Professor Alejandro Armellini gave a presentation on whether Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are pedagogically innovative. He had education professionals involved in MOOCs complete a survey, with 15.1% saying MOOCs are innovative and 84.9% saying they are not. Those who said they are innovative failed to define or justify how they meet innovation criteria. Those who said they are not innovative argued that MOOCs are traditional, content-centric, lack quality assurance, and over-hyped with low completion rates. However, Armellini concluded that while there is less innovation than claimed, pedagogic innovation is not required for excellent teaching.

1. SOLSTICE Conference, 9th June 2016
Are Massive Open Online Courses
pedagogically innovative?
Professor Alejandro Armellini
University of Northampton
@alejandroa
Ale.Armellini@northampton.ac.uk

2. Task 1
What do these four
concepts have in
common?
1. Over-promises and
under-delivery
2. Relentless optimism
3. Innovation
4. Potential

3. Innovation
“A new idea or a further development of an
existing product, process or method that is
applied in a specific context with the
intention to create a value added”.
(Kirkland and Sutch, 2009)
3
@alejandroa

4. What exactly is pedagogic innovation?
Definitions in the literature are:
– Lacking: people write about innovation without ever
stating what it is
– Vague or recursive
– Mistaken. For example, using technologies in
learning and teaching activities is not per se a
pedagogic innovation
4
@alejandroa

5. Task 2
With a friendly
neighbour, define
“pedagogic innovation”.
Note: avoid using the
terms you’re defining in
the definition itself.

6. Pedagogic innovation
“Adapting to characteristics of students and
responding to their development is an inherent
aspect of pedagogy. […] These adaptations
can be considered innovations if are based
[sic] on a new idea and when they have the
potential to improve student learning, or when
they are linked with other outcomes […]”
(Vieluf, Kaplan, Klieeme & Bayer, 2012)
6
@alejandroa

7. Pedagogic innovation
“What is an innovation in one education system
may be well-established practice in another;
what is appreciated as an improvement may be
rejected elsewhere.”
(Vieluf et al., 2012)
@alejandroa 7

8. Task 3
With your friendly
neighbour (or with a
different one!) consider
whether or not MOOCs
are “pedagogically
innovative”.
If they are, indicate what
pedagogic innovation
criteria MOOCs meet.
If they are not, indicate
your reasons.

9. 9
@alejandroa

10. Are MOOCs pedagogically innovative?
Survey of 106
education
professionals
involved in MOOCs:
Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)

11. Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)

12. Key features of MOOCs
Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)

13. MOOCs are pedagogically innovative (15.1%)
• Failed to justify, define pedagogic
innovation or identify criteria
• Confused innovation with novelty or
enthusiasm
• Identified other forms of innovation in
MOOCs (e.g. scope, scale) but couldn’t
make claims of a pedagogic nature
• “Potential”
Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)

14. MOOCs are not pedagogically innovative (84.9%)
- part 1
• Traditional
• Content-centric: “shovelware”
• Glorified resources: MOORs
• Technologically flamboyant (when things work)
• “MOOCs in themselves are not pedagogically
innovative, but with some imagination they
could be helpful”
Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)

15. • An innovation in marketing, not in pedagogy
• Regressive, anachronistic, chaotic
• Cost-cutting devices, masqueraded as
‘democratic’, ‘open’ and ‘free’ courses
• Over-hyped, low completion, low value,
disposable, no recognition, quality
assurance or rigour
• cMOOCs seen more positively than
xMOOCs
Armellini & Padilla (JIOL, forthcoming)
MOOCs are not pedagogically innovative (84.9%)
- part 2

16. Task 4
Find your friendly neighbour again
and consider these two questions:
a. Think of your autobiography as a
student. Share an example of
pedagogic innovation, which you
experienced as a learner.
b. Share one criterion that, in your
view, innovative pedagogic practice
in HE should meet or exceed.
@alejandroa 16

17. In MOOCs -as is all other educational
settings- pedagogic innovation is the
exception, not the rule.
There’s far less innovation than meets the
eye
BUT…
@alejandroa 17
Innovation and excellence

18. Innovation and excellence
Pedagogic innovation is not a prerequisite for
excellent teaching

19. Task 5: next steps
What will your next
pedagogic innovation
be?
(be very specific!)
@alejandroa 19

20. Thank you
Professor Alejandro Armellini
University of Northampton
@alejandroa
Ale.Armellini@northampton.ac.uk
SOLSTICE Conference, 9th June 2016