What are MOOCs? Why you should care?
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A presentation on MOOCs both academic and corporate given at ATD-NYC Jan 14 2015 What is a MOOC? How companies are using MOOCs Success Stories Nuts and Bolts (technology, transitioning from ILT/elearning) Trends and Future directions. CapitalWave's experience
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What are MOOCs? Why you should care?
- 1. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. What Are MOOCs? Why Should You Care?
- 2. Page 2© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. My Contact Information Bryant Nielson CEO & Executive Director bryant.nielson@capitalwave.com http://www.CapitalWave.com http://www.linkedin.com/in/bryantnielson http://www.facebook/capitalwave http://twitter.com/#!/capitalwave http://www.yourtrainingedge.com bryant.nielson
- 3. Page 3© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved.
- 4. Page 4© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Highly Competitive Job Market
- 5. Page 5© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. What is the problem???
- 6. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. What Is a MOOC?
- 7. Page 7© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Massive Open Online Course What does MOOC mean?
- 8. Page 8© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Image by Oconneras [Creative Commons] MOOCs are interactive digital learning environments that are expanding the meaning of education and training.
- 9. Page 9© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc
- 10. Page 10© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Online Self-scheduled Video-based content delivery Bite-sized learning Online discussions Built-in assessments MOOC Building Blocks
- 11. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Why MOOCs Are the Future of Training
- 12. Page 12© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. The DREAM
- 13. Page 13© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. ILT = Gold Standard ??
- 14. Page 14© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Learning from experts Meaningful interaction Asking questions and receiving feedback … Advantages of ILT • Learning from Subject Matter Experts • Provides for meaningful interaction • Peer learning and Network-building • Learners have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. • Adaptability – the instructor can change things on the fly.
- 15. Page 15© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Disadvantages of ILT • Expensive & Time Consuming • Instructors and Venues are not always available • Once a learner steps outside the classroom, returning for clarification is gone • It is not always possible to stagger start dates of course when dealing with learner schedules • Location Specific
- 16. Page 16© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Corporate Training’s “Dirty Little Secret” The Dreaded Forgetting Curve
- 17. Page 17© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. ILT The Dreaded Forgetting Curve
- 18. Page 18© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Less expensive Faster delivery More control over learning Consistency Build in assessments Practice and repetition Advantages of Elearning
- 19. Page 19© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. What e-learners Want Relevant content Opportunities to make decisions and tackle real-life situations Want Vs. Get What e-learners Get Bored Frustrated by pacing, technology, lack of relevance and lack of interaction
- 20. Page 20© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Taught by Experts Instructors are always available Course delivery is uniform Engagement via Discussion Forums Peer Learning and Networking Courses are consistent and adaptable Learners can Stop/Rewind/Review Assessment are built in Learners can choose when they participate MOOC Advantages…
- 21. Page 21© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. MOOCs = The Best of Both Worlds
- 22. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. How Companies Are Using MOOCs
- 23. Page 23© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Building talent pipelines Onboarding new employees Self-directed development Workforce training Educating partners and customers Brand marketing Collaboration and innovation 7 Ways Companies Are Using MOOCs
- 24. Page 24© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. The “skills gap” Sponsoring MOOCs: AT&T sponsors Georgia Tech’s Computer Science MOOC Master’s degree program Running MOOCs on how to use their products: SAP, MongoDB Building Talent Pipelines
- 25. Page 25© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Save time and money Useful for large number of employees, staggered start dates Decrease time to full productivity Onboarding New Employees
- 26. Page 26© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. >60% of MOOC students take the courses for professional development Verified certificates only ~$49 to $495 each Companies can provide support for learners Self-Directed Development
- 27. Page 27© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. >40% CEOs say length of a training program is more important than the content Reduced time to train Just-in-time learning, performance support Less forgetting! Workforce Training
- 28. Page 28© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Teach people how to use their products Improved customer support Increased adoption of products Educating Partners and Customers
- 29. Page 29© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Increased brand awareness Gain exposure, reach new audiences, create new markets Brand Marketing
- 30. Page 30© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Partner with MOOC providers Have MOOC students work on real problems faced by businesses Collaboration and Innovation
- 31. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. MOOC Success Stories
- 32. Page 32© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved.
- 33. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Nuts and Bolts
- 34. Page 34© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. MOOC Learning Framework
- 35. Page 35© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. How Do You Make a MOOC?
- 36. Page 36© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. DO NOT just throw current training resources online. DO design your MOOC as a MOOC from the ground up. Audience and purpose Course structure and navigation Assessment and feedback Course development How Do You Make a MOOC?
- 37. Page 37© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Plan, plan, and plan some more Redesign course materials with learners’ needs in mind Create active assessments Prepare to play a different role Learn from the data Don’t do it alone Strategies for ILT MOOC
- 38. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Trends and Future Directions
- 39. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Trends and Future Directions
- 40. Page 40© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. LectureScape New Learning Technologies
- 41. Page 41© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. 90% of Millennials have their phones with them at all times. Mobile learning increases motivation to learn. Mobile users are more likely to engage in collaboration and social learning, more likely to use online resources. BUT… Only 10% of companies are using mobile learning. Personalized and Adaptive
- 42. Page 42© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Image by Vanguard Visions [Creative Commons] Flipped MOOCs
- 43. Page 43© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Relationships Learning organizations Training integrated into everyday work activities Networked and Data Driven
- 44. Page 44© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. 90% of Millennials have their phones with them at all times. Mobile learning increases motivation to learn. Mobile users are more likely to engage in collaboration and social learning, more likely to use online resources. BUT… Only 10% of companies are using mobile learning. Integrated into Daily Activities
- 45. Page 45© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Verified certificates Digital badges 21st century transcripts Competency-based credentials Gamification of Learning
- 46. Page 46© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Verified certificates Digital badges 21st century transcripts Competency-based credentials Alternative Credentials
- 47. DEVELOPINGINNOVATIVETRAININGSIMULATIONS® © 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. CapitalWave’s Experience
- 48. Page 48© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Alternative Credentials
- 49. Page 49© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. 2013 2015 Today Jan Apr Jul Oct 2014 Apr Jul Oct 2015 Proposed our first MOOC Program to a client 1/2/2013 Client signed off on Program 1/28/2013 Delivery started for First Program (Fixed Income Intensive) -50 Learners 5/6/2013 Portfolio Management Intensive Program Launched - 250 Learners 6/3/2013 First Capstone 9/2/2013 9/30/2013 Capstone 12/2/2013 Digital Learning Environment v1 launched 1/20/2014 Portfolio Mangement Intensive started - 100 Learners 1/27/2014 Digital Learning Environment v1.2 launched 4/7/2014 Fixed Income and Portfolio Management Programs started - 230 Learners 4/14/2014 Portfolio Management Intensive started - 75 Learners 6/9/2014 Portfolio Management Intensive started - 122 Learners 9/1/2014 Portfolio Management Intensive & Fixed Income Intensive started - 166 Learners 1/12/2015 Digital Learning Environment v1.5 launched 3/2/2015 Digital Learning Environment Timelines
- 50. Page 50© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. CapitalWave’s Learning Academies
- 51. Page 51© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Highly Competitive Job Market
- 52. Page 52© 2010-2014 CapitalWave, Inc. | All rights reserved. Highly Competitive Job Market Questions?
Notes de l'éditeur
- Good evening, and welcome to this ATD elearning SIG. I’m Bryant Nielson, the managing director of CapitalWave, a company that provides technology-enabled learning and financial training simulations for the capital and wealth management market. Today I’m going to talk about MOOCs. If that sounds like foreign jargon to you, don’t worry. It’s really not all that scary! I’ll start with a brief overview of what a MOOC is and why MOOCs have become a hot topic in training. Next I’ll look at some ways companies are using MOOCs in their training programs as well as some success stories from these initiatives. Then I’ll talk briefly about the nuts and bolts of MOOCs—the technology that’s used, making the transition from instructor-led training and traditional elearning and so on. Finally, I’ll explore some current and future trends that we are seeing in the MOOC market.
- Sometimes we are looking at MOOCs as if they are some complex type of technology. Technology that we instinctively know is amazing and powerful, but somehow beyond our understanding.
- So, here we are… looking to each other for explanations. Looking to see who is going to move first. Basically we are all geese standing on ice.
- This begs the question… Is there a problem? What is the problem? Do we need to solve this problem? What questions do we even need to ask?
- First, what is a MOOC?
- The acronym MOOC stands for “Massive Open Online Course.” It’s an online course that is massive in the sense that it can accommodate an unlimited number of learners, and it’s open in the sense that it’s free and accessible to anyone with a computer or a mobile device and an Internet connection. At least that’s the case with academic MOOCs. Companies are using the courses a bit differently, as we’ll see later.
- The idea behind MOOCs is really the same as the idea behind all forms of distance education: that self-directed learners can achieve great things. That provided with the tools to learn, people can and will do so, and that this learning can be extremely powerful. The main thing that has changed since the early days of shorthand courses by mail is the tools that are available. And these tools, including online video, social media, and other collaboration and communication technologies, have allowed MOOCs to become interactive digital learning environments that are expanding the meaning of education and training.
- Before we get there, however, I’d like to show you a short video by Dave Cormier entitled “What is a MOOC?” Dave is the manager of Web communications and innovations at the University of Prince Edward Island and a general education technology wonk. He is involved in open education and has co-facilitated several MOOCs to explore the ideas of both massive open online education and the future of education in general. [show video here] Does this sound like the type of training anyone here is doing? If it doesn’t, I’m here to try to convince you that it is a type of training you should start considering. Even if you aren’t involved in anything remotely MOOC-like now, MOOCs and their offshoots are where training is headed, particularly as more companies adopt BYOD-friendly policies and as more ultra-digitally-savvy workers, like Millennials and the generations that come after them, enter the workforce.
- There are many types of MOOCs, but for the most part, they all start with the same major building blocks: They all take place online. They are self-paced. There may be a rough schedule, but students can log in and learn at any time that works best for them. Video is the primary method of content delivery. The content is broken up into bite-sized learning activities. Class discussions take place on discussion boards, over social media, or other places on the Internet, like blogs. Assessments are built into the course and are completed online. They may involve completing projects, solving problems, and collaborating with other learners. These basic building blocks may be combined in many different ways, and the courses may use other elements. In any case, I believe that the video-based content delivery and anywhere, anytime learning are the core elements that make MOOCs the future of training. Let’s explore why.
- MOOCs began as a movement in higher education. Though the idea of MOOCs had been around since 2008, it wasn’t until 2012 that the idea really took off. In part, this is because elite universities like Harvard, Stanford, and MIT were the first ones to start putting their courses online.
- The grand idea espoused by some people is that massive open online courses could replace the current higher education system entirely. Why would students pay $30,000 a year to take courses at a less prestigious university when they could take courses from Harvard professors online, for free?
- Obviously that scenario has not entirely come to pass. But what MOOCs have done is bring teaching and learning to the forefront of the education conversation, and what we’ve realized is that the way we’ve been doing things—for a long time—simply isn’t the best way to do them. For example, research has shown that lectures, which are the main way content is delivered in many university courses, aren’t a very good way for students to learn. I suggest that the same thing can happen and is happening in training and development. Many companies today use traditional elearning for much of their training, and instructor-led training when they can afford to. We often consider ILT to be the gold standard of training, but that’s because up until now it has been the best thing we’ve had. But I don’t think it’s the best that we can do.
- The advantages of ILT are well-known. ILT allows learners to learn from experts. It offers opportunities for meaningful interaction, including peer learning and network-building. Learners have the opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback. And so on.
- The top problems associated with ILT are also well-known. First, it’s expensive and time-consuming. Between employee time, instructor time, travel, venue rentals, and so on, ILT costs a lot. Because the price is so high, think about how we do it—we gather everyone together for a day or a week or two and try to teach them everything they need to know as quickly as possible and then we send them on their way. This makes the most sense financially—most companies can’t afford to offer this type of training very often, so they try to make the most of the time by cramming everything in.
- Of course this all leads to the worst problem of all: forgetting. We all know this happens. In a March 2014 article for Learning Solutions Magazine, Art Kohn called the forgetting curve “the dirty secret of corporate training.” He wrote: “Imagine you’re put in charge of your company’s biggest leadership program. You do everything right: you conduct extensive discovery with your subject-matter experts, you spend weeks authoring the storyboard, your executive team signs off, and you deliver a stellar training experience. Everything goes beautifully and everyone agrees the training was a huge success. Your work is done. But back in your office, while you bask in the glory of your success, a dreadful thing is happening inside the brains of your students. The neural networks that your training inspired are beginning to dissolve, and as a result, your employees are quietly forgetting almost everything you presented.”
- The problem, of course, is that our brains don’t work the way much of ILT is structured. We can’t absorb everything all at once and then go back to our desks with new knowledge and skills ready to be used if and when we need them at some point down the road. We learn by doing, by reinforcing what we’ve learned through immediate application. And we learn by repetition, by going back and reviewing the material until we’ve got it straight in our heads. ILT doesn’t provide these opportunities, so learners forget. They forget a lot, and they forget it quickly.
- Enter elearning. According to Bersin and Associates, 30% of corporate training is elearning, a number that is growing and expected to continue. Elearning, and by that I mean traditional elearning courses created using an authoring tool like Adobe Captivate or Articulate Storyline, solves many of the problems associated with instructor-led training. It is much less expensive and training can be delivered much faster. It also allows learners more control over their own learning process, in the sense that they can often take the courses according to their own schedule and using their own devices. It provides a consistent training experience every time. Assessments can be built into the framework of the course, and it can, at least in theory, provide learners with the opportunities for practice and repetition.
- A Babson survey found that learners like this—more than half of elearners say that they want content that is relevant to their lives, that they like decision-making scenarios, and that they want to tackle real-life situations in training. But elearning is often not designed in the best way for learners. The survey also found that elearning courses are the source of some keen frustration for learners. For example, elearning is often used for compliance and procedural training, but a full 76% of elearners report finding lists of procedures and regulations tedious. Not really a surprise. 38% also report getting bored with the courses, and 37% hate it when the pace is too fast or too slow. Finally, 20% get frustrated by the technology, with 18% reporting frustration when they can’t take courses on their device of choice, and 12% say that can’t personally relate to the courses. Another frequently cited problem with traditional elearning is that the courses are minimally interactive at best—learners may interact with the technology and the content, but never with other learners or with course facilitators or instructors. What elearners want and need is interactive, self-paced courses that they can take on any device. They want their courses to be relevant to their lives, which includes problem-based learning opportunities. And they want to interact with others.
- The advantages of a MOOC are: Taught by experts Instructors are always available, never sick, never with a schedule conflict, never unable to get to the location. Course delivery is uniform Discussion Forums provide a safe and protected engagement for all participants Peer learning and individual networking are created, promoted and enhanced by group/team projects Since courses are preformatted, they are by design consistent and adaptable to changes This is the biggest advantage that MOOCs have over other forms of learning.. The ability to Stop/Rewind and Review videos over and over Assessments are built in to the platform Learners have the ability to determine when they participate. Be it a lunch, commuting on the train, late at night, early in the morning, between meetings. The choices for when they participate is endless
- MOOCs are in essence a combination of ILT and elearning. They provide all of the major advantages of ILT— learning from experts, interaction with peers, the ability to ask questions, and so on. They also provide the major advantages of traditional elearning— a consistent learning experience, the ability to learn anytime, from anywhere, the ability to rewind, repeat, and review, and built-in assessments.
- But, as I mentioned before, MOOCs have also expanded the meaning of training, and companies are using them to do much more than teach people skills to do their jobs. So, let’s look at how companies are using MOOCs in, and beyond, their training programs.
- Josh Bersin, President and CEO of Bersin and Associates, has identified seven different ways companies are using MOOCs. They are: building talent pipelines, onboarding new employees, self-directed development, workforce training, educating partners and customers, brand marketing, and collaboration and innovation. I’m willing to bet that at the maximum, most non-MOOC training programs never reach farther than the first four, and many never even reach that far. Let’s explore each of these uses in turn.
- First, building talent pipelines. The term “skills gap” is probably familiar to most people in this room. Companies in all sectors of the economy are having trouble finding qualified people to fill vacant positions. Added to this is that U.S. workers today stay at the same company for only four years, a problem compounded by the fact that many companies say it takes between three and five years for even seasoned employees to become fully productive. Clearly, companies need to find reliable talent pipelines, and MOOCs are providing one solution. Companies can use MOOCs to build their talent pipelines in a few main ways. One is by sponsoring MOOCs offered by major MOOC providers. Technology companies have been the first to explore this method—for example, AT&T is currently sponsoring Georgia Tech’s Computer Science MOOC Master’s program. Companies can also develop their own MOOCs or work with MOOC providers to develop curriculums and projects. SAP and MongoDB were both forerunners in offering MOOCs on how to use their products, and several companies including Google and Autodesk have partnered with Udacity to create curriculums and project-based learning tracks, and have pledged to hire a certain number of students who successfully complete them. By being directly involved in the development of MOOCs, companies can ensure that upon completion of the course, students have the knowledge and skills those companies find most valuable. It’s a win-win situation for the companies and for the learners.
- Next up, onboarding new employees. This is an area where MOOCs can save companies significant time and money. Depending on the company and the position, a typical onboarding process can last up to 90 days and involve everything from courses to mentoring and job shadowing. A MOOC can be used to speed this process, particularly in cases where a large number of employees needs to be onboarded all at once, or when start dates are staggered and consistency in training is required. New employees can be required to complete an onboarding MOOC before they show up for their first day at work, which means that when they do show up, they can jump immediately into the more hands-on training activities. In the next section, we’ll look at how one company used this method to save time and money while also increasing productivity.
- Self-directed development. When asked why the choose to take MOOCs, more than 60% of students report that they want to learn more about their current field or to prepare to enter a new one. In other words, they are doing their own self-directed professional development. Companies can capitalize on this initiative in a variety of ways, including by vetting and recommending courses and by supporting employees who take them, such as by reimbursing them for the cost of verified certificates. At roughly $49-495 a pop, that is likely the least expensive training course a firm could ever offer. Businesses can also offer learning support, such as by providing space for study groups.
- And now we finally get to the crux of the matter—workforce training. Companies have long been looking for ways to save time and money on training. One of the key factors in doing this is reducing the time the training takes. A recent study by Skillsoft found that more than 40% of CEOs say that the length of a training program is even more important than the content. MOOCs have a major advantage in reducing time to train. They also result in training that is more relevant, as learners can access the content and other course resources when they need them the most. In this way, MOOCs can provide just-in-time performance support that instructor-led training simply can’t. Because they are broken into bite-sized chunks and videos that allow for easy reviewing, MOOCs are also less susceptible to the “dirty little secret” of forgetting. In short, MOOCs can provide the relevant, on-demand, meaningful training that employees want and that companies need them to have.
- The last three uses of MOOCs— educating partners and customers, brand marketing, and collaboration and innovation—are outside of what is normally considered the scope of training. But companies are finding significant benefits. Let’s look at them quickly. In terms of educating outside parties, companies are running MOOCs to teach both their partners and their customers how to use their products. This is a way of providing partner and customer support, which both reduces the load on traditional support infrastructure and encourages wider acceptance and adoption of their products.
- Next is brand marketing. Running a MOOC is an excellent way to promote brand awareness. We have seen local and regional colleges engage in this practice in an attempt to compete with larger, better-known schools, and it’s working. Several colleges run free introductory MOOCs to showcase and promote their traditional degree programs, and as a result are seeing their reach extend far beyond their traditional geographical area. Companies are doing this too—partnering with MOOC providers to develop courses that help their firm gain exposure, reach new audiences, and create new markets for their brand.
- Finally is collaboration and innovation. This is an area where MOOCs have a lot of potential. Since MOOCs can reach such a wide and diverse audience, they provide companies with sources of innovation they never had access to before. Thus far, what we’ve seen here is companies partnering with MOOC providers have academic MOOC students work on the firms’ business problems. It’s a powerful model that gives businesses the opportunity to gain new perspectives and insight into what might be holding them back.
- Now that we’ve seen how MOOCs can work for companies in theory, let’s look at some actual examples of companies doing it.
- One of the most high-profile examples so far has been Internet security giant McAfee, which used a MOOC to transform its new-hire orientation for its sales team. Previously, the course had consisted of more than 80 hours of training, including pre-work, five days of on-site training, and post-work to be completed at home. McAfee found that the on-site portion of the training was paced too fast for some, too slow for others. And, in this case, the instructors were salespeople, not dedicated trainers, so the teaching sometimes conflicted with their normal schedules. To fix their training problem, McAfee decided to use a MOOC and flip their orientation so that new hires accessed the course material on their own and then spent their on-site time in discussions rather than listening to someone lecture. As a result, they were able to cut training time. Not only that, but their sales numbers have increased significantly. Many companies are partnering with MOOC providers either to develop their own MOOC training programs or to use courses that are already being offered. Google had 80,000 employees enroll in a Udacity programming course. Steel manufacturer Tenaris has created a MOOC training program using edX’s platform, and Telus has also trained more than 40,000 employees using a MOOC-like digital learning environment. Brightpearl, a business software management developer, has been using Udemy courses to train its salespeople, with the result that salespeople trained in this way are producing 30% more revenue than those taught through traditional instructor-led training. Results like these are too significant to ignore. Many other companies are also encouraging their employees to enroll in third-party MOOCs as part of their self-directed efforts toward professional development. Deloitte and Yahoo! are leaders in this area. Yahoo! even reimburses their employees for the expense of earning a verified certificate. In terms of expanding the scope of training, several firms have started to experiment with what else MOOCs can do for them. Tech company SAP has offered some wildly popular MOOCs for software developers, including one that taught learners how to develop SAP mobile apps so that companies could use the software to give employees secure access to data on their own devices. And BloomNet, a wire florist retail network, partnered with Udemy to offer a wide range of business courses to its global network members. Bank of America, in partnership with online video course provider Khan Academy, has launched the website Better Money Habits, which is a resource that anyone can use to learn more about their personal finances. In terms of partnerships, Udacity has hit the jackpot. Google, AT&T, Twitter, Facebook—these are just some of the industry leaders who have worked with the company to develop course curriculums and projects. Another innovative example of MOOCs for brand marketing is AMC, which developed a MOOC with the University of California, Irvine around the network’s hit show The Walking Dead. Tens of thousands of people signed up for the course, tuning in every week to watch the show and then view lectures about economic, ecological, and biological ramifications of a zombie apocalypse. Finally, companies have benefited from using MOOCs to find innovative solutions to their business problems through collaboration. For example, in 2013, 100,000 students participated in a “Foundations of Business Strategy” MOOC offered by the University of Virgina’s Darden School of Business. In the course, students had the opportunity to work on solving real business problems faced by companies that ranged from small business to giants like GE, Johnson & Johnson, and Samsung. Google, GE, Deloitte—The size and prestigious nature of the companies on these lists show that MOOCs aren’t just a fringe element in training. This is a big movement, and it is going to get even bigger.
- Now that I have hopefully convinced you about the impact MOOCs are having on training, let’s look a bit at the nuts and bolts, the technology they require and how to start actually moving in this direction.
- The first point I want to make is that MOOCs are not themselves a technology or a technology platform. They are an idea, a framework that is powered and made possible by technology, but the actual technology used can differ in every case. MOOCs are usually run within a learning management system, and indeed that is what the major MOOC providers—Coursera, edX, and so on—provide: an LMS that is infinitely scalable. But there have also been MOOCs run outside of an LMS entirely. For companies using MOOCs, an LMS is important as a way of providing structure and security, but the core elements of a MOOC are really the building blocks I identified earlier: namely, bite-sized learning modules, video content delivery, and online discussion forums.
- So how do you start thinking about how to put your training programs into a MOOC? The answer is not just to throw your current training resources online. This is how many of the initial MOOCs were designed—professors recorded their lectures and put them online along with the other resources and assignments they used in their traditional courses. But these initial MOOCs were largely panned for being, simply, not very good. A high-quality MOOC is one that is designed as a MOOC, from the ground up. This doesn’t require completely revamping your materials or rethinking your instructional design, but it does require thinking about these things from a much larger perspective.
- Here are some of the main things to consider when deciding on a whether and how to use a MOOC: Audience, purpose, and content. MOOCs aren’t necessarily the best training format for every course, just like ILT isn’t the best, or traditional elearning isn’t the best. If the group you are training is small, the course is more focused on discussion than on content, or the content changes very frequently, a MOOC is probably not the best option. However, when learners are starting at different levels, the training needs to be flexible and on-demand, performance support is desired, and collaboration is required over long distances, a MOOC probably is the best option. Course structure and navigation. As with elearning, the structure of a MOOC needs to be absolutely clear and the navigation intuitive. If they aren’t, learners will quickly become frustrated. The great thing about a MOOC is that the structure is entirely flexible—courses can consist of one module or 20 modules, the materials can be videos or readings, the activities can range from participating in discussions to individual knowledge assessments, to collaborative group work. In any case, the course needs to be clearly laid out, with content and activities broken into easily digestible bite-sized pieces. Assessment and feedback. Assessments in MOOCs can take many forms. Just like in ILT and elearning, the important thing is that the assessments are valid and relevant to employees’ needs. Happy sheets are not meaningful assessments. Instead, assessments should be active— learners should be given the opportunity to apply what they learn as soon as possible after they learn it as well as receive feedback on their performance.
- Very briefly, I’ll conclude this section with six strategies for transitioning from instructor-led training to a MOOC. Start by planning. Plan a lot, and when you think you are done planning, plan a little bit more. Unlike in ILT, you won’t be able to see when learners are confused or bored, and you will be recording video, which is more difficult to redo than correcting yourself when speaking in person. In addition, learners will be expected to make their way through the course on their own, so the time spent planning upfront is the most important time you will spend in the development process. Redesign course materials with learners’ needs in mind. MOOCs require switching your perspective to prioritize the learners’ needs. As opposed to ILT, which is frequently delivered in long sessions, MOOCs rely on short learning activities, so think about how you can divide your course materials up into brief standalone lessons and modules. This is also the time to think about course navigation—you won’t be there to help learners find their way through the course, but you can provide this guidance via a welcome page or orientation video that explains how the course will work. Create active assessments, and plenty of them. Believe it or not, learners prefer active assessments, and they prefer those assessment to be integrated into the course rather than all coming at the end. Maria Anderson, who works for the MOOC platform Canvas Network, recommends that assessments should “benefit the students, not the instructor,” which means that they should provide learning opportunities, not just serve as attendance markers. Skills practice, discussion forum participation, and individual or group projects are three examples of active assessments that can be used in MOOCs. Be prepared to play a different role. The instructor in a MOOC plays a fundamentally different role from the instructor in ILT. If you are actively moderating the course, you may participate in class discussions and clarify concepts as needed. If you are not actively moderating the course, your role may be limited to creating the course materials. In any case, be prepared to be much less of a “sage on the stage” and much more of a “guide on the side.” Learn from the data. MOOCs can produce huge amounts of data about how what people are doing in the courses, including how they interact with the learning materials. This is data that ILT instructors never have access to, and it can provide powerful insights you can use to improve your training in general. Finally, don’t try to do it alone. While ILT and even a traditional elearning course may often be designed and developed by one person working alone, this really isn’t possible in a MOOC. The development team for a MOOC usually includes at least a couple of people from the L&D department, a technical support team, and often an outside consultant.
- Those are what I call the nuts and bolts—the main things to think about when considering switching to MOOCs. As the final piece of this presentation, I’d like to take a brief look at some current trends in MOOCs and where these trends might take us in the future.
- Those are what I call the nuts and bolts—the main things to think about when considering switching to MOOCs. As the final piece of this presentation, I’d like to take a brief look at some current trends in MOOCs and where these trends might take us in the future.
- One of the biggest trends we’ve been seeing lately is the development of new learning technologies to support MOOCs. These technologies are greatly expanding the capabilities of MOOCs beyond what any other training format can provide. Here is a great example. LectureScape. This is one of my favorite new technologies. Remember when I said MOOCs can provide a huge amount of data? Researchers at MIT analyzed 7 million video sessions from MOOCs on edX. Based on their results, they developed LectureScape, which is an enhanced video player that transforms video lectures into incredibly powerful learning tools. LectureScape includes: A video timeline that shows what parts of the video other users watch most frequently as well as a personal watching trace for individual learners. Keyword search and an interactive transcript that allows learners to quickly find information within the video. Personal bookmarks that let learners bookmark places in the video for later reference. Word clouds and summaries for easy review, and a collection of popular content for quick reference. This isn’t just video watching, it’s personalized, interactive learning. New technologies are also appearing that allow hands-on learning via simulations, as well as better collaboration among learners. I predict that over the course of 2015, we will see even more innovations in this area that will make us realize that technology-enabled learning is currently only in its infancy.
- Another major trend we are seeing is the move toward mobile learning. This has been on the fringes for a while—with many L&D departments saying “this is the way we need to go” and companies saying “well, I’m not so sure.” But Millennials live on their mobile devices, and businesses need to catch up. Here are a few facts and statistics highlighting the importance of adopting mobile learning: 90% of Millennials have their phones with them at all times. Mobile learning increases the motivation to learn, particularly for Millennials, who now make up more than one-third of the workforce. Mobile users are more likely to engage in collaboration and peer learning, and more likely to use online resources. Now here’s the challenge: only 10% of companies are using web-based mobile learning and only 8% are using mobile apps. Currently, most MOOCs are not designed for mobile learning, but that is changing. The major MOOC providers are busy making their courses mobile accessible, and there is now a company in the UK that creates mobile-first, mobile-only MOOCs. I predict that in the next five to ten years, there will be no difference between taking a training course on your computer and taking it on your smartphone.
- Flipped MOOCs. Most of you have probably heard of the flipped classroom, the model in which learners watch videos at home and then spend class time participating in discussions and other forms of active learning. There is now a movement to explore the concept of flipping in a fully online course. This type of flipping, advocated by professional development specialist Barbi Honeycutt and educator Sarah Glova, involves flipping not the class time but the class focus. They define flipping as “shifting the focus from the instructor to the students…[by focusing] on what are students doing to construct knowledge, connect with others, and engage in higher levels of critical thinking and analysis.” MOOCs provide an excellent framework for thinking about this type of flipping, as the best courses are learner-centric. This may require a significant shift in how many companies think about training, but I predict that the future will find us focusing even more on the learner as a way to improve training efficacy.
- Finally, MOOCs are becoming more than just training courses. As we have seen, companies are using them to build talent pipelines, to educate customers, and to market their brands. I believe this trend will continue, and we will see MOOCs used for other purposes within an organization. For example, MOOCs have moved training out of formal, time-delimited boxes into the world at large. Training is no longer something that takes place just in seminars and workshops—it is something people do every day. This movement is facilitating the development of learning organizations, which is a key element in companies’ success and survival. MOOCs are also being used to build and maintain relationships—with current employees, prospective employees, customers, and business partners. They are becoming a combination of educational opportunity, content marketing, and educational social media. I predict that we will see the walls around training continue to fall until learning is fully integrated into our daily lives, both on and off the job.
- MOOCs, mobile learning, and other technology-driven learning initiatives are changing not only the how of learning, but also the where and the when. By facilitating a “pull” rather than a “push” model of learning, these technologies are expanding learning far beyond both physical and virtual classrooms. When employees have access to learning resources, such as performance support, on their smartphones, learning is transformed from something that happens once in a while on designated training days to something that is happening all of the time. In 2015, as companies further adopt BYOD policies and on-demand learning formats, training will become even more integrated into employees’ daily activities.
- In 2012, Gartner predicted that “by 2015, 40 percent of Global 1000 organizations will use gamification as the primary mechanism to transform business operations.” This has not happened. While the use of gamification has been growing, particularly in training environments, that growth has been much slower than predicted. This is not necessarily a bad thing—while gamification done well can make training highly engaging and motivating, gamification done poorly can have a de-motivating effect, which is not what anyone wants to see. In 2015, I predict that we will not necessarily see a huge increase in the number of companies using gamification for training. Instead, what we will see is a significantly higher-quality examples of gamification that move beyond points, badges and leaderboards (PBLs) to game elements and mechanics that are more meaningful to learners.
- Next is the development of alternative credentials. Over the past year or so, the idea of alternative credentials has exploded onto the scene, in large part because learners are looking for a way to get credit for their non-traditional learning, such as through MOOCs. Companies are also looking for ways to better assess the abilities of job applicants, as many are finding that the traditional college degree simply isn’t doing it. A widely cited Gallup survey found that only 11% of business leaders strongly agree that colleges and universities are doing a good job at preparing students for work. Part of the issue, of course, is that the nature of education is changing—from something you do all at once upfront to something you do constantly throughout your career. This need for lifelong learning has been a major driver in the development of new learning formats, like MOOCs, and new credentials to recognize that learning. Many educational technology companies, professional organizations, and higher education institutions are currently working on the best way to award alternative credentials. The verified certificates and digital badges often associated with online learning are just a step in that direction. I predict that in the near future, we will see schools and businesses start to adopt a recognized system of alternative credentials and that, if you haven’t already, you will start seeing MOOCs on resumes very soon.
- CapitalWave Technology Enabled Learning Simulation platforms Digital Learning Environment
- "The Road Not Taken." by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black. Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.
- So, just to wrap up: In a nutshell, MOOCs are highly powerful, flexible digital learning environments that are transforming both the idea and the practice of workforce education. The MOOC framework represents the future of training and development, in terms of both what companies are doing and what individuals are doing to acquire new knowledge and skills. That’s what they are, and why you should care. Any questions?