Massive Open Online Courses and Higher Education


Book Description

Since the first MOOC was launched at the University of Manitoba in 2008, this new form of the massification of higher education has been a rollercoaster ride for the university sector. The New York Times famously declared 2012 to be the year of the MOOC. However, by 2014, the number of academic leaders who believed the model was unsustainable doubled to more than 50%. While the MOOC hype has somewhat subsided, the attitudes and anxieties of this peak time can still be seen influencing universities and their administrations. This is the first volume that addresses Massive Open Online Courses from a post-MOOC perspective. We move beyond the initial hype and revolutionary promises of the peak-MOOC period and take a sober look at what endures in an area that is still rapidly growing, albeit without the headlines. This book explores the future of the MOOC in higher education by examining what went right, what went wrong and where to next for the massification of higher education and online learning and teaching. The chapters in this collection address these questions from a wide variety of different backgrounds, methodologies and regional perspectives. They explore learner experiences, the move towards course for credit, innovative design, transformations and implications of the MOOC in turn. This book is valuable reading for students and academics interested in education, eLearning, globalisation and information services.




Massively Open


Book Description

In one of the most rapid adoptions of an educational innovation in history, the rise of the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) has become a significant opportunity for millions of students from all over the world to receive quality education over the internet at no cost. At the same time it has become a source of great optimism as well as foreboding for educational professionals. The game changing potential of this innovation could change the form and system of higher education. The frustration of students who are racking up unprecedented amounts of debt for their educations is nearing a tipping point. If students can earn college credits and even degrees at no cost, the number of tuition paying students at traditional educational institutions could fall dramatically. With ever increasing levels of quality and access, MOOCs are causing us to rethink the educational system, the role of the educator and student, and the role of education in society. What the post-MOOC educational landscape will look like depends upon the choices we make today, choices which must be made through careful consideration. Massively Open is an overview of the implications of this potentially disruptive innovation.




Macro-Level Learning Through Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)


Book Description

"This book provides insight into the emerging phenomenon of MOOCs as a design manual for the course designer with a collection of chapters that deal with all facets of the MOOC debate"--




Emerging Trends, Techniques, and Tools for Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Management


Book Description

"This book addresses the difficulties and challenges in the MOOC design, implementation, management and deployment. It focuses on different aspects of the MOOC life-cycle process and explores the impact of new methodologies and frameworks used in the life cycle of a MOOC ranging from well-designed synchronous virtual classrooms to assessment, gamification and collaborative services and tools"--




Posthumanism and the Massive Open Online Course


Book Description

Posthumanism and the Massive Open Online Course critiques the problematic reliance on humanism that pervades online education and the MOOC, and explores theoretical frameworks that look beyond these limitations. While MOOCs (massive open online courses) have attracted significant academic and media attention, critical analyses of their development have been rare. Following an overview of MOOCs and their corporate means of promotion, this book unravels the tendencies in research and theory that continue to adopt normative views of user access, participation, and educational space in order to offer alternatives to the dominant understandings of community and authenticity in education.




User-Centered Design Strategies for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)


Book Description

In today’s society, educational opportunities have evolved beyond the traditional classroom setting. Most universities have implemented virtual learning environments in an effort to provide more opportunities for potential or current students seeking alternative and more affordable learning solutions. User-Centered Design Strategies for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) focuses on the best practices and effective design of student interaction within virtual learning environments. Highlighting strategies from human-computer interaction experiences and user-centered models, as well as emergent approaches and implementation techniques, this reference publication is designed for computer science students, academics, researchers, instructional designers, IT professionals, software developers, and educators interested in mobile technologies, social learning, and educational inclusion.




Library and Information Science in the Age of MOOCs


Book Description

Online education plays an important role across numerous industries. These processes and strategies can be adopted into the library and information science programs for use in assisting with educational developments. Library and Information Science in the Age of MOOCs is a critical scholarly resource that explores the ideas on how library and information science professionals implement the use of massive open online courses in the library and information science domain. Featuring coverage on a broad range of topics, such as distance learning, technology enhanced learning, and online learning, this book is geared towards academicians, librarians, and researchers seeking current research on solving problems related to massive open online courses.




MOOCs and Their Afterlives


Book Description

A trio of headlines in the Chronicle of Higher Education seem to say it all: in 2013, “A Bold Move Toward MOOCs Sends Shock Waves;” in 2014, “Doubts About MOOCs Continue to Rise,” and in 2015, “The MOOC Hype Fades.” At the beginning of the 2010s, MOOCs, or Massive Open Online Courses, seemed poised to completely revolutionize higher education. But now, just a few years into the revolution, educators’ enthusiasm seems to have cooled. As advocates and critics try to make sense of the rise and fall of these courses, both groups are united by one question: Where do we go from here? Elizabeth Losh has gathered experts from across disciplines—education, rhetoric, philosophy, literary studies, history, computer science, and journalism—to tease out lessons and chart a course into the future of open, online education. Instructors talk about what worked and what didn’t. Students share their experiences as participants. And scholars consider the ethics of this education. The collection goes beyond MOOCs to cover variants such as hybrid or blended courses, SPOCs (Small Personalized Online Courses), and DOCCs (Distributed Open Collaborative Course). Together, these essays provide a unique, even-handed look at the MOOC movement and will serve as a thoughtful guide to those shaping the next steps for open education.




Teaching International Relations


Book Description

This comprehensive guide captures important trends in international relations (IR) pedagogy, paying particular attention to innovations in active learning and student engagement for the contemporary International Relations IR classroom.




The Battle for Open


Book Description

With the success of open access publishing, Massive open online courses (MOOCs) and open education practices, the open approach to education has moved from the periphery to the mainstream. This marks a moment of victory for the open education movement, but at the same time the real battle for the direction of openness begins. As with the green movement, openness now has a market value and is subject to new tensions, such as venture capitalists funding MOOC companies. This is a crucial time for determining the future direction of open education. In this volume, Martin Weller examines four key areas that have been central to the developments within open education: open access, MOOCs, open education resources and open scholarship. Exploring the tensions within these key arenas, he argues that ownership over the future direction of openness is significant to all of those with an interest in education.