What is necessary and what is contingent in MOOC design

What is Necessary and what isContingent in Design for Massive Open Online Courses? George Roberts Marion Waite Jenny Mackness Elizabeth Lovegrove 20/07/2012HEA/JISC OER Phase 3 – OERs for PGCERTs strand project: “OpenLine”

Outline The higher ed buzzword of the year… (Bon Stewart)• Questions• MOOC background – Old MOOCs, New MOOCs – Our MOOC • First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FSLT12) • Design considerations• Evaluation• Discussion

Questions• What do you need (platform – and other - components) to conduct a MOOC? – And, what is nice-to-have but not necessary?• How are those aspects related to the subject of the course?• What guidance can be offered about appropriate design for conducting MOOCs? Can we arrange the room for discussion

Old MOOCs, New MOOCsOur MOOC First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FSLT12) Design considerations … the key difference between the two kinds of MOOCs is one of underlying of ideology (Peter Sloep http://bit.ly/LBwImp )MOOC BACKGROUND

Old MOOCs from 2008 MOOCs were … were intended to be a challenge to the traditional notion of a course (Jenny Mackness)• Explicit pedagogical perspective – Social constructivist, dialogic, actor networks• Distributed, open source platform components – Wikis, WordPress, Moodle• Intentional social media conversations – Twitter, Facebook, Blogs• Open challenge to institutions – Access, environment, IPR, assessment

New MOOCs from 2011 When the cavalry charge is being led by the most prestigious higher ed institutions … it is hard to imagine it will all blow over… (Bon Stewart)• Tacit pedagogical perspective – Instructivist, cognitivist, pragmatic, realist, – Authentic: employment oriented• Consolidated platforms – Incidental social media The other kind of MOOC embraces a simple business ideology, and as such is• Institutional counter-position almost the antithesis to the – Elite, neo-colonial (?) first kind. Peter Sloep http://bit.ly/LBwImp

Recipient-design Learner centred focus• Social-constructivist “old” MOOCs –Focus on the process of learning itself –Take a radical, recipient-design approach based on • Autonomy, diversity, openness, networks, interactivity, connectivity

Learning processes• Aggregate – Filter, select and gather information meaningful to the individual,• Remix – Interpret this information bringing one’s own perspective and insights,• Repurpose – Refashion it to suit individual purposes, and then• Feed forward – Share it with other participants, to learn from each other

Referee design Topic focus• Instructivist “new” MOOCs – Certain approach to subject-area knowledge – Characterised by referee design focus on • Learning outcomes, Subject knowledge, Codified by authorities, Interpreted by the instructor

Learning processes• Didactic – Exposition through video, audio and text• Structured – Guided discussion with facilitation• Practical – Exercises simulations, laboratories – Work-based• Assessed – Multiple choice, short answer

Two kinds of platform But what about the technology? (Audry Watters)• Instructivist MOOCs – Consolidated or unified approach presents all the course elements in a single “wrapper”• Constructivist MOOCs – Distributed approach uses a selection of available tools in their “native” guise.

Our MOOC• First Steps into Learning and Teaching in Higher Education (FSLT12)

Some Data• 160 Registered• 60 active participants – 20 assessed places – 12/14 completed assessment• 19 participants consented for ‘research & evaluation

Three topic areas We learn from each other, in conversation• First steps curriculum• UK Professional Standards Framework (UKPSF)• Open Academic Practice

First Steps Curriculum• Open content (http://bit.ly/NC7pPu )• Asynchronous discussion forums• Derived from New Lecturers Programme – 6 topics • Supporting Learning • Reflective Practice • Teaching Groups • Feedback • Lecturing • Evaluation

http://bit.ly/NC7pPu

UKPSF• Descriptor Level 1 (Associate Fellow) – Threaded throughout• Areas of Activity – Design and plan learning activities – Teach and support learning – Engage in continuing professional development• Core Knowledge – Subject knowledge – Teaching methods – Use and value of appropriate learning technology

Open Academic Practice• Programme of guest speakers• Live synchronous (and recorded) audiographic sessions – Introduction to open academic practice – Role of openness in transforming practice – Theory pedagogy and community – Open educational resources (OER) and their impact on teachers

Assessment Activities• Diagnostic/formative• Summative1. Initial reflective statement aligned with UKPSF2. Collaborative annotated bibliography3. Microteaching

Learning outcomes• Were not specified at the course level! – “The course aims to develop and extend your knowledge, understanding and skills of teaching and learning in higher education.” – “A key principle of the course is learner autonomy” – “… encourage participant interaction and open sharing of resources, learning, thoughts and ideas.”

Platform elements• WordPress• Moodle – With a tabbed interface thanks to Joe Rosa• Collaborate – Thanks to Sylvia Currie and the SCOPE community• Blog aggregator – With bespoke CSS - Also thanks to Joe

EVALUATION

Evaluation purpose• Feedback to funders – Development of OERs – Adoption of open academic practice by participants – Professional development for new lecturers• Course Evaluation – What worked well? – What could be improved?

Evaluation methodology• UREC approval• Online course evaluation questionnaire• Online synchronous focus groups• Face-to-face/online semi-structured individual interviews for target group• Other (tbc) e-mail interviews, blog, twitter, discussion forum analysis

Some comments I thought the This MOOC surpassed my organization of the expectations in terms ofMOOC was excellent, content and engagement.clear schedules, and The "live virtual classrooms" great support. really made the difference. It was a challenging as much as enriching experience. Challenging It was illuminating and because it was the first time for empowering at the me to engage with a MOOC…; same time to learn in enriching because I learnt a lot such a clear way the from the experience on a number value of CPD, reflection of different levels and what professionalism means.

Some more comments As I am very new to the MOOC learning, I was at first a bit lost as it was such an Exhausting and multi-channel quite stressful learning, incorporating to enjoyable listening, reading, discussion, and rewarding thinking etc all most at the in equal same time measure Having initially felt Having taken a overwhelmed by the on- number of MOOCs line learning experience, Ithis one encouraged feel that I have gainedmy participation at a new knowledge and more thoughtful understanding in relation level than previous to the benefits of sessions. collaboration and interactive learning.

And more… I dont like theuse of different sites assessed- it is very confusing. In retrospect it all worked well students I missed three days were the real posts because I did but I remember students andnot realise that I had we other on to sign up to all feeling at the time a bit lost the border forums. as regards the Moodle site. somehow it wasstrangely difficult The micro teachto find what I was was not clearlooking for on the and the course pages. organisation was a little late

#FSLT 12 Focus Groups• Organization of MOOC – How to support navigation thorough and across the platforms• Assessment – How can we best meet the needs of assessed & non-assessed participants? – Equity & Criteria• Use of technology/activities – Balance of synchronous & asynchronous activities & best use of each• Inclusive Practice – Common phenomenon in MOOCs for participants to feel ‘lost’ and ‘unsupported’. – Intended audience of #FSLT12 was ‘the novice’. How could we have been more inclusive throughout?

Focus Group

Organisation of MOOC/ Navigation• ‘getting over that initial concern’• ‘personal efforts’• ‘establish participant audience’• ‘becoming part of the community’• ‘extends beyond a normal course’

Assessment• ‘more clarity’ about link with pedagogy of MOOC and Microteach’• ‘Rich peer feedback’• ‘Microteach requires thought & preparation’• ‘opportunity to practice with new technologies’• ‘lots of new skills developed’• ‘high quality outputs’• ‘chance to observe varied examples of online teaching’• ‘illuminated diversity of other participants’• ‘vets’ very impressed with ‘newbies’

Inclusivity• Openness not an immediate concern for ‘newbies’• Pragmatic approach to sharing & collaboration• Convenient and flexible way to learn about teaching and learning in HE• Good challenge to prepare Microteach for diverse audience• New literacies required for active participation• Informal networks established for buddying• Future potential for ‘vets’ as volunteers to support a cohort

Other outcomes• OERs• RADAR• YouTube http://bit.ly/Q9fEqO• Other resources (Jenny’s table)

Limits of navigation

What do you need

How are components related to topic?

What is appropriate MOOC design?

Thoughts & reflections A controlled classroom environment isn’t a bad thing (Krauss)• Overall ‘an evaluation success’‘FSLT12 combined best aspects of a closed online course with the best aspects of openness in a MOOC and put them together’(Jenny Mackness) – Assessment created a common focus – What aspects of the course might have exemplified open academic practice? – How does this impact on new lecturers courses? – What about the 75% of participant views that have yet to be captured?

Thank you George Roberts Marion Waite Jenny MacknessOCSLD, Oxford Brookes University June 2012 groberts@brookes.ac.uk

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What is necessary and what is contingent in MOOC design

by George Roberts on Jul 20, 2012

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