Massive Open Online Courses
MOOCs: Where next?
Professor Jeff Haywood, University of Edinburgh, UK
Vice Principal, CIO & Librarian
jeff.haywood@ed.ac.uk
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
MOOCs…..
 are open to anyone – no mandatory qualifications
 have no fees for study
 have enrolments at start >>> learners at end
 have learners who are not students of universities
 are fully online
 are very lightly tutored & supported
 do offer assessment (in various forms)
 have low study hours per week, on modules not degree programs
 offer ‘certificates of completion’ rather than credits (but…)
 are a different business model to trad HE
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
Online education @ Edinburgh
 Online & on-campus = ‘e-learning’
 Online & off-campus = online distance learning ‘ODL’
 Online and no-campus = MOOCs, OER, informal learning, ≡ LLL?
We apply the same rigorous approval and
quality assurance processes to all
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
Why is University of Edinburgh doing this?
 Reputation – early adopter of educational technology
 Exploration of a new pedagogical ‘space’ to inform practice
 Wish to reach as widely as we can with our courses
 Sharing experiences with peer universities
 Fun!
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
Why 3 modes?
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Mode
Reasons
Context
E-learning
• 21st century curricula
• B, M & D degrees
• learners bring their own ed tech • selective entry
• flexing the curricula
• full fee
• full services
• expensive to provide
ODL
• reaching those who are time,
geography, financially
challenged
•
•
•
•
•
•
MOOCs
• educational R&D with peers
• reaching anyone with internet
who is interested in learning (cf
LLL at trad univs)
• reputation
• fun!!
•
•
•
•
•
Masters degrees
selective entry
full fee
access to services with some limits
on-campus quality, form differs
expensive to provide
Bachelor entry level
open to all
no fees
very limited services
no award – ‘certificate of
completion’
• not free to provide
MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
But, MOOCs are part of a wider exploration…
 Open Educational Practices – beyond OER & Open CourseWare
 Unbundling of the elements of course design, delivery, assessment & award of credit – individual
universities don’t have to all the parts together
 Scenarios of unbundling – assessment & credentialling are the tough bits
 You can find out more about unbundled and open educational practices such as MOOCs at one
of my joint European research projects – OERtest – www.oer-europe.net
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
… lots of the features of typical online courses
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
..online spaces for learners to self-support + light touch oversight
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
…lots of short videos & presentations
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
…interactive tools online
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
…timed assignments throughout the course
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
…automated assessment – computer-marks tests
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
…required readings, in the MOOC + externally
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
Credits for MOOCs is arriving….
MOOCs for credit
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MOOCs – what is their impact, now & longer term?
 On presidents/SMTs of universities
 On governments/agencies
 On faculty
 On students
 On student funders, incl parents
 On the media
?
http://star.arm.ac.uk/
 Varied by region: US∙UK∙Europe∙Oz∙NZ / SE Asia / China / Asia / S & C America
NB: This is very subjective – there are 1000s of universities in the world!!
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
MOOCs – where next?
 Fade away – bubble bursts
 Hold steady – case for expansion not clear to universities
 Expand & diversify

 Emergence of specialised MOOCs – unique areas
o
Targeted on recruitment
o
Targeted on reputation boost
o
Explore pedagogy

http://www.csmonitor.com
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013
MOOCs – where next?
 Offer MOOC credits – for external use / for internal use
 Accept MOOC credits
 Partnerships – MOOC virtual student exchange / virtual Erasmus
 Explore ‘higher’ learning outcomes/year-of-study/degree level
 Integrate MOOCs into core first degree curriculum – fast-track/fee reduction/3rd
semester
 Bring community-supported learning (‘light teaching’) into core curriculum to
reduce teaching load/costs
BUT
 Economics of Higher Education – do we understand our cost vs price
relationships?
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http://universitypost.dk
MOOCs, British Council , UCLA – Feb 2013
Should universities (& colleges & schools?) enter this
new educational ‘space’?
Know your reasons for being in or staying out!!
 They are free to take but not free to provide, and publicity is everything for
reaching Massive (or even big)
If ‘In’, then choose one or both of:
 Offer MOOCs
 Part of curriculum; entry route; general marketing; profile; income;
R&D;…
 Use others’ MOOCs
 Part of curriculum; high reputation courses; internal economies;
overcome lack of capacity/capability; tasters; profile; …
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MOOCs, RUGIT Edinburgh – Feb 2013