Exploring Instructor Contributions to Discussions in Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

OOCs as a new form of online education have attracted the attention of researchers; however, little research has examined MOOC instructors’ practices particularly in delivering the courses. Therefore, this study set out to explore what instructors do in MOOC discussion areas and how learners react to them. Drawing on an extended mixed design, this research investigated the level (frequency) and type of instructors’ contributions to discussion areas, and the ways and extent to which learners engage with them. First, the content of 818 learner-instructor conversations of three FutureLearn MOOCs were analysed based on the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework. Instructors’ contributions were then studied for learners’ explicit (responding) and implicit (liking) engagement. In addition, the changes to instructors’ contributions and learners’ engagement over the duration of courses were examined to explore the impact of time on instructors’ and learners’ discussion activities. Finally, in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with instructors to understand the role of their contributions in learning. The findings revealed that social postings are the clear majority of instructor contributions, whilst postings related to teaching and cognitive presences constitute a smaller proportion. This indicates that instructors do not focus on all contribution types equally and that there is an imbalance between the social and content-related support that learners receive. More specifically, the results showed that instructors’ teaching contributions focus on facilitating the learning discourse and less on providing direct instruction. This suggests that instructors take a facilitative rather than a directive or leading role in FutureLearn MOOCs. The predominance of instructors’ social contributions, on the other hand, signifies the social emphasis of instructors’ discussion activities. Furthermore, the analysis showed that learners engaged with 42% of instructors’ contributions by responding to or liking them or a combination of both. Most learner engagement was evident when instructors’ contributions were focused on teaching presence. The most engaging combination appeared to be a high level of direct instruction and facilitating discourse in a contribution and the lowest level of affective responses. Considering the level of instructors’ contributions, more than half of contributions occurred at the beginning of MOOCs, and this proportion had more than halved by the middle and reached its lowest level at the end of MOOCs. Despite the decrease in all contribution types over time, the relative importance of each type changed. This study also showed that although the Community of Inquiry framework required re-operationalisation and re-conceptualisation of some indicators and the introduction of three new ones to describe the dynamics of learner-instructor interactions in MOOCs, it provided a powerful lens to explore MOOC instructor discussion activities. While this study has resulted in an enhanced understanding of instructors’ contributions to the MOOC discussions, and offered new insights into learners’ engagement with instructors, it revisited the CoI framework in a MOOC context. Thus, the significance of this study also lies in proposing a revised model that can inform future research into learning and teaching in MOOCs or other open, scaled and informal educational contexts

Supported Open Learning and Decoloniality: Critical Reflections on Three Case Studies

Open education has been highlighted as a route to social justice and decolonisation. This paper presents reflections on decolonisation processes pertaining to three educational technology projects conducted in Sub-Saharan Africa, Myanmar and Kenya, each of which featured contributions by The Open University (UK). Through recognising the importance of under-represented Global South perspectives, we consciously and critically reflect on our cases from a Global North framing to assess the extent to which the Supported Open Learning (SOL) model for engagement supports decolonisation and related processes. We use the categories of coloniality of being, coloniality of power, and coloniality of knowledge to structure our reflections. As open educational practice (OEP), the SOL model can offer a practical approach which emphasises equity and inclusion. SOL involves both an ethos and a set of pedagogical practices. This can support meaningful critical reflection and exchange while offering a pragmatic approach to the delivery of educational technology initiatives. In conclusion, a framework mapping features of SOL and their relation to decoloniality is offered

Challenges for Innovation and Educational Change in Digital Education in Low Resourced Settings: A Kenyan Example

Many governments invest in digital education and deliver multi-faceted initiatives to develop the capacity of educational institutions and staff confidence in use of technology for enhanced learning and better student outcomes. However, the impact of these initiatives does not always result in improved technology-supported learning or successful digital educational products. Research shows many factors impede the achievement of such objectives. Yet, they are not well understood particularly in low-resourced educational settings. Thus, this paper as part of a larger study aimed to explore barriers to implementing TEL for higher education in low-resourced contexts and potential solutions from the perspective of educators, managers and support staff. The unique inclusion of support staff and management in this research provides a deeper understanding of current barriers to TEL, and the value of multi-stakeholder engagement to develop meaningful context-driven solutions. Using a qualitative oriented mixed-method approach underpinned by Beyond Prototypes conceptual model of TEL complex, the study found that most barriers and enablers of effective TEL implementation are related to the ecology in which it is practised, together with the influence of the salient communities. Findings also suggest that most stakeholders are aware and prioritise barriers related to their role, but have limited awareness of barriers faced by other stakeholders or how others perceived their role in supporting TEL. While the study supports findings of previous research, it adds further insight by considering the views of all implementing stakeholders and the relationships between them

Challenges for Innovation and Educational Change in Digital Education in Low Resourced Settings: A Kenyan Example

Many governments invest in digital education and deliver multi-faceted initiatives to develop the capacity of educational institutions and staff confidence in use of technology for enhanced learning and better student outcomes. However, the impact of these initiatives does not always result in improved technology-supported learning or successful digital educational products. Research shows many factors impede the achievement of such objectives. Yet, they are not well understood particularly in low-resourced educational settings. Thus, this paper as part of a larger study aimed to explore barriers to implementing TEL for higher education in low-resourced contexts and potential solutions from the perspective of educators, managers and support staff. The unique inclusion of support staff and management in this research provides a deeper understanding of current barriers to TEL, and the value of multi-stakeholder engagement to develop meaningful context-driven solutions. Using a qualitative oriented mixed-method approach underpinned by Beyond Prototypes conceptual model of TEL complex, the study found that most barriers and enablers of effective TEL implementation are related to the ecology in which it is practised, together with the influence of the salient communities. Findings also suggest that most stakeholders are aware and prioritise barriers related to their role, but have limited awareness of barriers faced by other stakeholders or how others perceived their role in supporting TEL. While the study supports findings of previous research, it adds further insight by considering the views of all implementing stakeholders and the relationships between them

Developing Relational Work as a Design Tool in activities with health professionals

This poster explores relations that emerge between professionals in different roles in the public health systems in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs) as they engage in activities related to the surveillance of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). It illustrates the potential for a designed learning activity to promote relational expertise among participants based at the same workplace. Grounded in sociocultural theory and leveraging theoretical contributions from the field of professional learning, we draw on qualitative digital data across a period of six months to examine the development of an AMR Toolkit - a set of activities to encourage dialogic reflection about new sets of relations that are needed as work evolves - and the organization of activities that the Toolkit enabled. Analysis of accounts generated by lead participants (written proformas (n=12); interviews (n=11)) across 12 public health organisations in two LMICs reveal how the concept of relational expertise combined with maintaining a view of the new object of activity in the local system serve in the design of an artefact that supports professionals to come to understanding and negotiate wider work arrangements and practices, envision new practices and engage in re-configurations of relational aspects of work

Decision Making in Shifts to Online Teaching: Analysing Reflective Narratives from Staff Working in African Higher Educational Institutions

Many higher education institutions moved from in-person to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, but these shifts have a longer history and potential. They require challenging individual and collective decision making by staff, beyond their usual repertoire of practice. This paper, therefore, aims to understand the nature of decisions that staff made as they moved to online teaching, the reasons, processes, and reflections on the perceived impacts. Eighty-four participants with diverse roles connected to moving online from four institutions across Africa were purposively sampled. Using a constructivist paradigm and qualitative approach, participants were invited to describe decision-making experiences through short narratives with prompts around their context, decisions, and impacts. Twenty-two of these participants attended a workshop to augment the narrative data and identify good practices. Qualitative analysis directed by Activity Theory concepts revealed that decisions related to policy and rules, pedagogy, community, and technology were frequently cited by participants. The main objective expressed in these narratives was maintaining the continuity of education for students. However, mixed impacts were observed on student engagement, and further decisions were made in response to this. Common challenges related to tools and technology, and similarly, the biggest tension for implementing the decisions was found between tools and technology and the participants or their communities. Good practices include updating policies and introducing continuous assessment. Implications for reflective professional practice are discussed, including how previous practices are initially drawn on to try to reproduce in-person teaching online but then adapt in recognition of the tensions this raises

Making digital decisions: A Guide for harnessing the potential of online learning and digital technologies

The Digital Decisions project analysed how staff in higher education institutions in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa made decisions to make greater use of online learning. We explored challenges, how key decisions were made, and the impacts of these on students and staff. We also gathered views on good practices in digital decision making. The topics and the quotes found here are drawn from this. Creating any form of quality online teaching requires time and strategic thought. Digital technologies can increase flexibility but need to be combined with appropriate pedagogy and support for staff and students. This guide can help you make decisions and apply good practices to the development of online and digital education

Tackling Antimicrobial Resistance through Professional Learning: The Development and Evaluation of the Global AMR Curriculum

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is recognised as one of the most serious global threats to human health in the twenty-first century. AMR is defined as the ability of a microorganism (bacteria, viruses, parasites) to stop an antimicrobial (an antibiotic, antiviral or antimalarial) from working against it (WHO 2020a). Without effective antibiotics, routine medical procedures will be less safe in the future and even minor infections will no longer be treatable. The effects of AMR are predicted to be more acute in resource-limited settings such as in low-to-middle income countries (LMICs) (Seale et al., 2017). However, no country can view itself in isolation and addressing this serious threat to public health is a global priority that requires collective action across all countries (WHO, 2015). In response to this global threat, the UK Government has established the Fleming Fund that plays a critical role in achieving the resolution of the 68th World Health Assembly, 2015 (WHA A68/20), and in realising the ‘Political Declaration of the High-Level Meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Antimicrobial Resistance, 2016’. The work detailed in this report contributes to the Fleming Fund programme led by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), specifically the objective overseen by Mott MacDonald to improve capacity in AMR surveillance in LMICs. This work is aligned with the World Health Organization’s Global AMR Surveillance System (GLASS), which acts as the blueprint for a multi-stakeholder global response to averting a global health crisis caused by AMR (http://www.who.int/antimicrobial-resistance/global-action-plan/en/). The Open University is the Global Learning Partner of the Fleming Fund Management Agent, Mott MacDonald. The OU has been commissioned to develop and implement a Global AMR Curriculum that will help a range of stakeholders in all twenty-four Fleming Fund participating countries increase their knowledge, skills and understanding of AMR. As defined by the grant agreement between the Open University (OU) and Mott MacDonald, the Grant 2 (February 2020 – September 2021) supported the OU to design, deliver and evaluate a Global AMR curriculum as well as support the development of contextualised learning in two Fleming Fund countries: Nepal and Ghana. It draws on the OU expertise in the use of online and digital technology and the utilisation of different pedagogic approaches. Grant 2 builds on evidence generated in an earlier grant the OU had (Grant 1, April 2018 – September 2019) that involved the design and delivery of two pilot learning events in three LMICs (Bhutan, Tanzania and Ghana). In this report, we draw on the evidence from Grant 2 to inform how human and animal health professionals and policy makers in different countries and work settings made use of information related to AMR and were supported in changing their work practices

Digital Decision: Understanding and supporting key choices in online and blended teaching in Sub-Saharan Africa

Key findings The Digital Decisions project analysed how staff in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa made decisions to make greater use of online learning. We explored challenges, how key decisions were made, and the impacts of these on students and staff. We also gathered views on good practices in digital decision making. Key findings of the project are that: What were the challenges? Key difficulties in decision making were that staff lacked essential knowledge and skills, and that the primary tool for their work – a technology-mediated connection between them and the students - was constrained and not consistently available for all. Staff faced challenging decisions when they noticed limited attendance by students, who for reasons such as timing, awareness, connectivity or availability of appropriate devices, were not engaging as expected. Pedagogical decisions were challenging because accepted approaches in areas such as assessment were known to not be suitable to online learning. Staff may know what they were aiming to achieve (for example, increased engagement of students with teachers and peers) but not how to achieve this. Alternatives to accepted approaches were unfamiliar, or not in line with policies (such as the use of social media tools for teaching, or moving away from face to face exams). What types of decisions were made? Rule and policy related decisions were a common focus, given that the existing policies were not appropriate to online and blended learning. These could take time but were ultimately seen as important and beneficial to progress in delivering effective online and blended teaching. As noted above, pedagogical decisions in areas such as assessment and activities were also commonly required. Decisions to proactively reach out and engage with the student community were seen to be essential, recognising their unfamiliarity and potential lack of motivation or confidence to engage online. Staff became aware that their roles were changing, and this could prompt concerns for their jobs as well as interest in personal development. How did decision making happen? In the context of the pandemic, providing continuity of teaching was the key objective influencing senior management decisions across the whole institution. Other staff made decisions in their areas with the objective of teaching and supporting students effectively through a period of substantial change. Tensions were apparent between the objectives of individual decision makers and their communities, rules and tools. These tensions had to be accounted for in decision-making, such as in considering limited staff capacity to deliver the desired training or course creation activities, and making choices about tools that some students were not be able to access. The use of new forms of communications technology for making and communicating decisions was very apparent – staff as well as students adapted to new ways of working across locations. There were positive stories about the use of tools among staff, but decision making about tools for teaching were fraught with tensions, due to the problems of connectivity and device availability already mentioned. What were the impacts of decisions? In line with the key objective, the primary impact of these decisions on students was seen to be a continuation of teaching and the mitigation of pandemic-related disruption. This can appear to be distinct from using technology to innovate or offer a better study experience to students, however there was evidence that the decisions had supported improved opportunities and access to learning materials, prompted students to develop their digital literacies, and increased satisfaction for some. There were also opportunities to have a positive impact on areas such as assessment, which already required attention. The majority of staff saw positive impacts for students, but there was recognition that some students had no ability to access the internet at all, were left behind, and needed to be supported in other ways. The positive impacts aligned well with institutional goals of offering flexible and accessible learning, overcoming barriers of distance. There was also a recognition that the resilience of teaching had improved and that this could be beneficial in the future, with more ability to teach through any crisis or unpredictable event they could face. For staff, valuable skills had been developed, but for some, workload had increased to a worrying level. What good practices should be shared? The experiences of participants led them to describe a range of practices that had positive impact. Attention to these in decision making should be effective for other staff and institutions as they move online. Good practices in pedagogy include the introduction of continuous and formative assessment, proactive communication with students and clear information about course activities, and, in blended learning, identifying how to make best use of the combination of in-person and online study time. Institutional policies need to be revised to be appropriate to online and blended learning. Some flexibility in the application of policies can also be important to support staff to deliver teaching for students in any interim period before this is complete. Institutional strategies should also look to compensate staff for new costs incurred in order that they can complete their work, and incentivise their efforts to learn and adapt to new ways of working. Along with workload planning and harnessing of benefits such as sharing resources across locations, this can encourage a positive attitude towards these changes among staff.The project co-created a professional development resource that summarises key areas of decision making and related good practices: Making Digital Decisions. This resource encapsulates findings on good practices in a practical format, with a set of ‘Key decisions’ and guidance on good practice across six themes derived from the project workshops: Upskilling staff and students Changing the pedagogy Overcoming barriers Working together Effective strategies for teaching Achieving quality This report complements the Making Digital Decisions resource by providing a rich and more detailed analysis of our findings

Twelve tips for integrating massive open online course content into classroom teaching

Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are a novel and emerging mode of online learning. They offer the advantages of online learning and provide content including short video lectures, digital readings, interactive assignments, discussion fora, and quizzes. Besides stand-alone use, universities are also trying to integrate MOOC content into the regular curriculum creating blended learning programs. In this 12 tips article, we aim to provide guidelines for readers to integrate MOOC content from their own or from other institutions into regular classroom teaching based on the literature and our own experiences. We provide advice on how to select the right content, how to assess its quality and usefulness, and how to actually create a blend within your existing course