Elderly learners and Massive Open Online Courses: a review

Background: Massive open online courses (MOOCs) have become commonplace in the e-learning landscape. Thousands of elderly learners are participating in courses offered by various institutions on a multitude of platforms in many different languages. However, there is very little research into understanding elderly learners in MOOCs. Objective: We aim to show that a considerable proportion of elderly learners are participating in MOOCs and that there is a lack of research in this area. We hope this assertion of the wide gap in research on elderly learners in MOOCs will pave the way for more research in this area. Methods: Pre-course survey data for 10 University of Reading courses on the FutureLearn platform were analyzed to show the level of participation of elderly learners in MOOCs. Two MOOC aggregator sites (Class Central and MOOC List) were consulted to gather data on MOOC offerings that include topics relating to aging. In parallel, a selected set of MOOC platform catalogues, along with a recently published review on health and medicine-related MOOCs, were searched to find courses relating to aging. A systematic literature search was then employed to identify research articles on elderly learners in MOOCs. Results: The 10 courses reviewed had a considerable proportion of elderly learners participating in them. For the over-66 age group, this varied from 0.5% (on the course “Managing people”) to 16.3% (on the course “Our changing climate”), while for the over-56 age group it ranged from 3.0% (on “A beginners guide to writing in English”) to 39.5% (on “Heart health”). Only six MOOCs were found to include topics related to aging: three were on the Coursera platform, two on the FutureLearn platform, and one on the Open2Study platform. Just three scholarly articles relating to MOOCs and elderly learners were retrieved from the literature search. Conclusions: This review presents evidence to suggest that elderly learners are already participating in MOOCs. Despite this, there has been very little research into their engagement with MOOCs. Similarly, there has been little research into exploiting the scope of MOOCs for delivering topics that would be of interest to elderly learners. We believe there is potential to use MOOCs as a way of tackling the issue of loneliness among older adults by engaging them as either resource personnel or learners

Attempted spleen transplant in classical hemophilia

Recent evidence has indicated that the spleen may be partly responsible for synthesis or storage of antihemophilic factor (factor VIII) in dogs (8) and in man (2). Transplantation of the spleen into dogs with congenital deficiency of factor VIII has been shown to result in increased circulating levels of this clotting factor for prolonged periods (3). Spleen transplantation in man has been done without significant morbidity because of the procedure itself or graft-versus-host reaction (1, 5). Therefore, it seemed reasonable to attempt allogeneic grafting of a spleen into a patient with severe factor VIII deficiency

The Relevance of Gender: A Case Study of Judicial Appointents at the State Level

Information gathered as a participant observer on the Maryland judicial nominating commission and from hearings on gender bias in the Maryland courts, along with interviews, will be used to show that the attitudes of the gatekeepers toward women were less decisive than previous research suggested in having women appointed to the bench. It will be argued that the credentials of the male applicants played a more crucial role in the deliberations of the judicial nominating commission than positive attitudes towards women or gender neutral views

Older adults and e-learning: Opportunities and Barriers

E-learning and distance education can play a role in helping older adults become integrated with the rest of society. As demographic and cultural changes affect the place of older adults in society, online learning programs become increasingly appealing to older adults. In this aticle, I discuss (1) the changing notion of work and learning in older adulthood, (2) the myths about older adults\u27 use of technology, (3) the types of e-learning programs for older adults (i.e., programs for personal growth and social change, workforce development, and workplace learning), and (4) the barriers to older adults\u27 full participation in e-learning

Critical action research in human resource development

Critical approaches to HRD do not focus solely on improving organizational performance; instead, they address previously undiscussable issues such as power, politics, class, alternative work structures, sexism, racism, and heterosexism. As critical HRD often seeks to raise problems instead of immediately solve them, it is sometimes criticized for being elitist or detached from practice. This article addresses how critical approaches to action research can allow practitioners and researchers to integrate critical approaches into actual practice. Critical action research provides a mechanism for ensuring that critical HRD research is grounded in the realities of real-world practice. A model is presented for considering practitioner-oriented research in HRD, which forms the theoretical basis for using action research as a methodological stance for critical HRD. An overview is provided of foundational literature of critical HRD and action research, followed by a discussion of the practical implications for conducting critical action research within the HRD field

Organization Change and Social Organizing Strategies: Employee-Initiated Organization Development.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) employees create formal and informal groups within workplaces to provide social support and to seek organizational change at their places of employment. I present a case study of a coalition of these groups working together to attain domestic partner benefits within a large three-campus university system. These groups worked together to conduct employee-initiated organization development (OD). This development occurred through various approaches to organizational change and social organizing strategies. The study illustrates the distinct differences between employee-initiated OD in the corporate sector and in universities. It also demonstrates the utility in organizing through a structured activist group and a looser grassroots coalition at various stages of the effort. Successes were attained at various stages through both the more highly structured groups and through loose-knit coalitions. Additionally, this study illustrates successes in social organizing around both fixed, ethnic-type identities and through more fluid queer approaches. Both approaches were utilized to varying degrees as the activists worked toward goals of concern to (a) diverse groups (not just LGBTQ individuals) and (b) LGBTQ-specific constituents