Group items tagged

I like the way the author breaks "disruption" into 3 chunks, two of which look more like "finding efficiencies" and are easier to understand, and one ("reconsidering our fundamental assumptions of what it means to educate and be educated") which is "profound and truly uncharted." His callout to the "atomistic" view of education, in opposition to a more holistic experience, was touched on by Ron Griggs in a keynote at a recent GLCA conference. It wasn't captured on video but I'd really like to push him to write it up for publication.

That was a fun and unusual piece. I, too, like the multi-leveled analysis. But I'm not seeing the unbundling happening.

"among academics, there seems to be as yet nothing but the consideration of students around the world as statistical figures." An interesting take on the serious problems of translation and cultural context in education

Yes. Although I rarely hear any academics express interest in this aspect of MOOCs.

<< NOTE: This is an ACTIVIST course, with MOOCs not just the platform but also the subject matter for our online conversations. For example, I am very excited about what we will all learn from a global forum directed at the question: "What is the history of defunding public education in YOUR country in YOUR lifetime?" >> The quote above struck me. Having read this course description makes me wonder, if MOOCs can not also be used a bit differently, to further open up the door to the international arena to our students on campus. I have recently been doing a lot of reading on transcultural literacy and competence, which focuses on being able to successfully navigate cultural differences between any culture and the own. Businesses today train their top executives to be transcultural, being able to work anywhere, and manage and lead in any country. I know foreign language curricula have not been very responsive in adjusting to this new need from firms. To full fill this demand, schools would have to push students to gain competence in multiple languages and cultures, on a more shallow level, instead of the mastery that is demanded in the current curricula in one language and culture. Since most institutions claim, that they promote global citizenship, maybe there is a way of assigning groups, and encouraging international and cross cultural communication between the students on campus, and those enrolled in the MOOC from where ever they might be located. I know that managing this, and keeping on top of the conversation partners could be a night mare, and that it doesn't entirely fit into the MOOC frame work, at least the way I understand it at the moment, but I'd love to hear what everyone else i thinking.

A remarkably worthwhile podcast episode, discussing digital divide issues, support for mobile phones in MOOCs, and online pedagogy.

Davidson is planning to run a MOOC soon on the history of higher ed, and has promised to blog her progress in its development.  This is the first installment.

Very useful stuff, seeing one MOOC being made.

The recent wave of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) has highlighted the potential for making educational offerings accessible at a global level. The attention MOOCs have received is well deserved, but it belies the fact that various forms of online education have existed for many years.

Are MOOCs the new "television" of the 1970's?

We should be talking to other countries to see what they want before forcing our open American education on them...interesting read.

History of higher ed...

This does not surprise me.

25%... how would that compare to awareness of other educational technology platforms?

Some interesting notes, reflecting MOOC instructors' thoughts: -students shouldn't get credit at their school for passing a MOOC -MOOCs will lower college costs -teaching one takes time from other responsibilities

There's that grumpy 6% who have taught a MOOC and believe their institution will eventually offer credit for them, but don't feel students who succeed in them deserve it. What's going on there?

Heh! Darkness.

During any given semester at a liberal arts college like Wellesley, students may experience what will prove to be a transformational moment in their lives. A pre-med student from El Paso might come to Wellesley and publish research with her biochemistry professor.