Can live web broadcasts help build better learning communities? In 2014, the first presentation of the Open University ‘Moons’ MOOC went live on FutureLearn.We ran three Google ‘Hangouts on Air’ over the course of the 8 week MOOC.

1. Houston:
we
have
a
Hangout!
Going
Live
with
Google
Catherine
Chambers
Senior
Producer,
The
Open
University
Milton
Keynes,
UK

2. In March 2014 the first presentation of the
Open University ‘Moons’ MOOC went live on
FutureLearn.
We ran three Google ‘Hangouts on Air’ over
the course of the 8 week MOOC.

3. CC-BY-2.0 Duncan Hull

4. Toasters ?
(We’ll come to those in a minute...but first let’s go back
to the beginning….the big question: )

5. Q: How can we engage students in exciting new
ways?
A: By making learning more....
Interactive.
Responsive.
Social.
And let’s not forget that important three letter
word....

6. FUN!

7. Hangouts are a form of live webcast - to a global audience
Allow learners to consolidate their learning
Learners can participate in a real-time experience
from anywhere in the world.
....and feel part of a learning community
Learners can watch via Google+, YouTube and
website (ie FutureLearn)
Live questions posted via Google Chat and Twitter (Hangout
links can be embedded in Facebook and Twitter)

8. 372 references to ....toasters?
MOONS Hangouts in Numbers
8 Week MOOC
3 live Hangouts – 7pm GMT
2 Presenters each Hangout
4 international experts from Houston and
372 references to toasters in online discussions
199 references to that three letter word
1,000 likes relating to Hangout Q’s as learners
worked together to identify key questions for the
QA

9. One question on the discussion forum asked:
“Can an orbiting object the size of a toaster qualify as a
moon”?
This became a running gag in the live broadcasts as
international guests were quizzed on the size of
moons…as toasters. It even found another life on
Twitter.

10. Professor David Rothery post
doctoral researcher Jess Barnes
Professor Simon Kelley
Jess Barnes

11. So why all the buzz about Hangouts?
Brand awareness - presenter dynamic increases OU experts’
brand presence and allows personality to emerge
along with playfulness with visual props (rocks...toasters)
Responsive - the real time format allows experts to
respond to breaking news or topical issues, for example
the discovery of new Moons around Saturn (April 2014)
Shareable - LPI expert Paul Schenk shared fascinating research
footage of Saturn’s 6th largest moon, Enceladus using the
screenshare tool
Supports the ideas of learning as a lifestyle: catch up available
after broadcast

12. Live Learner feedback

13. “This is the future of
remote education”
Paul Benham, Moons Google Hangout, April 3rd

14. https://twitter.com/Catherine_C
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/catherinechambers77
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhxflNHZ51E
Moons MOOC Hangout Trailer