhanced learning: what works and why

Personalised learning, having seen both surges and declines in popularity over the past few decades, is once again enjoying a resurgence. Examples include digital resources tailored to a particular learner’s needs, or individual feedback on a student’s assessed work. In addition, personalised technology-enhanced learning (TEL) now seems to be attracting interest from philanthropists and venture capitalists indicating a new level of enthusiasm for the area and a potential growth industry. However, these industries may be driven by profit rather than pedagogy, and hence it is vital these new developments are informed by relevant, evidence-based research. For many people, personalised learning is an ambiguous and even loaded term that promises much but does not always deliver. This paper provides an in-depth and critical review and synthesis of how personalisation has been represented in the literature since 2000, with a particular focus on TEL. We examine the reasons why personalised learning can be beneficial and examine how TEL can contribute to this. We also unpack how personalisation can contribute to more effective learning. Lastly, we examine the limitations of personalised learning and discuss the potential impacts on wider stakeholders

Learner experiences of a blended course incorporating a MOOC on Haskell functional programming

There is an increasing move in higher education to blend university courses to include a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). This article reports on the learner experiences of such a course, which incorporated a purposely designed MOOC as part of the blend, to teach Haskell functional programming. A survey revealed that students most valued the programming exercises, quizzes and instructional videos, while the follow-up focus group highlighted the flexibility of the MOOC, usefulness of the videos, drop-in sessions and programming exercises. The overall mix of activities was regarded as particularly useful. While discussions were not rated as highly in the survey, students in the focus group commented on their value, particularly for getting support from external learners. The perceived lack of face-to-face contact was the biggest issue; however, this reflected a lack of awareness of lab sessions which could have been better signposted. There was perceived to be a gap between the MOOC and the rest of the course in terms of level of difficulty and authenticity of learning tasks. These issues were positively addressed in subsequent runs of the course. The outcomes of this study are relevant to educators seeking to incorporate MOOCs into blended courses

A collection of MOOCs to create digital programs

https://conference.eadtu.eu/download2527International audienceAfter the pioneering age, IMT is now entering the development and professionalization phase. The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a collection of MOOC in the area of Networks-Telecommunications, how those contents are designed and used in programs for students and professionals The creation of a full on line degree, bachelor or master, requires the availability of a large number of courses, sharing similar rules of design (length, structure…) and consistent vocabulary. FLIRT1 project purposes were to create a collection of on line lectures in a common technical domain (telecommunications). This collection provides now a solid basis to create education programs either for initial education and lifelong learning context to experiment revenue generation from MOOC and business model [1]. This paper provides design rules, use cases and figures about first programs experimentation

Les MOOCs en période de pandémie : un outil pour les enseignants ? Retour d'expériences des MOOCs de l'ULiège (Belgique) et perspectives

Lorsque des mesures de confinement et de fermeture des établissements d'enseignement ont été décidées, en mars 2020, l’ULiège a décidé (comme d’autres universités), via ses MOOCs, de contribuer à l’effort de crise et au partage des connaissances de différentes manières ; soit en repoussant la date de clôture de MOOCs en cours de diffusion, soit en donnant accès uniquement aux ressources pédagogiques (« mode archivé ouvert » ), ou encore en proposant un accompagnement pédagogique minimum mais un accès complet au forum et aux activités pédagogiques permettant l’obtention d’une attestation de suivi (« mode session animée »). Ainsi, le 31 mars 2020, l’ULiège annonçait la réouverture de 5 MOOCs en plus des 10 MOOCs déjà disponibles sur la plateforme FUN (France Université Numérique) en sessions « régulières ». S’il ne fait aucun doute que le confinement imposé par les gouvernements de nombreux pays francophones a littéralement fait exploser le nombre d’inscriptions, on peut toutefois s’interroger sur l’utilisation concrète des MOOCs par les apprenants. Pour cette étude, nous avons souhaité nous intéresser plus particulièrement à l'usage des MOOCs par les enseignants du secondaire et du supérieur inscrits aux MOOCs ULiège durant la période de confinement. En effet, beaucoup d’entre eux ont dû mettre en place rapidement un « enseignement à distance » (visioconférences, travaux à réaliser à la maison et feedbacks communiqués par e-mail ou via une plateforme « en ligne » etc.), que l'on connaît mieux aujourd'hui sous le terme de "Emergency Remote Teaching". Nos questions de recherche ont été les suivantes : Quel est le profil des enseignants inscrits aux MOOCs ULiège pendant la période de confinement ? Quelles sont les raisons principales de leur inscription ? Ont-ils utilisé le MOOC comme moyen de mettre à jour leurs connaissances ? Ont-ils utilisé les MOOCs comme « substitut » de leurs cours ? Et dans ce cas, ont-ils accompagné leurs apprenants ? Ont-ils intégré certains éléments des MOOCs (vidéos, schémas, chapitres particuliers) comme illustration et/ou support de leur cours « à distance » ? Les résultats de notre étude laissent penser que les MOOCS ULiège ont servi principalement au développement professionnel des enseignants, notamment dans l’acquisition de compétences et/ou connaissances spécialisées liées à la discipline enseignée. L’utilisation des MOOCs au sein même des programmes de cours reste encore marginale. Il semble y avoir un manque d’information et de connaissance sur les droits d’utilisation des ressources des MOOCs, ou tout simplement des barrières technologiques ou organisationnelles (accessibilité réduite des MOOCs, planification inadaptée par rapport au programme des cours, difficulté pour un enseignant extérieur à l’institution qui a produit le MOOC de suivre le parcours de ses élèves au sein même du cours ...)

Online Course: Application Models in the Educational Process

Digitalization of education and the development of electronic pedagogy as a branch of pedagogical science are the conditions that actualize the analysis of online courses application mo-dels which is the purpose of this study. Based on the analysis of scientific pedagogical literature, the article addresses the typology of online courses integration models implemented in the traditional (face-to face) educational process. The author has studied and summarized the various approaches to selecting  integration models of online courses  in Russian and  foreign scientific and pedagogical literature and developed a typology of patterns of online courses application based on three criteria: the organization of the educational process (characteristics: the character of the online course incorporating in the educational process, a way of organizing the educational process), the contents of traditional face-to-face and online components in the learning content (characteristics: a change in the structure of educational process, forms and methods of training), and the organization of interaction between the subjects of the educational process (characteristics: organization of pedagogical support, organization of pedagogical interaction between the subjects). This approach made it possible to pinpoint thirty-four models of online courses application and  integration. Each model implemented in practice can be identified unambiguously when typologizing by one characteristic of the corresponding criterion and refer to several types when considering its different characteristics

The Utilization of Virtual Learning Environment in Malaysian Non-Arabic Speaking Learners’ Classroom

This study aimed to understand the utilization of VLE in Non-Arabic Speaking Learners’ classrooms from the perspective of Arabic teachers in higher education institutions. Purposive sampling was utilized to pick the research sample for this study. Then, the sample used for this study consisted of 3 Arabic language teachers. One-to-one in-depth interviews were conducted with the three informants. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather the data to allow the informants to express their experiences in an accessible manner. A case study was used in this study to create a qualitative design. The researcher used a method called thematic analysis (TA) and followed a few steps, including (i) word-by-word transcription, (ii) interview transcription, (iii) coding, and (iv) labeling. The findings illustrated the Arabic teachers’ perspectives on using VLE, the approaches when implementing VLE, and how VLE can effectively teach the Arabic language. The responses of the three informants would illustrate the main themes found using the thematic analysis (TA) method. The analysis of this study helps provide such information to universities on the perspectives of Arabic teachers on the use of VLE, their approaches when implementing VLE, and how VLE can be effective in their language teaching in a virtual learning context. This study allows us to understand better how Malaysian Arabic teachers adapt to virtual language learning environments by utilizing VLE at the university level

How to bring forth good social learning in teacher education through technology

A core theme of this context statement is the contribution that digital technology can make to social learning in online and face-to-face contexts. The work contributes to the field of educational technology across sectors, by considering some of the obstacles currently facing practitioners such as new curricula, new pedagogical approaches and the fast pace of change. I present a rationale for technology supporting social learning and discuss several significant themes, such as the role of learning communities in supporting the co-creation of knowledge, the pedagogic approaches that support computational thinking, digital literacy and mobile learning, and the potential of international projects and online courses to make purposeful connections between teachers and learners. Looking firstly with a distant lens at the forms of technology-enabled learning communities (TELCs) in my public works, and then with a closer lens at the interactions and behaviours within them, I present a characterisation of the learning landscape that involves a topology and typology of TELCs. These consist of five distinct forms of TELCs together with a set of five dualities that describe conditions for knowledge-building. This framework contributes towards an understanding of the epistemology of TELCs within the context of my public works. It offers descriptive and diagnostic tools for analysing the nature of learning, knowing and knowledge-building within TELCs, and demonstrates how some key variables are interrelated. As such, it has relevance to the design and evaluation of social online learning and makes a contribution to the debate around theories of learning in a digital age

25 Years of Ed Tech

In this lively and approachable volume based on his popular blog series, Martin Weller demonstrates a rich history of innovation and effective implementation of ed tech across higher education. From Bulletin Board Systems to blockchain, Weller follows the trajectory of education by focusing each chapter on a technology, theory, or concept that has influenced each year since 1994. Calling for both caution and enthusiasm, Weller advocates for a critical and research-based approach to new technologies, particularly in light of disinformation, the impact of social media on politics, and data surveillance trends. A concise and necessary retrospective, this book will be valuable to educators, ed tech practitioners, and higher education administrators, as well as students

Using WeChat as an educational tool in MOOC-based flipped classroom: What can we learn from students’ learning experience?

Despite its importance, interaction remains limited in MOOC-based flipped classroom (MBFC) Grounded in social learning theory, we proposed an MBFC approach supported by social media to facilitate students’ interaction with peers and learning performance. A quasi-experiment was conducted to compare the MBFC approach (N = 58) based on WeChat with the conventional MBFC approach (N = 52). The results revealed that the use of WeChat in an MBFC approach led to better performance in terms of watching video lectures and completing online exercises before the class; however, it did not significantly enhance student learning performance compared to the conventional MBFC approach. In addition, the study found that students were moderately satisfied with the MBFC approach supported by WeChat. According to a WeChat interaction quantity and quality analysis, students’ non-substantive postings are much higher than students’ substantive postings in WeChat interaction groups, but students’ contributions to the postings have no significant effect on the final marks. Findings from this study could be of valuable reference for practitioners and researchers who plan to leverage social media tools such as WeChat to support student MOOC learning