This document provides an overview of the development and delivery of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Indigenous education. It describes the course staff and advisory group, as well as student demographics. It discusses principles of universal design for learning incorporated into the course, including multiple means of representation, expression, and engagement. Lessons learned are shared regarding media production, MOOC delivery aspects like orientation, assessment, due dates, beta testing, grade allocation, scaling support, and acquiring student testimonials. Example student testimonials praise the reflective nature and accessibility of the course material.

1. Busting Through the Maze: Building and
Supporting our
First MOOC
Sharon Hu, UBC
Ian Linkletter, UBC

3. "This course will enable educators to
envision how Indigenous ways of knowing,
content, perspectives, and pedagogies can
be made part of classrooms, schools, and
communities in ways that are thoughtful
and respectful."

4. Course Staff
Instructor: Dr. Jan Hare
Teaching Assistant: Sara Davidson
Teaching Assistant: Anita Parhar

5. Advisory Group
DeDe DeRose, Kamloops School District
Diane Jubinville, District Aboriginal Principal, Delta School District
Gail Stromquist, Aboriginal Education, British Columbia Teacher’s Federation
Dr. Jo-ann Archibald, Associate Dean of Indigenous Education, UBC
Starleigh Grass, First Nations Education Steering Committee
Don Fiddler, District Aboriginal Principal, Vancouver School Board

6. Dr. Jo-ann Archibald
Kaleb Child
Larry Grant
Peggy Janicki
Dr. Verna Kirkness
Virginia Morgan
Dr. Cynthia Nichol
Gerry Oleman
Dr. Jean Phillips
Shane Pointe
Roberta Pryce
Dr. Andrew Schofield
Contributors

7. Development Staff
Team Lead: Natasha Boskic
Multimedia Producer: Sharon Hu
Video Production: UBC Studios
Tech Lead: Ian Linkletter
Graphic Designer: Bill Pickard
Quality Assurance: Eleanor Hoskins
Quality Assurance: Austin Lee
Quality Assurance: Andrea Gonzalez

8. Barry Magrill
Heather McGregor
Jeff Miller
Jason Myers
Nicole Ronan
Derek White
Jenny Wong
Saeed Dyanatkar
Mark Edwards
Will Engle
Mairin Kerr
Gregor Kiczales
Sarah Lockman
Beni Loti

9. Our Students: Who are they?

10. Our Students: Who are they?
● 8316 students from 134 countries
● 5334 from Canada (64%)
● 892 from US (10%)
● 152 from Australia

11. Our Students: Learning Goals

13. Guiding Principle: Universal Design for
Learning

14. Universal Design for Learning
Multiple ways of
representation
Multiple ways of
expression
Multiple ways of
engagement

15. Multiple Ways of Representation
Use a variety of delivery
methods and learning
approaches

16. Multiple Ways of Representation
Provide
transcription for
video content

17. Multiple Ways of Representation
Allow the videos
and transcripts to
be downloaded

18. Multiple Ways of Representation
Create
corresponding
YouTube playlists

19. Mobile Accessibility
Multiple ways of representation

20. Multiple Means of Expression
Encourage different ways for students to
interact with each other.
Design activities that allow for active
participation, exploration, and
experimentation.

21. Multiple Means of Expression
Use a Variety of Learning Activities

22. Multiple Means of Expression
Progression of the complexity of activities

23. Multiple Means of Engagement
Capture the students’ attention through a
variety of different teaching methods and
learning activities

24. Multiple Means of Engagement
Embed activities
after each segment
of content

25. Multiple Means of Engagement
Concluding video
at the end of the
modules

26. Multiple Means of Engagement
Flat hierarchy in
the discussion
forum

27. Multiple Means of Engagement
Pin the most
insightful
comments/FAQ to the
top

28. Lessons Learned: Media Production

29. Tracking filming schedule
Lessons Learned: Media Production

30. Tracking transcription & edX schedule
Lessons Learned: Media Production

31. Embedded/linked Videos Vs. Uploaded Videos
Lessons Learned: Media Production
Vs.

32. Auto-generate transcript
Lessons Learned: Media Production

33. Consent to create transcript (i.e., making a
derivative copy)
Lessons Learned: Media Production

34. Consent to re-use the videos in other contexts
Lessons Learned: Media Production

35. Check the video analytics and modify the video
accordingly
Lessons Learned: Media Production

36. Lessons Learned: MOOC Delivery
● Getting Oriented
● Assessment at Scale
● Due Dates and Times
● Beta Testing
● Grade Allocation
● Scaling Support
● Acquiring Testimonials

37. Lessons Learned: Getting Oriented

38. Lessons Learned: Getting Oriented
● Welcome Announcement
● Walkthrough Videos
● Planning Your Weeks

42. Lessons Learned: Assessment at Scale
How might a peer-assessed assignment
lead to frustration? How could it be
designed to ensure fair and helpful
feedback?

43. Lessons Learned: Assessment at Scale
● Walkthrough Video
● Example Assignment
● Clear Rubric
● Multiple Assessments

47. Lessons Learned: Assessment at Scale
● Assignment was clear
● Everyone received feedback
● Feedback could have been deeper

48. Lessons Learned: Due Dates and Times

49. Lessons Learned: Due Dates and Times
● UTC Clock and Countdown
● Deadline Extensions
● The “Fake” Deadline

50. Lessons Learned: Due Dates and Times
● Deadline was at midnight on a Saturday
● We emailed a reminder on Friday
● We planned to make an exception
● We extended for one week
● Students received an email announcing this

51. Lessons Learned: Due Dates and Times
Initial Deadline: 451 submissions
After Extension: 721 submissions!
625 students ended up completing the first offering..

52. Lessons Learned: Due Dates and Times
STICK TO THE PLAN.

53. Lessons Learned: Beta Testing

54. Lessons Learned: Beta Testing
● Stick to the plan
● Simplify simplify simplify
● When testing something new, start small
● Never test on the production environment
● Listen carefully

55. Lessons Learned: Grade Allocation

56. Lessons Learned: Scaling Support

57. Lessons Learned: Acquiring Testimonials

58. Testimonial
s
The discussion posts have been very reflective and encouraging.
I think the course touched many subjects and was easy to understand even for
those who have never been in an aboriginal education environment. The material
was easily accessible and the assignments were very reflective.

59. Testimoni
als
I really appreciated the structure and clarity of the course. Though I already knew
a lot that was presented in the content, still, I learned a great deal more. And I
had never taken a MOOC! So this was a great opportunity for me to take a
course where I did know a great deal about the content previously, but also
course acquire some new knowledge about taking an online course. The videos
were terrific! And I shared them in my own teaching. Ho'waa

60. Testimonials
One area of potential with the MOOC format is that I can see different groups and
communities taking this course together and working through the units with
organized times for off-line discussions as well as online. I took this course as an
individual but found myself bringing the topics and themes into various
conversations with friends and colleagues. For that reason, I'd really recommend
taking this course with a friend or group of friends to go through together. In fact, I
am recommending the course to my teaching colleagues! So much to learn and
so many ideas to take straight into an educational environment.