MOOCs: Expectations and Reality

This comprehensive study of MOOCs from the perspective of institutions of higher education includes an investigation of definitions and characteristics of MOOCs, their origins, institutional goals for developing and delivering MOOCs, how MOOC data is being used, a review of MOOC resource requirements and costs, and a compilation of ideas from 83 interviewees about MOOCs and the future of higher education. We identify six major goals for MOOC initiatives and assess the evidence regarding whether these goals are being met, or are likely to be in the future

Why do Institutions Offer MOOCs?

By reviewing the literature and interviewing 83 individuals knowledgeable about massive open online courses (MOOCs), we investigate the goals of institutions of higher education that are currently developing and delivering such courses. We identify six major goals for MOOC initiatives: extending reach and access, building and maintaining brand, improving economics by reducing costs or increasing revenues, improving educational outcomes, innovation in teaching and learning, and conducting research on teaching and learning. Comparing these goals with the data being collected about MOOCs, their participants, and educational outcomes, as well as the resource requirements and cost drivers of the development and delivery process, we assess whether these goals are being met, or are likely to be in the future. While quantification of success in achieving these goals is for the most part lacking, we conclude that institutions are experiencing at least partial success in achieving each of these goals except for improving economics. We identify obstacles to fuller achievement of the goals and some potential solutions

Resource Requirements and Costs of Developing and Delivering MOOCs

Given the ongoing alarm regarding uncontrollable costs of higher education, it would be reasonable to expect not only concern about the impact of MOOCs on educational outcomes, but also systematic efforts to document the resources expended on their development and delivery. However, there is little publicly available information on MOOC costs that is based on rigorous analysis. In this article, we first address what institutional resources are required for the development and delivery of MOOCs, based on interviews conducted with 83 administrators, faculty members, researchers, and other actors in the MOOCspace. Subsequently, we use the ingredients method to present cost analyses of MOOC production and delivery at four institutions. We find costs ranging from $38,980 to$325,330 per MOOC, and costs per completer of $74-$272, substantially lower than costs per completer of regular online courses, by merit of scalability. Based on this metric, MOOCs appear more cost-effective than online courses, but we recommend judging MOOCs by impact on learning and caution that they may only be cost-effective for the most self-motivated learners. By demonstrating the methods of cost analysis as applied to MOOCs, we hope that future assessments of the value of MOOCs will combine both cost information and effectiveness data to yield cost-effectiveness ratios that can be compared with the cost-effectiveness of alternative modes of education delivery. Such information will help decision-makers in higher education make rational decisions regarding the most productive use of limited educational resources, to the benefit of both learners and taxpayers

Educating About Diabetes: Conversations on a Social Networking Site

This ethnographic research explores how adult users of a social networking site focused on diabetes educate themselves about living with this condition. This paper brings attention to the emerging phenomenon of people with chronic conditions congregating on SNSs for health. It also sheds light on the ongoing education in settings other than the clinics. It shows how these settings support, draw from or subvert the traditional forms of diabetes education

DON'T JUST SAY THANK YOU: EXPLORATION OF TYPES OF POSTS INSPIRING AND HINDERING DEEP CONVERSATIONS ONLINE

In an open online discussion forum, where there is no fixed structure or a facilitator like a course forum without any assigned themes, every participant is a facilitator shaping the direction and depth of a conversation. How can we as designers then make sure it leads to an engaging learning community that learners keep coming back to beyond the given course period? This paper reports on sequential analysis of 172 posts in 32 threads and close reading of two threads from an open online discussion forum in a free open online course, specifically looking at the impact of participant actions as facilitative moves, to gain better understanding of the types of actions that lead to deeper and sustained engagement with the ideas of interest. Sequential analysis is an approach that estimates which types of sequences of posts or interactions are most likely to occur in a threaded discussion. The results showed that sharing personal experiences attracted most responses, implying that it is important to encourage participants to share questions or cases connected to their personal experiences. In addition, somewhat paradoxically, we found that posts acknowledging responses tend to conclude and close down the conversation while posts that ask diverging questions tend to attract more discussion

Resource Requirements and Costs of Developing and Delivering MOOCs

Given the ongoing alarm regarding uncontrollable costs of higher education, it would be reasonable to expect not only concern about the impact of MOOCs on educational outcomes, but also systematic efforts to document the resources expended on their development and delivery. However, there is little publicly available information on MOOC costs that is based on rigorous analysis. In this article, we first address what institutional resources are required for the development and delivery of MOOCs, based on interviews conducted with 83 administrators, faculty members, researchers, and other actors in the MOOCspace. Subsequently, we use the ingredients method to present cost analyses of MOOC production and delivery at four institutions. We find costs ranging from $38,980 to$325,330 per MOOC, and costs per completer of $74-$272, substantially lower than costs per completer of regular online courses, by merit of scalability. Based on this metric, MOOCs appear more cost-effective than online courses, but we recommend judging MOOCs by impact on learning and caution that they may only be cost-effective for the most self-motivated learners. By demonstrating the methods of cost analysis as applied to MOOCs, we hope that future assessments of the value of MOOCs will combine both cost information and effectiveness data to yield cost-effectiveness ratios that can be compared with the cost-effectiveness of alternative modes of education delivery. Such information will help decision-makers in higher education make rational decisions regarding the most productive use of limited educational resources, to the benefit of both learners and taxpayers

Youth leadership development in virtual worlds: A case study

This paper discusses the impact of 'The Dream It. Do It Initiative' (D.I.D.I.), an informal learning program implemented in Teen Second Life (TSL), on leadership development. We found support for using TSL as a venue for leadership exploration. Specifically, we found that venturers became aware of the community issues in these worlds; they gained leadership skills such as teamwork, determination, and responsibility; and they learned how to use their mistakes to improve their projects. We conclude that virtual worlds, as "places for engagement", can indeed be used to help youth explore their leadership potential with support from parents and educators

AC 2010-137: TEACHER PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN GRADES 3-5: FOSTERING TEACHERS' AND STUDENTS' CONTENT KNOWLEDGE IN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING Teacher Professional Development in Grades 3-5: Fostering Teachers' and Students' Content Knowledge in Science and

Abstract Innovative, research-based professional development is needed to help teachers implement science and engineering education in elementary schools. This is a challenging task, particularly for teachers who many have little familiarity with either science inquiry or the engineering design process (EDP), and who may not have developed the instructional strategies needed to facilitate student inquiry and engagement in EDP. In the Partnership to Improve Student Achievement (PISA) study, 43 grade 3-5 teachers in New Jersey participated in a two-week summer workshop, three workshops during the school year, and received monthly classroom support visits, which comprised one year of instructional activities in a three-year professional development program. The study also included 737 students taught by teachers in the treatment group, 35 teachers in the comparison group, and 684 students taught by teachers in the comparison group. We analyzed pre-and post-tests of teachers and students in both groups and teacher activity implementation surveys. Results from the pre-and post-tests showed that the treatment teachers significantly increased their content knowledge in science and engineering compared to the comparison group. Similarly, post-test scores of students in the treatment group were significantly higher than the post-test scores of students in the comparison group. Teachers noted that scientific inquiry and the engineering design process promoted 21 st century skills such as problem solving, critical thinking, collaboration, and communication among students. Finally, further data analysis revealed that the number of PISA lessons that teachers implemented in their classrooms was a significant predictor of students' test scores. In this paper, we report on the professional development model that we used and the results of our study