For my showcase blog post, I have decided to go with topic two , pertaining to massively open online courses, or MOOCs.
Original Post:
The Major reading provided a valuable insight into the details and characteristics surrounding the structure of a course. In particular, I was fascinated with the concept of massively open online courses, or MOOCs, and how they can be utilized to facilitate the learning of a substantial number of students that can potentially number in the thousands (Major p78). I wonder how the utilization of MOOCs can revolutionize education by providing individuals from economically disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to learn the exact same curriculum that is being taught to affluent students who can afford to attend college. By permitting any person with the technological means to access and listen to the MOOCs, the information and knowledge of numerous subjects can be disseminated across the world and throughout different socioeconomic classes. This can limit the education gap that exists between the rich and the poor.
Furthermore, the implicit understanding that I gained from the Major reading is that, without MOOCs, the relatively limit level of education for many individuals from poorer backgrounds is unequal compared to the stellar education enjoyed by the wealthier classes of individuals. To help achieve true equality in society, it is essential for individuals of all socioeconomic classes to have equal access to the same quality of educational information so that no specific group of people has an unfair advantage over others. Thus, I hope to apply what I have learned from the reading to my learning outside of university by empathizing with those from underprivileged backgrounds to a greater degree than I did before. Moreover, I have recognized the immense impact that modern technology such as the Internet has had on society and will strive to participate in MOOCs when I have the time. I hope to broaden my learning in a myriad of subjects using MOOCs.
Reference:
Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online—A guide to theory, research, and practice. Chapter four: Course structure. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874
Further Reflections:
I chose this article because it has a strong connection to me. I was lucky enough to be able to study at UVIC, but a lot of people weren’t as lucky as I was, and they couldn’t get access to some course for some reason. So, I wanted to look at MOOCs to find out how helpful it was for these people. I’ve also seen some thoughts on MOOCs from other members in my learning pod.
This is my learning pod members comments:
It made me understand that the certificates obtained by MOOCs have no substantial value and technological advances have also exacerbated the gap between rich and poor in many ways.
This is my learning pod member Susie blog about MOOCs. I also got a lot of insight from her blog, and she also gave interesting examples to explain what MOOCs are.
After receiving feedback from my peers and searching recent, peer-reviewed, literature, I have come to an improved understanding of the topic. Specifically, I have discovered that MOOCs allow a very large (sometimes unlimited) number of students to participate in a course of study virtually and with little or no expenses (Major, 2015). These types of courses originated shortly after the birth of the Internet, and there are now entire universities (e.g., Open University) that dedicate themselves to the MOOC model (Deng et al., 2019). The spirit of educational equity that these courses offer is unprecedented, as there are no exclusions made pertaining to enrolment based on any sociodemographic factor – even economics (Wong et al., 2019). Anyone with the desire and motivation to learn a new subject can enroll in MOOCs, making higher education accessible for all.
Researching this topic further provided me with a new understanding of the benefits and disadvantages of MOOCs. The benefits of MOOCs are intuitive. Some of the short-term benefits of MOOCs include the instant access to higher education that they offer to a global audience and the enrichment this offers to students, the potential for career advancement and professional development, and the ability to interact with a diverse body of students from around the world (Wong et al., 2019). Longitudinally, MOOCs may have an important impact on narrowing the wealth gap that occurs in Canada and in many other countries of the world (Deng et al., 2019). Because of the costs of higher education, there are some sociodemographic groups who never experience the opportunity to earn a college degree and beyond (Wong et al., 2019). The chances for upward mobility, achieving a career of one’s dreams, and accessing knowledge that is only attainable in a university environment is not a possibility for a large contingent of the Canadian population. By providing all students with the opportunity to participate on online higher education courses, the long-term potential to improve the economic prospects of disadvantaged groups exists.
While MOOCs have numerous potential advantages, there are also some debates and controversies surrounding these courses. One is that it is difficult for instructors to personalize MOOCs because of the large enrolment, and these courses can adopt a more standardized appearance in many cases (Deng et al., 2019). Additionally, students must be highly autonomous and self-motivated to perform effectively in an MOOC environment, as it is not possible for instructors and assistants to interact with all students and provide feedback on assignments on a regular basis (Wong et al., 2019). MOOCs also still do contribute to a potential accessibility gap in higher education because of the dependence on a regular Internet connection and computed required of students. Access to this technology must not be assumed, particularly for hard-to-reach groups in Canada like its indigenous populations. Students with disabilities and language barriers may also face additional challenges in MOOC environments. The other controversies are Whether who have completed MOOCs can find jobs. First, I think that taking courses through MOOCs to improve their abilities helps people find jobs. Because MOOCs are an effective way to broaden knowledge. But there are also a lot of students from regular schools competing for jobs, and MOOCs are not an advantage in themselves. Therefore, if the who have completed MOOCs wants to find a job through MOOCs. They still need to keep improving themselves.
I have also learned that, despite these disadvantages and areas for improvement, MOOCs have the potential to improve the lives of millions of people throughout the world who may have never dreamed of having the ability to afford or access higher education. I will continue to make MOOCs a part of my educational journey as much as possible, seeking to capitalize on the many strengths of this educational paradigm while simultaneously avoiding or improving upon the handful of limitations that exist. I can even advocate for underprivileged students by sharing my technological access (i.e., Internet, computer) with those who do not have the means and perhaps work to establish peer advising groups in my MOOCs to ensure that students are communicating with one another and receive feedback on assignments on a consistent basis. I believe that, through effective collaboration, limitations to MOOCs can be addressed and that these courses can positively change society.
References:
Deng, R., Benckendorff, P., & Gannaway, D. (2019). Progress and new directions for teaching and learning in MOOCs. Computers & Education, 129, 48-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2018.10.019
Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching online—A guide to theory, research, and practice. Chapter four: Course structure. http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874
Wong, J., Baars, M., Davis, D., Van Der Zee, T., Houben, G. J., & Paas, F. (2019). Supporting self-regulated learning in online learning environments and MOOCs: A systematic review. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 35(4-5), 356-373. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2018.1543084
