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Why are universities 'ripe for disruption'? Their mission has been undercut by (1) political demands for reform, (2) pressures to cut costs, (3) "smothering student debt loads", and (4) "mistaken priorities". The result has been the abandonment of good methods, disconnection from the community which gave it life, and the loss of central purpose. Enter the MOOC.

"… students ... are concerned with getting the courses they need in the formats that fit their lifestyles … . The Sloan Foundation has dubbed this concept "localness," meaning that student access to education is always local to them, even if they do so through online learning.

Don't jump on the MOOC bandwagon just yet!

Its best not to see lecture and educational technology as either/or, bad/good. If educational technology does not improve lectures and teaching/learning in general in ways that nothing else can, then it should not be used. There is, however, lots of good brain and teaching methods research on which to base effective ways of using educational technology to improve student learning. I've got lots of it here in TLS, and part of our committee work could be to create a repository of this research and details of the associated educational technology methods that have been proven to work. Faced with research-based evidence, most instructors are willing to incorporate new methods.

I'm looking forward to starting my MOOC on Disruptive Technology through Coursera. Sure, a good lecture is great, but I like the prospect of watching a great lecture at home by the fire. Plus, I like the idea of getting content delivered to me by some of the most highly rated teachers/researchers in the world... for free at that!

Interesting--37% have smart phones and 23% have tablets. Something to consider when Top Hat Monocle clickers work best with laptops and smart phones and tablets (on cell phones, students cannot see the questions on their phones and can only text the answer). No info from the survey about % of teens owning their own laptop.

Just found a figure for percentage of students who bring laptops to class: 65%. Between 37% having smart phones, 23% with tablets and 65% who bring laptops, looks like Top Hat Monocle clickers are on to something. :)

To use conservative figures, 10% completion of a 50,000 enrolment is still a lot of students. If 1% were UNB students, that's 50.

Dr. Michael Power from Laval speaks to a group at Memorial about the need for a "major redirection" for online education that blends priorities of students (accessibility), faculty (quality), and admin. (cost effectiveness).

"In an effort to reduce costs for students, the College of Education and Human Development has created this catalog of open textbooks to be reviewed by faculty members"

This is a K-12 study - started in 2003 with 3rd graders who are graduating this year.

"… potential driving research questions to position a MOOC initiative on our campus [i.e. UWM]. One of those was "Can MOOCs be offered within D2L to introduce and orient potential students to our online programs?"

A balanced search for a sustainable MOOC business model: "The reality is that online solutions are still underused by higher education, but we are left to wait for genuine innovation that is capable to provide alternatives in line with academic rigour, quality assurance and student needs in higher education. Students cannot be engaged by simple conversions of boring lectures into online videos that are even more boring, affected by clunky and poorly designed technological solutions and rigid platforms for discussions and 'forums'."

"Series authors were asked to consider the implications of the rise in online and blended learning on teaching, learning, the student experience and the physical infrastructure of campuses."

"We are approaching a tipping point where education and educators can use technology to reach almost every person on the planet inexpensively. However, the result may not look like the conventional university experience we recognize today".

Ken, this could be a good thing, but difficult for traditional university educators to adjust to, perhaps more difficult for the educators than for the students. Just a thought.