My First MOOC: A New Year’s Resolution
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By Dana Bodewes, Instructional Designer
I am not one to jump on the bandwagon for any type of fad that gets a lot of media attention. My first iPhone was the 5, just out of stubbornness. But in my role as an instructional designer, I felt it was due time for me to have an opinion of MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, based on first-hand experience. (For those of you new to the concept of MOOCs, see the info-graphic to the right for an overview of the concept).
After making the resolution to participate in a MOOC this January, I found myself unsure of how to get started finding one. After a bit of searching, I decided to select a course from the options provided by either edX or Coursera. Both providers have websites that host online courses created by faculty across the globe, though edX is a non-profit partnership and Coursera is a for-profit education company. Edx and Coursera courses are both developed by a range of faculty from ivy league, private, and public institutions. As of January, EdX had posted 125 courses and Coursera had posted about 550. I was secretly relieved to discover that neither provider offered courses directly relevant to my profession, so I was free to take a course just for fun.
The amount of information listed about the courses varied greatly. Some courses included a rigorous syllabus of readings, assignments, discussion boards, and tests. Other courses posted little detail up front, and may mostly utilize lecture videos and reading. I was pleased to see some courses provided reading material for free, while others listed traditional text books to purchase. Having already earned three degrees, I found myself disinclined toward courses that had more rigorous work expectations and expensive textbooks. I love to learn just for the pleasure of it, but I think I need external motivators (i.e. cost or credit) if I am going to take exams.
I decided to enroll in a Coursera course, Moralities of Everyday Life, created by a Yale psychology professor I had previously seen in TedTalks videos. The enrollment process was simple and required just my name and email information. I was given the option to purchase the “verified certificate” track for $50. This service, called Signature Track, uses typing patterns with facial recognition to confirm a student’s identity. Since it’s my first experience with a MOOC, I am going with the free option. Class begins January 20th (apparently MOOCs don’t honor federal holidays) and lasts nine weeks. I am excited to personally experience how a MOOC compares to a traditional online course. Stay tuned!
In the meantime, if you too are inspired by the new year and want to learn something new, I invite you to try the MOOC experience along with me and share your thoughts. Here are the sites I explored:
Originally posted 1/21/2014 in PLU’s Instructional Technologies blog