This document summarizes a MOOC on learning and teaching in higher education called FSLT12. It discusses the design of old and new MOOCs, provides an overview of FSLT12, and evaluates the course based on participant feedback. FSLT12 used a combination of platforms including WordPress and Moodle. It covered topics like the curriculum for new lecturers and open academic practice. Participants engaged in asynchronous discussions and synchronous sessions. Evaluation found the organization worked well but could be improved, and assessments created focus while exemplifying openness. Feedback suggested guidance is needed on navigating multi-platform MOOCs to support inclusive learning.

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

2. 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

3. 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

4. Old MOOCs, New MOOCs
Our 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

5. 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

7. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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.

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

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

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

18. 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

19. http://bit.ly/NC7pPu

21. 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

22. 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

23. Assessment Activities
• Diagnostic/formative
• Summative
1. Initial reflective statement aligned with
UKPSF
2. Collaborative annotated bibliography
3. Microteaching

25. 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.”

26. 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

27. 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

28. EVALUATION

31. 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?

32. 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

33. Some comments
I thought the This MOOC surpassed my
organization of the expectations in terms of
MOOC 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.

34. 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, I
this one encouraged feel that I have gained
my participation at a new knowledge and
more thoughtful understanding in relation
level than previous to the benefits of
sessions. collaboration and
interactive learning.

35. And more…
I don't like the
use 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 and
not 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 was
strangely difficult The micro teach
to find what I was was not clear
looking for on the and the
course pages. organisation
was a little late

36. #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?

37. Focus Group

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

39. 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 ‘newbie's’

40. Inclusivity
• Openness not an immediate concern for ‘newbie's’
• 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

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

42. Limits of navigation

43. 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

44. What do you need

45. How are components related to topic?

46. What is appropriate MOOC design?

47. 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?

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