This document discusses Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It provides definitions of key terms like MOOC and explains the history and types of MOOCs. The types discussed are cMOOCs (connectivist), sMOOCs (standard), and xMOOCs. Benefits of teachers taking MOOCs are outlined, including increasing specific knowledge, satisfying personal interests, observing other teachers, and potential for informal collaboration. MOOCs can also aid professional development and supplement classroom learning. Additional benefits include improving digital skills, exploring online learning models, and expanding international professional networks.

2.  What is Massive Open Online Course(MOOC)?
 MOOC history in a nutshell
 Why offer MOOC?
 Different types of MOOC
 Professional Development as a Teacher
 Two main benefits of a teacher
 Indirect benefits of a teacher
 The MOOC I am interested in doing

3.  Massive
◦ Student numbers can be 100,000 +
 Open
◦ Study any course, anywhere at any time
 Online
◦ As opposed to face-to-face or blended
 Course
◦ Learning units in an academic subject

4.  From 2005: sharp social
media increase (YouTube,
wiki’s, FB)
 CCK2008: first ‘Massive
Open Online Course – over
2000 learners, internationaal)
– organised by Stephen
Downes & George Siemens.
Based on connectivism.
 Khan Academy: math online,
gratis
 2012: Artificial Intelligence
course in Stanford University
(over 100.000 registered
learners). Old pedagogy
online.
 MOOC hype, worldwide press
interest
2005
CCK2008
Kahn Academy
2012
MOOC hype

6. MOOCs can profile an
institution as a
leading 21st Century
educational
institution.
MOOC
MOOCs may well be a
“game changer” with
respect to how education
is delivered and
consumed and
institutions need to be in
the MOOC space to
experience delivering
education in this way and
to remain current with
educational practices.
MOOCs provide an
opportunity for an
institution to
experiment with
teaching practices
and to engage with
new pedagogical
approaches.
Institutions have a range
of subject areas that are
specific to their region
e.g. HK SAR / China
context and HKU can
showcase these subjects
through offering MOOC
courses.
An institution can
make knowledge
more accessible to
the general public
through offering a
range of MOOCs.
MOOCs can profile an
institution as a
leading 21st Century
educational
institution.
MOOC
MOOCs may well be a
“game changer” with
respect to how education
is delivered and
consumed and
institutions need to be in
the MOOC space to
experience delivering
education in this way and
to remain current with
educational practices.
MOOCs provide an
opportunity for an
institution to
experiment with
teaching practices
and to engage with
new pedagogical
approaches.
Institutions have a range
of subject areas that are
specific to their region
e.g. HK SAR / China
context and HKU can
showcase these subjects
through offering MOOC
courses.
An institution can
make knowledge
more accessible to
the general public
through offering a
range of MOOCs.

7. cMOOCs
sMOOCs
xMOOCS

8. ◦ The first MOOC ever offered was a
cMOOC.
◦ Based on a Connectives Learning Theory
◦ Knowledge / content is generated by
teachers, students and multiple others.
◦ Multiple technologies – 12 in this first
MOOC – are used to connect people
participating in the course.
◦ On the fringes but cutting edge in terms of
pedagogy and technologies

9. Coursera MOOCs could be characterized as a Standard
MOOCs or an sMOOC.
◦ Founded in the fall of 2011 by Daphne Koller (Stanford)
and Andrew Ng (Stanford) and was launched in April
2012 after significant venture capital funding was
secured (MarketWire, 2012).
◦ As of 4th April 2013 Coursera has 62 university partners
and had registered over 3.5 million users enrolled in over
300 courses in 20 categories (Coursera, 2013a;
Protalinksi, 2013a).

10. ◦ Grounded in behaviorist learning theory
with some cognitive components and
some constructivist components.
◦ This means transmission style teaching
with drill and practice, problem sets and
e.g. discussion forums.
◦ Uses a limited range of technologies and
could be thought of in terms of LMS as
platform.
◦ Very much in the mainstream with
monetization a key component.

11.  There is a lack of pedagogical focus which may have to
do with the fact that Coursera institutions consider
MOOCs to be a side line activity rather than a way to
explore new / better teaching and learning models
(Armstrong, 2012; Daniel, 2012).
 The three key questions have been answered and
sMOOCs have been characterized as “lacking” in a
number of ways.
 There are always exceptions (Knox et al., 2012).

12.  edX could be characterized as an
xMOOC.
◦ the X signifying excellence, external
outreach, exploration, experimentation
and expansion (Rodrick & Sun, 2012) –
holds for edX which has grown out of a
tradition of exploring online teaching and
learning (Daniel, 2012).
◦ MIT announced MITx at the end of 2011
for a launch in spring 2012. MITx has now
morphed into edX with the addition of
Harvard and UC Berkeley (EdX, 2012).

13. ◦ edX is not for profit (EdX, 2012) and
has been financed to the tune of
US$ 60 million through participating
institutions and through “gifts” from
Harvard and MIT alumni (EdX,
2012).
◦ As of November 2012 edX had
370,000 students (Coursera had 1.7
million at the same point in time)
(Pappano, 2012).

14.  edX
◦ At the time of writing edX has 33 courses (edX,
2013a) offered by HarvardX, MITx and BerkeleyX.
◦ Beginning in fall 2013, edX will offer courses
from another 11 universities. In 2014, edX will
expand further through offering courses from
an additional 9 universities (edX, 2013b).
◦ Much more selective than Coursera and will cap
when they have recruited the best universities in
the world.
◦ edX is making statements about courses
designed specifically for the web (De Luzuriaga,
2012).

15.  edX
◦ Aspirational statements about “creating new
online learning experiences” and about
researching “how students learn and how
technology can transform learning–both on-
campus and worldwide” (EdX, 2013; Rodrick &
Sun, 2012).
◦ Commitment in these areas with edX
collaborating with Cengage Learning for content
creation (IStockAnalyst, 2012).

16.  edX
◦ Overall, edX conceives of their MOOCs as providing
the potential for educational research that will improve
both the on campus and off campus experience
(“Classroom in the Cloud,” 2012; de Luzuriaga, 2012;
Lin, 2012).
◦ Underlying pedagogies / technologies may not be that
different at the moment but there seems to be an
ongoing commitment to quality content creation /
exploring technologies for effective teaching.

17.  Increase specific knowledge within area of
expertise
 Satisfy personal knowledge interest
 Look over the shoulder of other colleagues
 Potential for informele teacher group education

18.  Professional development: teachers, learners
 MOOC as addition to class / curriculum

19.  Increase digital skills
 Explore and understand contemporary online learning
 Expand peer network (international teacher connect)
 Leisure learning