Alston, Peter

Gleave, Terry

Grubb, Blair

Prescott, Denise

Randles, Rebecca

English

Interactive digital technologies have begun to be an increasingly important tool within Higher Education (HE). One example of such technology is that of eLearning, particularly with the growing interest in massive open online courses (MOOCs). Prospective students would have the benefit of utilising MOOCs to explore potential pathways and subject areas, with physiology chosen to be developed into a MOOC to raise the profile with a view to improving recruitment into physiology or physiology-related study pathways. The course was created in 2017 and to date, 17,986 individuals have enrolled onto the course with an average rating of 4.7 out of 5 stars. Upon reflection, the MOOC reached some of the target audience; however, the majority appeared to be those who were in employment and were utilising the resource to enhance their learning. Lessons learnt from the development and implementation of the MOOC include the importance of collaboration and partnerships, particularly with the target audience, to ensure the course is fit for purpose. In addition, the planning of the MOOC itself was found to be of great importance; the team discovered the importance of utilising storyboards to develop the scripts and interaction opportunities as well as ensuring the inclusion of demonstrations and animations to help learners visualise key concepts and essential information. While the initial ambition for the Physiology MOOC was targeted at a younger demographic, in preparation for their journey into further or higher education, and potentially a career in the discipline, the data indicates limited impact in this regard. A potential reason for this could be the platforms on which the MOOC was promoted: the target audience may be better reached through promotion in schools and colleges; there may also be a lack of awareness of the platform within this population. Although it is questionable as to whether a MOOC is the most appropriate vehicle for this purpose, the evidence suggests that a large number of learners across the demographic spectrum benefitted greatly from the learning materials and evaluated them highly.<br/

University of Dundee Online Publications

                                                                    University of DundeePhysiology for allRandles, Rebecca; Prescott, Denise ; Gleave, Terry; Alston, Peter; Grubb, BlairPublication date:2023Document VersionPeer reviewed versionLink to publication in Discovery Research PortalCitation for published version (APA):Randles, R., Prescott, D., Gleave, T., Alston, P., & Grubb, B. (2023). Physiology for all: Reflections on thedesign and delivery of a MOOC to enhance subject knowledge in physiology . Advances in Online Education,1(3), 287-295.General rightsCopyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in Discovery Research Portal are retained by the authors and/or othercopyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated withthese rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from Discovery Research Portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain. • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal.Take down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Download date: 31. Jul. 2023PHYSIOLOGY FOR ALL - REFLECTIONS ON THE DESIGN AND DELIVERY OF A MOOC TO ENHANCE SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE OF 16-19 YEAR-OLD PHYSIOLOGY STUDENTSD. Prescott1, R. Randles1, T. Gleave1, P. Alston2, B. Grubb31 University of Liverpool (UNITED KINGDOM) 2 BPP University (UNITED KINGDOM) 3 University of Dundee (UNITED KINGDOM) prescottd@liverpool.ac.uk, r.j.randles@liverpool.ac.uk, tlgleave@liverpool.ac.uk, peteralston@bpp.com, b.d.grubb@dundee.ac.uk Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been used by an increasing number of universities in recent years as a viable method of disseminating knowledge at scale, and at minimal cost (Gore, 2014; Hyman, 2012; Langen & Bosch 2013; Sinclair, Boyatt, Rocks, et al. 2015). As such, there has been much written with regards to their ‘disruptive’ potential on the higher education sector and the opportunities they afford (Bayne & Ross 2014; Yuan & Powell 2013; Daniel 2012). However, whilst MOOCs typically attract learners who have already graduated from university, there is a growing trend to develop courses that target other audiences – specifically the 16-19 year-old demographic, many of whom often feel underprepared for university study (Gourlay, 2009; SecEd 2015). Here, the authors present the evaluation and reflections of the delivery of a 3-week MOOC aimed at enhancing the subject knowledge of 16-19 year-old students studying Physiology, which has run three times since 2017. We will present the context of the MOOC (and our collaborative partnership with The Physiological Society), quantitative and qualitative data garnered from the course delivery, our own reflections of the process adopted for development and delivery, and subsequent thoughts for what we do next. This presentation will be of interest to those considering alternative methods to support and enhance ‘traditional’ course delivery, supporting the student transition to university study, and the challenges faced when developing wholly online courses to be delivered on an international stage. References Bayne, S. & Ross, J. (2014). The pedagogy of the Massive Open Online Course: the UK view, Available at: https://www.heacademy.ac.uk/system/files/hea_edinburgh_mooc_web_240314_1.pdf. [Retrieved 18 November 2019]. Daniel, J. (2012). Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2012(3), p.Art.18. doi: 10.5334/2012-18. Gore, H. (2014). Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and their impact on academic library services: Exploring the issues and challenges. New Review of Academic Librarianship, 20(1), pp. 4–28. doi:10.1080/13614533.2013.851609.Gourlay, L. (2009). Threshold Practices: Becoming a Student Through Academic Literacies. London Review of Education, 7(2), pp.181–192. doi: 10.1080/14748460903003626 Hyman, P. (2012). In the year of disruptive education. Communications of the ACM, 55(12), pp. 20–23. doi:10.1145/2380656.2380664Langen, F., & Bosch, H. (2013). Massive open online courses: Disruptive innovations or disturbing inventions? Open Learning: The Journal of Open, Distance and e-Learning, 28(3), pp. 216–226. doi: 10.1080/02680513.2013.870882 SecEd (2015). MOOCs aim to help students prepare for university-level study. Available at: http://www.sec-ed.co.uk/news/moocs-aim-to-help-students-prepare-for-university-level-study [Accessed 18 November 2019]. Sinclair, J., Boyatt, R., Rocks, C. & Joy., M. (2015). Massive open online courses: a review of usage Randles, Rebecca, Prescott, Denise, Gleave, Terry, Alston, Peter and Grubb, Blair (2023, March 1). Physiology for all: Reflections on the design and delivery of a MOOC to enhance subject knowledge in physiology. In the Advances in Online Education: A Peer-Reviewed Journal, Volume 1, Issue 3. https://hstalks.com/article/7707/physiology-for-all-reflections-on-the-design-and-d/and evaluation. International Journal of Learning Technology, 10(1), pp.71–93. doi: 10.1504/IJLT.2015.069450  Yuan, L. & Powell, S. (2013). MOOCs and Open Education: Implications for Higher Education. Available at: http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2013/667. [Retrieved 18 November 2019]. Keywords: MOOCs, physiology, student transition, staff-student partnership, higher education, case study  

Physiology for all:Reflections on the design and delivery of a MOOC to enhance subject knowledge in physiology

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Physiology for all:Reflections on the design and delivery of a MOOC to enhance subject knowledge in physiology

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