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What are the implications for learners of Massive Open Distance Courses?
Daphne Koller in her TED talk describes what she sees as the potential of her new initiative, Coursera, which provides courses from a host of major universities, free of charge, to anyone with a computer and interest in learning. Harvard and MIT followed suit with a similar initiative, edX, which does the same. Most major universities in the United States seem to be commited to one collaboration or the other.
At this point there are two big differences between these massive courses and courses in traditional settings. One is that active online interactions among students replace in-person interactions among those who attend a course in the classroom. Another is that students have no actual contact with or feedback from teaching staff, either to answer questions or to provide expert feedback on assignments. Students instead get feedback from peers, which I believe follows a point rubric rather than being narrative, but I am not sure how much variation there is in the style of feedback.
What will these MODCs mean for learners? Thoughts from those actually taking courses through Coursera, edX, or other distance learning initiatives are particularly welcome here!
If you would never contemplate taking such a course, why not?
Madhavi Gavini
edward long 100+
Fritzie Reisner 100+
I would have to believe an employer would prefer to hire a person whose competency has been measured above a minimum "passing" level of attainment.
Further, there is no claim for most of the course offerings so far that they are at the level of the course by the same name and instructor at the university of origin.
edX is developing an alternative in which people for a fee can take a final examination at a testing center.In this case people would need to verify identity on the spot.While edX is a non-profit, Coursera is for profit. Whether they intend to develop assessment procedures for a fee remains to be seen.
edward long 100+
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Higher ed for the enrichment audience, which includes people who do not need credits for any purpose, definitely is taking a hit. A person with a degree or two in hand might choose not to pay $1000 to take a perhaps higher quality course when a lower quality but for him adequate version can be had for free.
I see the great benefit of these free online offerings as providing access to these courses to those who would never have been able to afford to attend these courses at a university or who wish to augment the education they are getting at a college which cannot draw professors like these.
For those who want to learn in a variety of areas, who don't need to become highly competent via the course, and who don't need credits verifying such competence, these courses can be fabulous.
I don't see much risk to solid degree-conferring universities with the educational offerings, research and field work opportunities, and mentoring they can provide. At least not with online learning in the current forms.
pat gilbert 100+
It will turn higher education on it's ear as the internet is doing with newspapers.
My understanding is higher education is costly because of the way getting tenured works and emphasis on publishing that is more and more esoteric and getting grants creates a competition for professors and because of government making money available (same deal as housing) online bypasses this and the accreditation bureau keeps colleges from by passing the current system.
The downside is that college is where one makes life long contacts.
Fritzie Reisner 100+
edX, doesn't give you unlimited time either but gives you more time than if you were taking the course at a university.
What one can do that one cannot do at a college is take one course at a time.
Thus far, no more than 5% of enrollees are completing the courses for which they sign up. One reason is surely work habits. Another that these programs have determined is that people sign up for things without the prerequisites for the course, jumping into more advanced courses than their preparation permits.
Even those who formally speaking have the prerequisites may not be able to handle some of these courses in a context with no staff support in the form of people who know the subject explaining things in a different way.
pat gilbert 100+
From what you are saying the part of education that needs a live person is the counseling part not the teaching part.
The downside of free or cheap education is that does not have as much value to the student and they don't HAVE to do it, which we all need the occasional kick in the butt
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Then there is the separate dimension of reliable assessment of whether the student really understands the content and communicating what the student's misconceptions may have been. This sort of judgment and feedback tends, I think, to be more reliable from someone who knows the material than from a random peer in the class.
There are online learning programs that do build in human feedback, but because people have to be paid to do that, those courses are not free.
pat gilbert 100+
I see your point I wonder if that occurs anyway with teachers at the college level.
Explaining something in a different way then would be what is needed more than teachers?
Fritzie Reisner 100+
Teachers are not needed for recitation of facts.
A teacher who lectures may explain things one or several ways. The textbook may have a different way. The teaching assistants in a college course meeting with the students in small sections are often key in addressing specific questions and providing alternative explanations.
Because I have great interest in learning environments and their potential, I have just started a course with Coursera. Next term I hope to try an edX. The teacher lectures clearly and there is a discussion board where people in the class can ask each other questions.
It is interesting how much students do not comprehend from lecture, though the professor is clear, I think.
I expect the issue would be much more serious in a math or science class or one with more abstract content.
pat gilbert 100+
Ken brown 30+
Fritzie Reisner 100+
It is also likely that the experience is quite different for different categories of students, such as those who have had a college education recently, a college education long ago, or a high school education and those delving into a new field or enhancing and updating themselves in their own field.
Robert Winner 50+
My nephew attended the University of Phoenix and transfered out to ASU. He thought it was a paper mill buy a degree program with no real learning requirements and no interface with instructors.
Is a point rubric from peers consistant? What if the peer is wrong and assesses you on his incorrect answer?
When I went to college ... near a stone quarry where writing supplies could be bought ..... Professors where aluded to as being in a ivory tower. They were not accessable to us mere mortals.
I wonder if there are department heads in the ODC's. or if there are just contributors that are hired to put together a course and then the course is computer managed by a techie.
I tried out the local high school course and was satisfied that it was good for homebound students recovering from illnesses. They kept up on the reading and homework. They missed the interaction and clarification that took place in the classroom. Often it was required to re-assess the test because the homebound student was not available for that conversation. This become very time intensive for a real teacher. However, on line for profit schools can search for key words and pass you because the answer is important the learning is not. Even worse A, B, C, D, all the above.
A final thought. PHd is hired by the university for his research rep in hopes of landing a hugh research grant from a corp or the government. That is where the money is and that is what the university is about ... the bucks. So what happens to all the academic Dr's if on line rules? Is there still a need? What happens to the Arts?
Somehow ... The Desert College of Higher Knowledge A E-Mail U .. does not have the ring of Stanford.
Fritzie Reisner 100+
The way they do the peer reviews is that each student is evaluated by a large number of peers and the scores are averaged.
The courses thus far do not, I think, have content for which the logical way of evaluating competency is with papers and narrative writing.
Robert Winner 50+
edward long 100+
Fritzie Reisner 100+
edward long 100+