The Irish Online Learning Landscape: A Critical Tour Through the Valley of the Shadow of the MOOC
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This document provides an overview of the Irish online learning landscape from macro, meso, and micro perspectives. It discusses two major worldviews that have shaped online learning - the knowledge economy view which focuses on education as a commodity, and the learning society view which emphasizes social cohesion and cultural heritage. The document also examines how concepts like unbundling, microcredentials, and new learning pathways have opened up access to education but must be reconsidered in light of principles like lifelong learning and sustainable development. It concludes that developing the online learning landscape requires balancing these perspectives and concepts while retaining education's core functions.
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The Irish Online Learning Landscape: A Critical Tour Through the Valley of the Shadow of the MOOC
- 1. The Irish Online Learning Landscape: A Critical Tour Through the Valley of the Shadow of the MOOC Mark BROWN, Eamon COSTELLO & Mairead NIC GIOLLA-MHICHIL EDEN Research Workshop Oldenburg, Germany 6th October, 2016 Liverpool Hut, Mt Aspiring
- 2. • Macro-level perspective • Meso-level perspective • Micro-level perspective The Irish Online Learning Landscape: A Critical Tour Through the Valley of the Shadow of the MOOC Liverpool Hut, Mt Aspiring
- 3. “The MOOC movement is not on an independent trajectory, but rather entwined within a complex constellation of social, technological and educational change” (Brown, 2016, p.31). Liverpool Hut, Mt Aspiring
- 4. http://www.portlandpresspublishing.com/content/wenner-gren-international-series-volume-88 Liverpool Hut, Mt Aspiring
- 5. Liverpool Hut, Mt Aspiring
- 7. “It is theory that decides what we can observe”
- 8. Mark Brown, 2016 • Open Learning • Online Learning • Anytime Anywhere Learning eLearning • Digital Learning • Technology-enhanced Learning • TWO MAJOR WOLRDVIEWS Knowledge Economy
- 9. “Frankly, all the computers and software and Internet connections in the world won’t do much good if young people don’t understand that access to new technology means… access to the new economy” (President Bill Clinton; cited in Cuban, 2001, p.18).
- 10. Learning Society Mark Brown, 2016 • Open Learning • Online Learning • Anytime Anywhere Learning eLearning • Digital Learning • Technology-enhanced Learning • TWO MAJOR WOLRDVIEWS Knowledge Economy
- 11. “Higher education has a crucial role to play in laying the foundations of a society that is more inclusive, participatory and equal...” The President said “…the role of the university in enabling citizens to develop the tools to address the great challenges of our time – global poverty, climate change and sustainability – was vital.
- 12. Global Attitudes Project, Pew Research, 2011 http://www.pewglobal.org/2011/11/17/the-american-western-european-values-gap/ The American-Western European Values Gap
- 13. Different interest groups and stakeholders borrow the same ‘language of persuasion’ to legitimize their own agenda
- 14. ReschoolingReproducing Mark Brown, 2016 • Entrepreneurship • Technology as progress • Education as commodity • Increased market competition • Sifting agent • Human capital • Social cohension • Cultural heritage • Open Learning • Online Learning • Anytime Anywhere Learning eLearning • Digital Learning • Technology-enhanced Learning • Knowledge Economy Learning Society TWO MAJOR WOLRDVIEWS
- 16. Deschooling ReschoolingReproducing Mark Brown, 2016 • Entrepreneurship • Technology as progress • Education as commodity • Increased market competition • Sifting agent • Human capital • Social cohension • Cultural heritage • Unbundling • Opening access • Micro credentials • New learning pathways • Open Learning • Online Learning • Anytime Anywhere Learning eLearning • Digital Learning • Technology-enhanced Learning • Learning Society TWO MAJOR WOLRDVIEWS Knowledge Economy
- 17. Opening Access
- 18. Unbundling
- 19. Unbundling
- 24. ReconceptualizingDeschooling ReschoolingReproducing Mark Brown, 2016 • Open Learning • Online Learning • Anytime Anywhere Learning eLearning • Digital Learning • Technology-enhanced Learning • • Just society • Lifelong learning • Pillars of learning • Sustainable development • Entrepreneurship • Technology as progress • Education as commodity • Increased market competition • Sifting agent • Human capital • Social cohension • Cultural heritage • Unbundling • Opening access • Micro credentials • New learning pathways Learning Society TWO MAJOR WOLRDVIEWS Knowledge Economy
- 25. LEARNING TO BE LEARNING TO KNOW LEARNING TO DO LEARNING TO LIVE TOGETHER Digital Capability Digital Inclusion Digital Citizenship RECONCEPTUALIST FRAMEWORK Fundamental Principles for Reshaping Education (Delors Report, 1972)
- 26. How well is Europe doing?
- 33. FOMO
- 43. “As a country we have everything to gain and nothing to lose by increasing levels of participation in higher education among all Irish citizens” (National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education, 2015, p. i) In response…
- 45. “Resilience requires adaptation and evolution to new environmental conditions, but retains core identity” (Weller & Anderson, 2013, p.55).
- 50. Conclusion
- 51. Conclusion • Different lenses • Not on independent trajectory • Must keep sight of the big ideas
- 52. Online Learning
- 54. Professor Mark Brown Director, National Institute for Digital Learning www.dcu.ie/nidlmark.brown@dcu.ie @mbrownz www.slideshare.net/mbrownz
Editor's Notes
- Imagine two people are standing on opposing mountaintops looking into the valley below. One sees sunshine; the other, shadow. Both are right. Accordingly at the macro-level this talk invites you to think about the light and DARK sides of the MOOC movement.
- Extending the metaphor by looking more deeply through the lens of a telescope we can better understand the grand narratives and some of the competing and co-existing discourses of persuasion surrounding the MOOC movement and online learning more generally.
- Extending the metaphor by looking more deeply through the lens of a telescope we can better understand the grand narratives and some of the competing and co-existing discourses of persuasion surrounding the MOOC movement and online learning more generally.
- This framework illustrates that there are two overarching perspectives influencing the debate: the tradition of the Learning Society and the influence of the Knowledge Economy. It is fair to say that a strong Knowledge Economy discourse is imbued in the languages of persuasion surrounding the unbundling movement.
- This framework illustrates that there are two overarching perspectives influencing the debate: the tradition of the Learning Society and the influence of the Knowledge Economy. It is fair to say that a strong Knowledge Economy discourse is imbued in the languages of persuasion surrounding the unbundling movement.
- Borrowing the words of President Michael Higgins, from this perspective higher education has a role in promoting more inclusive, participatory, equitable and sustainable futures for all.
- Extending the metaphor by looking more deeply through the lens of a telescope we can better understand the grand narratives and some of the competing and co-existing discourses of persuasion surrounding the MOOC movement and online learning more generally.
- The Reschooling Discourse reflects efforts to reform the traditional higher education system through the language of disruption, modernisation and technology as progress. An inherent contradiction in this discourse is that major changes forces champion greater creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship—yet many unbundling initiatives perpetuate relatively instrumentalist views of education.
- In contrast, the Deschooling Discourse reflects a constellation of perspectives sharing the view that traditional institutions are losing their monopoly on higher education. While on the surface the language of ‘unbundling’ promotes democracy, opening access and new learning pathways, the Deschooling discourse also supports the goals of deregulation and the free market.
- The Reconceptualising Discourse builds on the original UNESCO pillars of learning—learning to be, learning to do, learning to know and learning to live together. It promotes life-long learning and skills and knowledge beyond mere preparation for work. The focus is on active participation in all aspects of society.