Stanford’s Online Efforts
§  The advent of MOOCs circa 2011: Coursera, Udacity, and NovoEd all Stanford spin-­‐offs. §  Much longer history: Stanford Engineering Everywhere program, the Stanford Center for Professional Development. §  CreaHon of the Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning (VPOL) in August 2012. •
•
•
•
InstrucHonal Design and Pedagogy Team PlaPorms Team (collaboraHon with OpenEdX consorHum) ProducHon Team Seed grant program ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 1!
Online Priorities
§  Explore how online technologies and pedagogies can improve the learning and enhance the experience of our residenHal students. §  ConHnue to expand online professional educaHon programs for lifelong learners seeking degrees and credenHals. §  Offer free online courses to the general public: •  MOOCs as a public service. •  MOOCs as a showcase. •  MOOCs as a large-­‐scale learning laboratory for educaHon research (LyHcs Lab of the School of EducaHon). §  Collaborate with other organizaHons to address the challenges confronHng higher educaHon. ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 2!
The EE Online Program
§  A plan to develop online and/or blended versions of EE master’s-­‐
level courses with large enrollments (80 or more students). §  MoHvaHons: •  Test learning efficacy of online educaHon. •  Develop a set of best pracHces. •  Provide scheduling flexibility to students (use of “online with tutored instrucHon” model). §  Development funded at approx. $50K per course via a VPOL program-­‐level seed grant (primary expense = extra course TAs, plus a TA for assessment work across all the courses). §  IniHal four courses: applied quantum mechanics, digital signal processing, digital image processing, and convex opHmizaHon. ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 3!
Question
Can MOOCs produce more “bang for the buck” through helping to reduce dropouts and =me spent in higher educa=on? §  Online courses (but not necessarily MOOCs) have the potenHal to reduce the Hme spent for some students: •  Expand AP course opportuniHes. •  Reduce scheduling bodlenecks for students. §  But... learning is hard. And online learning, though ofen more convenient and possibly less expensive, does not necessarily make it easier. §  Key quesHon: What is it that makes the difference in student success? ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 4!
“What Matters to Student Success”
Lit review by Na=onal Postsecondary Educa=on Coopera=ve, 2006 §  “Most students—especially those who start college with two or more characterisHcs associated with premature departure—benefit from early interven/ons and sustained a2en/on at key transi/on points.” §  “Students who find something or someone worthwhile to connect to in the postsecondary environment are more likely to engage in educaHonally purposeful acHviHes, persist, and achieve their educaHonal objecHves.” §  “InsHtuHons that focus on student success, subscribe to a talent development philosophy, and create a student-­‐centered culture are beder posiHoned to help their students adain their educaHonal objecHves.” ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 5!
Question
Are universi=es ready to commit themselves to digital democra=za=on? §  Challenges of changing habits (insHtuHons, instructors, and students) and of commimng the Hme and resources needed. §  Amtude of some faculty: “Okay for STEM, but not for my field.” “Like always, this will all blow over soon and I’ll be able to keep teaching the way I have always taught.” §  An inflecHon point for the trajectory of higher educaHon (the merging of poliHcal trends, financial pressures, technological opportuniHes, and intellectual resources). §  One key: training future faculty in “engineering educaHon and online learning.” ENGINEERING
Contact: lagerstrom@stanford.edu 6!