Underway, slightly late, with course orientation. I've found the initial resources good, and I have already shared the Vimeo video on how to use a MOOC. I have to confess I'm a bit of a MOOC sceptic, but thus far I'm finding the mOOC experience good. Maybe the difference is in the size of the m.
At a recent conference in Edinburgh on OER we discussed definitions of MOOCs and I was not particularly satisfied with any of them. For me the key problem lies in the last word - Course. What distinguishes a 'Course' from a themed collection of resources? We shall see.
Incidentally, I do blog already, therefore my profile here is about my other life. I write novels, not published yet, but working hard to achieve that. So my profile here is the 'real' me. I thoroughly enjoy the process of blogging within the context of that life. As Steve Wheeler suggests it helps me to clarify my thoughts, and gives me the chance for reflection. In addition, having been a journalist in another past life I'm fairly used to writing quickly and with a certain degree of ease.
Hi John,
ReplyDeleteI too have reservations about the utility of definitions of MOOCs.
For us at the OERu, our focus is on open online courses as a contribution to widening access to more affordable education. They're open because they are free (gratis and libre) with the permissions to adapt and modify. They are courses because they map to official courses on the books of our partners and learners have the option to pursue formal academic credit. Micro in our context is not a reference to the number of participants but refers to a sub-component of a formal course, for instance 5 academic credits of a 15 credit course. That said, they courses are designed to scale and in theory could accommodate thousands of learners.
Those are interesting caveats Wayne, because they fit more clearly with what I think a MOOC might be, or should be if the definition is to be any use at all. I am not comfortable with the extreme end of MOOC theory/support which says that a course cannot truly be a MOOC if it is run within a set time frame, or if it requires users to join. I have heard this stated at a conference and I don't agree. Resources don't make courses. (Unless you count people as resources too).
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