“Erm… so what exactly is a MOOC?’ – Tales from an academic’s first time engagement in the development of a wholly online course [1744] Home : Annual Conference 2017

Public Group active 1 year, 6 months ago

Thu, Sep 7 2017, 1:00pm – 2:40pm
Authors: Terry Gleave, and Peter Alston
Room: McAusland Rm (1)
Theme: Wildcard
Type: 20-minute session

Description

The growth in popularity of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in recent years has seen an increasing number of universities considering them as a viable method of disseminating knowledge on a large scale (Sinclair 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 many MOOCs attract learners who, typically, already have an undergraduate degree, there is a growing trend to develop courses that specifically target the 16-19 year-old demographic; many of whom often feel underprepared for engaging in university study (SecEd 2015).

In 2016, The Physiological Society issued a call for proposals to work with a university partner to develop an introductory MOOC, intended for 16-19 year-old students. Aiming to introduce this demographic to key aspects of the Physiology discipline, and supporting their transition from further education (FE) to higher education (HE), the MOOC will introduce concepts encountered in the first year of undergraduate study of Physiology, and many other related degrees. In developing such a course with a university partner, The Physiological Society wants to encourage learners to think about the benefits of studying Physiology (or a related discipline) at a higher level.

Drawing on the authors’ experiences in the design and development of a MOOC for the first time, this presentation is framed from the perspective of a ‘subject’ academic, highlighting the key challenges faced in engaging with such a project. The authors’ will present some of the key questions that were addressed during the initial planning stages of the MOOC, which can often be taken for granted in the design of a ‘traditional’ HE course. These included:

What does the planning and design entail for the subject expert?
How can you encourage learners to ‘stay the course’ and participate?
How do you select the ‘right’ content?
How can you present the content in the ‘right’ way?
What are the technological implications for delivering the content?

In answering these questions (and others), we plan on giving an ‘honest’, reflective account of our approach to the development of a MOOC, and hope to inform other ‘first-timers’ about the potential challenges that may lie ahead of them.

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.

Daniel, J., 2012. Making Sense of MOOCs: Musings in a Maze of Myth, Paradox and Possibility. Journal of Interactive Media in Education, 2012(3).

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 March 2, 2017].

Sinclair, J. et al., 2015. Massive open online courses: a review of usage and evaluation. Int. J. Learning Technology, 10(1), pp.71–93. Available at: http://www.inderscience.com/storage/f198311675101242.pdf.

Yuan, L. & Powell, S., 2013. MOOCs and Open Education: Implications for Higher Education, Available at: http://publications.cetis.ac.uk/2013/667.

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