Building a MOOC for Language Learning, by Jorge Arús & Dolores Castrillo

1. Building a MOOC for language
learning:
a research-oriented workshop
Mª Dolores Castrillo Jorge Arús
mcastrillo@flog.uned.es jarus@ucm.es

2. Outline
• Introduction. What’s a MOOC?
• A language course on Miriada-X
– Presentation video
– Modules
– Communication tools: Forums and questions and
answers
• Building Karma
• Voting
• Instructors and MOOCs
• Hands-on workshop with a focus on MOOC
specific features: presentation video and
communication tools

3. What’s a MOOC?
An experience based definition
M - Massive
• number of participants: from 150 to??
O - Open
• free (although ...)
• always accessible (but ...)
O - Online
• only online but also hybrids (although also:
bMOOCs, SPOCs, cMOOCs ...)

4. What’s a MOOC?
An experience based definition
C-Course (to avoid C = Chaos)
• with a definite, clear and systematic content
structure
• with a beginning, an end and a schedule
• with mandatory and complementary training
materials and tasks
• with peer to peer collaborative tools that
promote netLearning (p2p tasks, wikis, ...)
• with communication tools (forums, Q & A,
blogs, ...)
• with an assessment and certification system

5. What’s a MOOC?
An experience based definition
And ... most importantly:
 with a mechanical system of self-
management, evaluation, measurement of
qualitative and quantitative participation
(learning analytics), award and exporting
badges or medals.
(eg. Mozilla Open Badges initiative of free software, through which you can
show the skills acquired by way of achievements known by the term badges.)

6. And … what’s not a MOOC?
A MOOC is not:
 an off-line class: if the MOOC is well
designed, interaction with the teaching staff
should be minimal, although curators and
facilitators will be required
 an LMS (Learning Management System): it
has not such linear or closed character.
Furthermore, much larger number of students
and less control by the teacher, etc..

7. Kinds of MOOCs
LMOOCs
Hybrid
cMOOCs
Network-based/
connectivist
xMOOCs
Content-
based/instructivist
(eg. Coursera, EdX)

8. And … what about MOOC providers?
Attributes of major MOOC providers [Wikipedia]
Initiatives For profit Free to access
Certification
fee
Institutional
credits
EdX No Yes Yes No
Coursera Yes Yes Yes Partial
Udacity Yes Yes Yes Partial
Udemy Yes Partial Yes Partial
P2PU No Yes No No

9. But, attention, something important is missing
here!
What about…. Google?????
Of Course:
 Google Course Builder

10. Language Teaching MOOCs:
the instructor’s role

11. The successful MOOC instructor
“Failure is simply an opportunity to begin
again, this time more intelligently.”
(by Henry Ford)
 Learn from mistakes,
but better if they are other people's mistakes 
(by me)

12. Lessons from 2 failed MOOCs
1) "Fundamentals of Online Education: Planning and
Applications"
Georgia Tech University
Teacher: Fatimah Wirth
January 28, 2013
40,000 registered
"Suspended" three days after starting (February 2), then
finally canceled .
https://www.coursera.org/course/foe
Based on: Méndez García, C. (2013). Diseño e implementación de cursos abiertos
masivos en línea (MOOC): expectativas y consideraciones prácticas. RED, Revista de
Educación a Distancia. Número 39.

13. Lessons from 2 failed MOOCs
Reasons:
Use of Google Docs (up to 50 users at the same
time, everyone can change - and therefore delete
the content): technical failure?
Lack of clear instructions in both: tasks and group
formation
"Obligation" to organize in groups and group
work
Uninteresting videos (read-aloud of a text)
Materials too basic, at least in the first lesson
(before it was canceled)

14. Lessons from 2 failed MOOCs
2) "Microeconomics for Managers"
Professor Richard McKenzie
University of California at Irvine
January 14, 2013
37,000 registered
The teacher left during the fifth week
Continued for the remaining five weeks with other people in
charge (Dean of Distance Education)
Based on: Méndez García, C. (2013). Diseño e implementación de cursos abiertos
masivos en línea (MOOC): expectativas y consideraciones prácticas. RED, Revista de
Educación a Distancia. Número 39.

15. Lessons from 2 failed MOOCs
Reasons:
 Teacher frustration by the "lack of interest" of students (only
40% became identified in the course, only 25% saw at least
one video, less than 2% were involved in discussions) 
numbers are not lower than usual in MOOCs
 Nevertheless excessive students number to take traditional
control
 Top-down approach vs. peer-learning - lack of teacher control
over student learning according to the traditional system
 Diversity (typology of student origin, including language and
interest) experienced as frustration
 Complaints by students because the course manual was not
free

16. And know…
let’s
locoMOOCtion!
Mª Dolores Castrillo Jorge Arús
mcastrillo@flog.uned.es jarus@ucm.es