www.mtech.umd.edu
Coursera experiences from the
University of Maryland’s
first MOOC
Dr. James V. Green
Director, Entrepreneurship Education
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
A. James Clark School of Engineering
April 4, 2013
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Mtech’s Coursera course launched January 2013
87,900 enrollments in first offering
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Goal of developing students’ entrepreneurial mindset
and opportunity analysis skill set
The Opportunity Analysis Canvas
ENTREPRENEURIAL MINDSET
Achievement
Individualism
Control
Focus
Optimism
MACROECONOMIC
CHANGES
Demographic
Psychographic
Technical
Societal
Political
Regulatory
TM
ENTREPRENEURIAL MOTIVATION ENTREPRENEURIAL BEHAVIORS
Self-efficacy
Cognitive motivation
Tolerance for ambiguity
Confidence
Risk
Interpersonal relationship skills
Social capital
INDUSTRY CONDITIONS
COMPETITION
Knowledge conditions
Demand conditions
Learning curve
Capital requirements
Complimentary assets
Reputation effects
INDUSTRY STATUS
VALUE CURVE
Industry life cycle
Industry structure
OPPORTUNITY
IDENTIFICATION
Problem
Solution
Advantage
Team
Eliminate
Reduce
Raise
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
Create
www.mtech.umd.edu
Developed a rigorous course on complex topics that
challenged students through weekly assignments
Weekly
Topics
1. Entrepreneurial
Mindset
2. Customer
Understanding
3. Industry
Understanding
Video
Lectures
• Welcome and
overview
• Entrepreneurial
mindset
• Entrepreneurs
and strategic
decisions
• Psychology of
entrepreneurs
• Entrepreneurial
decision-makers
and the use of
biases and
heuristics
• Risk taking in
entrepreneurial
decision-making
• Exploring real
market needs
• Satisfying real
market needs
• Macro changes
that increase
new venture
opportunities
• Assessing
entrepreneurial
opportunities
• Environmental
assessment of
entrepreneurial
ventures
• Selecting the
right industry
• Types of
innovations
• Understanding
customer
adoption
• Strategic
planning
Intro Survey &
Entrepreneurial
Mindset
Market
Assessment
Assignments
Industry Analysis
4. Business
Models
5. Business
Planning
6. Financial
Planning
• The business
model canvas
• Patterns of
business model
generation
• Designing
business
models
• Strategies for
business model
generation
• Process for
business model
design
• Defining the
business plan
• Objectives of the
business plan
• Writing the
business plan
• Developing the
marketing mix
• Sales forecasting
• Keys to raising
financial capital
• Building
financial
statements
• Sources of
financial capital
• Leading
entrepreneurial
growth
• Final thoughts
Development of a
Business Model
Canvas
Evaluation of a
Business Plan
Financial Analysis
&
Course Evaluation
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Initial student profile for our course
(r =26,600, 30%)
48%
18%
17%
17%
First entrepreneurship course
Taken at least one entrepreneurship course
in the past
Written a business plan
Started my own business
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Initial student profile for our course
(r =26,600, 30%)
45% plan to start a business in the future
14% actively starting a business
12% interested in improving my existing business
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Initial student profile for our course
(r =26,600, 30%)
48% industry professional
27% university student
5% academic, professor, research scientist
2% high school student
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Ages range from 13-92, with the highest
concentration (55%) being 20-30 years old
13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37 39 41 43 45 47 49 51 53 55 57 59 61 63 65 67 69 71 73 75 78 80 84 92
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Our students create a truly global classroom
(r =26,600, 30%)
•
•
75% of the
students from
beyond U.S.
153 countries
By Continent
North America
30.13%
Europe
30.07%
Asia
20.87%
South America
10.22%
Africa
4.76%
Oceania
2.45%
Central America
1.51%
Most Representation
USA
24.54%
India
8.58%
Brazil
5.54%
Spain
5.21%
UK
3.09%
Canada
2.92%
Mexico
2.67%
Australia
2.12%
Colombia
1.88%
Russia
1.88%
Greece
1.80%
Portugal
1.73%
Germany
1.68%
Ukraine
1.50%
Netherlands
1.37%
Italy
1.31%
France
1.27%
Philippines
1.17%
Romania
1.13%
Rarest Representation
Aruba
0.004%
Bhutan
0.004%
Bonaire
0.004%
Guatemala
0.004%
Kazakhstan
0.004%
Maldives
0.004%
Monaco
0.004%
Samoa
0.004%
Vanuatu
0.004%
West Indies
0.004%
Andorra
0.008%
Benin
0.008%
Bermuda
0.008%
Burundi
0.008%
Finland
0.008%
Namibia
0.008%
St. Lucia
0.008%
Togo
0.008%
Guyana
0.011%
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Student engagement is difficult to assess,
as their intent and goals vary
87,900 Enrolled
Avg. MOOC = 33,000
45,938 Attended
(52.26% of Enrolled)
20,395 Tested
(44.40% of Attended)
4,799 Passed
Avg. MOOC 2,600
(23.53% of Tested)
Difficult to differentiate:
• Students intending to take
assessments and “pass” the
course versus
• Those intending to view all
lectures without completing
assessment
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
75% of enrollments withdraw by the end of week 1
50000
Weeks
Retention
Rate
(w-o-w)
0 to 1
52%
1 to 2
50%
2 to 3
72%
3 to 4
85%
20000
4 to 5
82%
15000
5 to 6
88%
45000
Number of Users
40000
35000
30000
25000
10000
5000
0
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Creation and production of lecture content largely
developed concurrently with course delivery.
•
An early stage challenge is determining the right type and
quantity of content to record for the course
−
−
•
Content from existing courses was a basis for the Coursera course
 Still required significant rework to break into bite size pieces,
16 x 9 ratio, text placement adjustments, etc.
Six week course target was 5 videos/week of 8-12 minutes/video
 Actual delivery was 4-6 videos/week of 7-15 minutes/video
Video production required ~ 3 hours per 1 hour of content
–
–
1 hr. of final content required 1 hr. 15 min. of recording + 45 min.
of editing, rendering, and posting + 1 hr. of QA
Instructor experiences in online course development, video
recording, and software design likely made this a faster time than
many other faculty on campus
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Design of assessments were the most challenging
piece of this initial Coursera offering.
•
•
Time to development the automated assessments, while
initially intensive, became more efficient over time
Weekly automated assessments typically included 10
questions with several true-false, multiple choice, numeric
solutions, and keyword solutions
–
•
Keyword based scoring was particularly helpful in more complex
assessments, although there was the need to “trick” the system for the
desired scoring logic
Peer assessments were, per one student, “Quite a disaster!”
–
–
–
2 of 6 weekly assessments were peer-graded (week 4 and week 5)
Greatest source of discontent based on discussion boards and emails
Poor English writing skills were a commonly cited problem by graders
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Assignments (1, 2, 3, & 6): Auto-graded
Submissions & Grading
Average Grade =
73%
82%
87%
85%
30000
Number of Submissions
25000
20000
15000
10000
5000
0
Tell us about
yourself
Assignment 1A: Assignment 1B:
Self-Assessment Entrepreneurial
Mindset &
Decision-Making
Assignment 2:
Market
Assessment
Assignment 3:
Industry Analysis
Assignment 6:
Financial
Analysis
Assignment:
Final SelfAssessment and
Course
Evaluation
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Assignments (4 & 5): Peer-graded
Submissions & Grading
Average Grade = 66.5% (versus 82.5% of auto-graded assignments)
Number of Submissions
6,000
5,000
4,000
3,000
2,000
1,000
Assignment 4: Business Model Canvas (grade)
Assignment 5: Business Plan Evaluation (grade)
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Distribution of Final Grades
4,799 Passing
1,840 Passing
with Distinction
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Course evaluations average 3.11 on a 4.0 scale
4.00
3.42
3.25
3.17
3.15
__
x = 3.11
3.13
3.00
2.84
2.80
The course was
intellectually
challenging.
The instructor
helped create an
atmosphere that
kept me engaged
in course content.
2.00
1.00
0.00
The instructor was Course guidelines The instructor was I learned a lot from Overall, this
well-prepared for
were clearly
effective in
this course.
instructor was an
class.
described in the communicating the
effective teacher.
syllabus.
content of the
course.
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Improvement in entrepreneurial mindset & opportunity
analysis, to include 3.53% self-efficacy increase.
Longitudinal survey asked at entry and exit of the six week course (r = 6,637)
% Change
Thanks to my resourcefulness, I know how to handle unforeseen situations.
5.92%
I can always manage to solve difficult problems if I try hard enough.
5.21%
If someone opposes me, I can find the means and ways to get what I want.
5.07%
It is easy for me to stick to my aims and accomplish my goals.
3.99%
I am confident that I could deal efficiently with unexpected events.
3.94%
I can remain calm when facing difficulties because I can rely on my coping
abilities.
3.85%
I can usually handle whatever comes my way.
2.55%
When I am confronted with a problem, I can usually find several solutions.
2.11%
I can solve most problems if I invest the necessary effort.
1.45%
If I am in trouble, I can usually think of a solution.
1.22%
Schwarzer, R., & Jerusalem, M. (1995). Generalized self-efficacy scale.
Average
3.53%
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Word cloud from 5,000+
course evaluations
highlight
“thank,” “good,” “time,”
&
“think,” “learned,” “helpful.”
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Revisions for the next Coursera offering of this
course include, but are not limited to:
•
Major changes in the peer assessment
–
•
One summative assessment as the final, with more explicit
instructions (hopefully without leading the witness)
Better reading references (unpaid and paid options)
Absence of a required paid textbook/materials is a challenge
– Recommended low-cost books (in the U.S) from our first
offering still expensive for many Courserians globally
–
•
75% international students provides an opportunity to
discuss international opportunities and challenges
within the course content and deliverables
–
Exploring ideas for next course offering
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Mtech’s Strategy for Blended & Online Courses
•
For-credit blended & online courses
•
Now offer 5 online for-credit courses/yr.
– Increases the number of UMD
entrepreneurship and innovation course
offerings and students
–
MOOCs
–
Enhance for-credit online
courses through a mini-lecture
approach with online
assessments
• Flipped classroom opportunity
for face-to-face courses
•
Build entrepreneurship & innovation skills
• Leads to venture creation
• Key criteria for entrepreneurship rankings
•
Improves access to courses in Mtech’s
Minor in Technology Entrepreneurship
year-round
– Generates revenues for Mtech in winter
and summer terms
– Provides an opportunity to serve
students beyond UMD, to include other
universities in the U.S. and via
international partnerships
Provides video lecture content
and know-how for integration
into for-credit courses
–
Enables a recruitment
opportunity to attract
entrepreneurial students to
UMD
– Contributes to UMD’s brand as
an innovative and
entrepreneurial university, and
serves public interests
–
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Key Takeaways
•
•
Experience of educating thousands of students globally is
exciting, educational (for our UMD team), and rewarding
Goal of developing students’ entrepreneurial mindset and
opportunity analysis skill set was met (and can be improved)
–
–
•
4,799 students passing the course, and 3.53% self-efficacy increase,
evidences progress towards this goal
Opportunities to enhance assessments, design, and delivery with
reasonable effort by second offering in May 2013
Collection of video lecture content and know-how is already
being integrated into Mtech’s for-credit courses
–
–
Enhancing for-credit online courses through a mini-lecture (8-12 min.)
approach with online assessments
Adding flipped classroom content/approach for face-to-face courses
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland
www.mtech.umd.edu
Contact for
Information and Questions
Dr. James V. Green
Director, Entrepreneurship Education
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech)
A. James Clark School of Engineering
jvgreen@umd.edu
301.314.1450
Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute · A. James Clark School of Engineering · University of Maryland