Dr. George Veletsianos Canada Research Chair in Innovative Learning & Technology

Associate Professor School of Education and Technology

Royal Roads University

The messy realities of MOOCs

American Library Association January 26, 2014

MOOCs are a phenomenon

•  The MOOC phenomenon is a symptom. – Economic pressures – Political pressures – Privatization pressures – Educators’ failures to create their own solutions

for educational problems – Belief that technology provides the solutions

needed – Lack of impact of “educational technology”

scholarship

What happens “on the ground” with open learning/participation?

•  No single narrative can describe what happens in open learning environments

What happens “on the ground” with open learning/participation?

•  Learners report benefiting from open course participation (Hilton, Graham, Rich, & Wiley, 2010)

•  Learners face a number of obstacles (Mackness et al, 2011)

•  Learners motivations vary (e.g., exploring topics earning credential)

•  We lack an evidence-based understanding of experiences with all open forms of learning/scholarship

What is it like to participate in open online learning?

Veletsianos, G. (2013). Learner Experiences with MOOCs and Open Online Learning. Hybrid Pedagogy. Retrieved on Sept 29, 2013 from http://learnerexperiences.hybridpedagogy.com.

Results

•  Learners –  questioned institutional/instructor commitment, –  identified a need for improved instructional design, –  praised responsive MOOC instructors, –  criticized instructors who were not visible, –  valued course flexibility and denounced course rigidity, –  appreciated the opportunities for open learning.

•  The realities of open online learning are different from the hopes of open online learning.

Some key considerations

•  MOOCs vary considerably –  In length –  In learning design –  In learner participation/roles, learner support –  In innovative practices

•  Key questions to ask – Why offer a MOOC? – How is our offering building on existing

research/theory/understanding? – What do we want the learner experience to

look like?

Thank you!

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