This presentation provides an overview of MOOCs, including some of the myths. It considers what MOOCs could look like at UCT and proposes five different categories.

1. TO MOOC OR NOT TO
MOOC - THAT IS THE
QUESTION
MARCH 2014
Cheryl Brown, Andrew Deacon, Janet Small & Sukaina Walji

2. UNDERSTANDING
MOOCS
Section 1

3. What is a ‘MOOC’?

4. High profile MOOCs
https://wikipedia.org

6. Sebastian Thrun

7. Media hype
He’s thinking big now. He imagines that in
10 years, job applicants will tout their
Udacity degrees. In 50 years, he says,
there will be only 10 institutions in the
world delivering higher education and
Udacity has a shot at being one of them.
Thrun quoted in 2012 online report:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2012/03/ff_aiclass/all/

8. MOOCs didn’t just appear

11. April 2012
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

12. October 2012
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

13. April 2013
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

14. October 2013
http://edutechnica.com/moocmap

15. Completion Rates
http://www.katyjordan.com/MOOCproject.html

17. 6 million students / 54 staff

18. ● content is NOT free
● students can NOT support
each other
● MOOCs can NOT solve the
problem of educational
scarcity in emerging
economies
● Education is NOT a mass
customer industry
MOOC myths
● It's NOT all about money
● will NOT create a two-tier
educational system
● MOOCs are NOT inherently
inferior
● We've have NOT seen how
this plays out
Against (from Laurillard) For (from Educause)

19. COURSE LANDSCAPE
Section 2

20. Landscape of Higher Education
Curriculum
integration
Conventional Flexible
Formal
(credit)
Lectures Block
release
Online
courses
Semi-formal
(certificate)
Short
courses
Professional development
courses
Non-formal
(no credit)
Summer
school
MOOCs

21. Landscape at UCT
Curriculum
integration
Conventional Flexible
Formal
(credit)
Lectures
Block
release
e.g., HS
Online
courses
e.g., BUS1
Semi-formal
(certificate) Short
courses
Professional
development
e.g., Write
Science
e.g.,
Getsmarter
courses
MOOCs
Non-formal
(no credit)
Summer
school
e.g., Astronomy
online

22. WHAT COULD MOOCS
LOOK LIKE AT UCT?
Section 3

23. MOOC categories
C1 Teaching
Showcase
C2 Gateway
Skills
C3
Graduate
literacies
C4
Professional
Showcase
C5
Research
showcase
High-profile ‘rockstar’ MOOCs
on general interest topics.
Typically showcasing
undergraduate teaching
Help prepare
students for
undergraduate
study and
introduce skills
required.
Help prepare students
for postgraduate
study and develop
general skills and
expectations.
Support continuing
education and
showcasing
professional careers
and qualifications.
Showcase
research and
special interest
topics that may
attract
postgraduate
students

24. A general interest high profile course that showcases the institution by means
of an engaging subject or personality led. Likely to be of global interest and
matches a popular understanding of high profile MOOCs
Category 1 Teaching Showcase

25. Provide foundational or enhancement skills, which students could take these prior to
applying or attending an institution but could also replace some campus-based teaching for
'bottleneck courses' or non-core. Likely to be of local interest, either within the institution or
at a country-wide setting.
Category 2 Gateway Skills

26. Post-graduate level courses to support application or programmes of
study focussed on building postgraduate literacies. Likely to be of local or
national interest.
Category 3 Graduate Literacies

27. Geared towards vocational skills development, re-tooling and professional development;
they could be offered in conjunction with other organisations or professional bodies. Likely
to be of local interest, although some specialised topics may be globally relevant. .
Category 4 Professional
showcase/development

28. Specialised and targeted than category one courses as they assumes
some existing background in the topic, but are still geared towards general
or leisure learning. Likely to have global appeal.
Category 5 Showcase research/specialisms

29. MOOC categories summary
MOOC Category Institutional purpose and examples
1 – Teaching
showcase
Showcase teaching and showcase faculty; general interest
topics at an undergraduate level.
2 – Gateway
skills
Prepare students; assist with bottleneck courses or provide
supplementary assistance
3 – Graduate
literacies
Help prepare students for postgraduate study and develop
general skills and expectations.
4 – Professional
showcase
Support continuing education and showcasing professional
careers and qualifications.
5 – Research
showcase
Showcase research and special interest topics that may
attract postgraduate level of interest.

30. Landscape with MOOCs
Curriculum
integration
Conventional Flexible
Formal
(credit)
Lectures Block
release
Online
courses
Semi-formal
(certificate) C4
Short
courses
Professional
development
C3
C2
Non-formal
(no credit)
Summer
school
C5
C1

31. Emerging models from MOOCs
 Open Boundary
Courses – e.g DS106
 SPOCs (small private
online courses) -
Harvard
 MOCs (Massive Online
Courses) – Unisa
 Wrapping – e.g.,
postgrad literacies
A ‘freemium’ model is
where additional support
is charged.
Movement between
formal, semi-formal
and non-formal
domains allows for
experimentation of
course offering.

33. Where to from here?
 CILT position paper - under review for journal
 Enroll for a MOOC - check www.class-central.com/
 Draw MOOCs into classroom - ask your students
about their experiences?
 Set up a study group - or join the CILT unstudy
group
 Scoop-it curated links
http://www.scoop.it/t/moocswatch

34. TO MOOC OR NOT TO
MOOC – NOW WHAT
IS THE QUESTION?