Interesting decision to address a number of common criticisms of online learning: the potential for cheating, the failure of enrollees to complete the course and the lack of certification.
An interesting breakdown of statistics from MITx's first course last spring. They show some demographic / background information for a subset of 6,000 students who registered for the course (not necessarily completed the course).
We just missed it, but right now we're in the midst of MobiMOOC, a MOOC organized by educators to teach other educators about mobile learning. Kind of a neat concept, I think! But one of the keys is how good is the instruction in helping educators integrate in mobile learning with good pedagogy instead of just showcasing mobile technologies...probably one of the common dangers with these types of initiatives.
A general overview of what makes a MOOC unique and, and what role could they play in the core educational mission of universities?
Also a good blog from Duke's Center for Instructional Technology
This builds on Emily's post from the weekend with s bit more detail on one of standford's alternative online platforms. The venture lab platform is not the standard mooc idea, but sounds like they built in more collaboration and teamwork features. So maybe now moocs can reach a wider audience with non-math / science interests?
Gates Foundation is now rolling out funding for researchers to produce peer-reviewed quality studies on MOOCs. It looks like professors around the world (as far as down south in Australia) are keen to start working on this new tech trend in education.
Optimists have scoured the dictionary for superlatives to describe the future of internet education. But the cult of the Mooc - massive online open courses - took a blow last week when one of its leading Silicon Valley pioneers, Sebastian Thrun,