PRESENTATION OUTLINE
MIT Open Courseware, 2001, free, open access to MIT content.
Content and access are an xmooc theme.
Content and teaching are not the same.
This will come back to haunt xmoocs.
Siemens and Downes, 2008, cck08
Social media based networked learning that focuses on peer connection over centralised instruction.
CMOOCs.
Differences
Peer to peer vs instructor
Networked vs Machine based
Historical vs ahistorical
Extension vs disruption
Process based vs outcome based
Open LMS vs closed LMS
Similarities
Technology dependent
Open, no barriers
Idealistic
Prefer highly motivated learners with good learning strategies, previous online learning experience, and access to tech resources and cultural capital...something that would come back to haunt MOOCs in particular
Udacity, Sebastian Thrun and disruption.
A way to understand the strengths, weaknesses and the evolution of xMoocs.
The focus of enterprise, and venture capital
Xmooc model in theory
Automated instruction
Limited, or no feedback, (peer or automated)
Low cost
Far reach
Open to all
A solution to the problem of education
Focuses on access to content
This model is pretty generic for the xmooc type
Owes a lot to Clayton Christensen and the disruptive theory of innovation.
Ignore history, lest you be determined by it. Fail fast, and often, pivot faster.
Destroy through innovation or be destroyed by it.
"In 50 years there will be only ten institutions delivering higher education and Udacity has a good shot at being one of them"
LETS SEE HOW THAT WORKED OUT...
"WE HAVE A LOUSY PRODUCT", S THRUN, 2013
Problems Moocs haven't solved
1. Access.
Over two thirds of Udacity participants already have a degree.
Almost three quarters of Coursera participants have one.
Most participants are first world.
2. Engagement
Moocs rarely make it into double figures in terms of participation. CMOOCs rarely top 7%, which, as of 2013, was the average xmooc participation rate in general.
3. Learning outcomes.
In udacity's SJSU Moocs, 88% of high school students failed. Less than half overall passed.
In some classes, undergrad fail rates hit 74%.
Everyone, absolutely every demographic under performed in comparison to the same courses face to face.
4. Outmoded teaching practices.
A focus on content provision, over teaching, issues with feedback that haven't been resolved, and minimal uptake on accreditation. No focus on prior knowledge, motivation, or background factors. Lack of instructor access. Limited or no understanding of the role of human cognition. A reilance on behaviourism.
Udacity's teaching technique is approaching it's 80th birthday.
The problem with ignoring history is that you have no idea you are repeating it.
Why?
In part, history, the disruptors enemy, is the key.
Thruns take. We had a lousy product that was a bad fit for our students.
Students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds, students with little or no previous online educational experience, students from ethic minorities tend to underperform badly.
Everyone underperforms in Moocs, some much more so than others.
We knew this from distance learning.
An outmoded teaching model.
A reliance on a disruptive narrative - Salman Khan, ed hasn't changed in 150 years - means the obvious lessons of the past have been ignored
Where Moocs are going
Udacity focusing on industry. The Georgia tech cheap masters.
Vocational ed, targeting the most common demographic...professionals who have already been to Uni...with a degree offered in partnership with AT&T...possible and profitable because of them.
16000 engineers in need of retraining is an interesting market.
Increasing instructor access...mirroring the OU.
Coursera...focusing on working with institutions, and providing a part of their learning solution, not the whole thing.
Hybrid Moocs...where institutions use materials provided on other platforms and integrate them into their existing program's...some evidence these might increase pass results
Remediation avoidance...Moocs are terrible at remedial teaching. But they do have a role in helping people avoid needing remediation.
With targeted short courses as part of a testing regime.
As a selection tool. Moocs are hard, require motivation, self organisation, and excellent meta cognitive and learning strategies.
The reality is that Moocs are a tool, not a solution, and a tool with a very specific potential set of uses- of most benefit to the already educated
In house raining, retraining to highly motivated cohorts of employees.
At&t are putting 2 million into this. And this might be where googles money is going.
Coursera and edx will focus on open models, and will charge institutions and corporates for services.
250'000 to design a course, 50 each time it is run.
While still preserving open access.
Google, AT&T, Nvidia, Autodesk, Khan Academy, Cloudera, and not students are the clients.
The focus is on upskilling professionals to fit specific company needs.
Open education remains focused on stuðents. Access is free, courses are chaotic, or voluntary, or tied in to institutional curricula.
Other models...
Open access to platforms and charging a percent of profit .for courses run.
Advertising driven.
Unlimited access to a platform and all content for a small yearly fee.
