The
Benefits and Shortfalls of Massive Open Online Courses
By: Erik Chocianowski and Anita DeCianni-Brown
Introduction
Over recent
time, more and more of human life is becoming digitized. Regular, mundane activities that once were
done in person are now expedited and made easier by the advent of the internet. The act of watching television at one time,
was something that was in control by network producers. The limitations in viewership were many and
people became tied to programming schedules.
With the internet, the power has now shifted into the hands of the
viewer. The ability to not only watch
what you want when you want is only rivaled by the ability to watch it wherever
you want, free of the tether of the television. The same is true of grocery
shopping, financial dealings, and the list goes on. Another power shift has occurred in general
consumerism. In the past, shoppers were
mostly limited to the goods that were available in local stores. If they were adventurous, they could purchase
goods, sight unseen, through mail order catalogs. With computers being introduced in to the
marketplace, consumers are now able to shop freer, get product reviews, look at
pictures, and are not limited to regional availability. Some may say that we have given up
human interaction for convenience, and to a degree that is a valid statement,
but in reality, people have much more in return. Not only is there a new sense of immediacy
that has transitioned into other parts of life, but there is a sense of control
for the masses that was not present before either. The control comes from the vast amount of
knowledge and information that is present on the internet and the access that
everybody has to it, assuming that there is the appropriate hardware and
network connections. It is in the same
vein that we should approach education in the future and this is already being
done in MOOCs, or massive open online courses.
This
traditional public education system is broken, as evidenced by all the reforms
that take place on national and state levels.
Logic prevails that if the system works, then there would be no need to
fix it, alas it seems as if it is very wrong with the current education
system. Every election from the national
to state levels of government has some focus on education and there new ideas
on how to fix it are constantly
introduced. Most recently in New
York State, much has been made of the Common Core reforms, which according to
their website, is a way to standardize curriculums from kindergarten through
high school. The goal in this creation
of standards is to encourage “success in college,
career, and life in today’s
global economy.” The implementation
of such a program necessitates what some opponents are calling an excess of
high stakes testing and the overall process seems prone to homogenizing
students with such strict standards.
Adopting such policies seem to also encourage a very top down approach,
which is in stark contrast to the rest of society as described previously. In addition, there is a section outlined in
the program that evaluates teacher’s
effectiveness. Being that education does
not occur in a vacuum, who is to say what works for one teacher in one location
is going to work in a different location.
The whole system seems to be flawed in that the “standardizing”
has
too many factors to account for. One has
to wonder, why would this system be successful in preparing students for
college and careers when it is effectively treating them all the same? Where is the differentiation? Where is the appropriation for creativity? What is to say that this will not increase
competition in that it is encouraging all students to think the same? Where is
the ownership in learning?
The
beauty of MOOCs is that they inherently challenge traditional educational
constructs and are similar to the way society is operating. As the online Oxford dictionary states, MOOCs
are “a
course of study made available over the Internet without charge to a very large
number of people.” This means that if
there is an interest in taking a course, there is no restriction and the
education is there for the students to take.
This writing is not going to solve the past and current inadequacies
that have been presented here, and its function is not to give unabated praise
to MOOCs, it is merely to present the options and offer a suggestion in the
direction that education may move in. It
is clear that MOOCs are not perfect in the way they are constructed and
implemented, but it can not be denied that they offer some insight into a way that education may proceed and be
successful.
The Roots of
Education and MOOCs Place
In an article
in Psychology Today, “The Brief History
of Education”, it states that “in
order to understand education, we must view them from a historical perspective.” According to Dr.
Peter Gray, research professor at Boston College, the hunter gatherer ancestors learned through
knowledge and skill intensive self exploration and play. To go even further, recent studies have cited
anthropologists as saying that “the hunter-gatherer
groups they studied did not distinguish between work and play--essentially all
of life was understood as play”(Gray, 2008,
para.5). It is at this time, that Dr.
Gray posits, that “the strong drives
in children to play and explore presumably came about, during our evolution as
hunter-gatherers, to serve the needs of education”(2008,
para. 4). It is only when agriculture was established and the different
societies were based upon upholding this principle was education of children
merely “a
matter squashing their willfulness in order to make them good laborers”(Gray,
2008, para. 10).
With the
mechanization of agriculture reducing the labor intensive work necessary for
sustaining life, the general feeling of
the public was that education was necessary for various reasons, reading and
comprehension of written religious materials being one of them. Along the way, many different groups have had
their own reasons to be proponents of education. According to Dr. Gray, employers have seen it
as a way to create better employees and governments have seen it as a way to
create more patriot citizens and soldiers.
Not to be exluded from those with incentivized laden plans for learning
were those that were sympathetic toward the basic needs of children. Education reformers were those who have seen
school as a place for children to have a “moral
and intellectual grounding needed to develop into upstanding competent adults”(Gray,
2008, para. 13). It is with these roots
that schools have evolved into something that is more recognizable today and in
the way that adults have jobs, children have jobs as well. Children’s
ability to indulge in the ideas of play have effectively been eviscerated at an
early age due to the structure of school.
John Dewey,
American philosopher and educational reformer, was a strong proponent of self
realization and it lied at the core of this educational theories. His experience driven approach to learning
equated to the “product of the
interaction between organism and environment”
and
he coined the term “instrumentalism”. From Dewey’s
perspective, “the organism interacts with the world
through self guided activity that coordinates and integrates sensory motor
responses…the world is not passively perceived
and thereby known, active manipulation of the environment is involved
integrally…”(John Dewey). The fundamental synopsis of Dewey’s
written works about his theories on education have been proven valid through
the many educational studies that have been conducted that inquire how the
brain works and effective teaching practices based on new found knowledge. It is with this practical approach that MOOCs
can be seen as an effective avenue toward educational success.
In 2012, Joseph
Aoun, president of Northeastern University pronounced that, “we’re witnessing
the end of higher education as we know it.” This was at the same time that Time
magazine headlined, “Reinventing College”
as they covered
the topic of MOOC’s (massive open
online courses) and their impact on the tuition bubble. (Carlson & Blumenstyk, 2012) Though the growth of MOOC offerings does
present potential for educational growth, it is not to a point where it will
end higher education as we know it.
MOOC
do have positive aspects. Through the
use of Web 2.0 technology and social media, faculty at some leading
universities have opened up their virtual classrooms. In 2011, Sebastian Thrun of Stanford
University instructed a MOOC course on artificial intelligence that had over
160,000 students from 209 different countries.
This is an excellent example of how far reaching the MOOC movement can
grow. Having the stamp of approval and
guidance of university at the caliber of Stanford University can be credited
for the enormous amount of students who were enrolled. (Carver & Harrison, 2013) While some of the ventures have taken the
path of for-profit systems with MOOCs, other ventures, such as the
collaborative efforts of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard have
developed a nonprofit. edX, the venture
formed by MIT and Harvard is being used by 27 universities, including 6 leading
Asian universities. Member universities
can use edX as the MOOC platform for no charge.
As the system continues to grow, they are evaluating the possibility to
charge students who are looking to receive a certificate for course
completion. (Bonvillian & Singer,
2013)
MOOCs use
social learning as a way of facilitating the courses through platforms that
include social media sites (often Twitter), blogs, wikis, virtual learning
communities (such as SecondLife) and learning management systems. These tools are often used in distance
learning classrooms, as well. Other
similarities include that it is facilitated by a course instructor, individuals
can participate in the class from anywhere in the world where they have an
Internet connection and it has a defined start and end time. Where it differs is that there is no
attendance or accountability for those not wishing to receive credit for taking
the course and there is a fee only if someone wants to have verification of
having taken the course. Individuals can
choose to fully participate through active engagement in the course activities
or they can passively participate and be more of a watcher with little to no
interaction. Grades are not part of
MOOCs, or at least not in the general open courses. There may or may not be assignments or
assessments to participate in, which makes it difficult to assess any learning
that may take place.
Another benefit of participating in a MOOC course is in what Carver and
Harrison describe as the democratic promise appealing to democratic fundamental
principles which is attributed to the openness of the course and
all-inclusiveness. Individuals from around
the globe are able to participate. This
allows for more engagement from different perspectives. Course content may impact learners in one
area of the world in one way, yet completely different in others. It removes barriers and gives the opportunity
to have a diverse student group. When
sharing life experiences as it pertains to the content, creates a broader
learning environment. Removing the
tuition barrier, it opens education, particularly education facilitated by
smaller colleges to the Ivy Leaguers.
Some see the
use of MOOCs in higher education as magic.
A venue for providing a free college education, without strapping people
down with mountains of debt. Others see
MOOCs as bringing education to the masses and making it more accessible than
ever. With access to a computer or a
smart mobile device, low-income learners in underdeveloped places can gain
access to the world’s greatest
educational institutions. (Bonvillian
& Singer, 2013) This access to
knowledge can benefit corners of the world that may be viewed as helpless.
These are
certainly benefits, however, at the same time, free college education does is
not sustainable under the current design of MOOCs. For the most part, individuals continue their
education for the opportunity for career growth. Unless there is some validation and
accountability to show and prove work and growth based on the courses one
takes, this form of education will not be seen as valid from employers. In 2010, US education institutions granted
over 1 million certificates annually.
(Bonvillian & Singer, 2013)
Courses that are skill based, such as critical thinking, applied math,
and information compilation are valuable skill sets to employers, and can align
job applicants more closely with job requirements. They may provide additional skill
verification in new trends and skills employers are seeking.
Bonvillian and
Singer summarize things best when they said, “MOOCs may change everything, but they
will not necessarily kill everything.” Higher education has grown into a
global platform. At one time, the
international perspective came from international students who were physically
in the classroom. In online classrooms,
one classroom can include students from 10 different countries, without having
individuals move halfway around the world to earn their degree.
With that being
said, there are limitations to MOOCs and there are problematic tendencies that
need to be addressed. Through their
implementation the results are in. While
the large enrollment numbers are impressive at the beginning of the course,
equally important is the amount of active participation throughout the duration
of the course. A recent article notes
that the University of Pennsylvannia’s online courses “failed
miserably” with “about half of the students who
registered ever viewed a lecture and only 4 percent completed a course”(Data Mining
Exposes,2013). Researcher Mung
Chiang stated that “participation falls precipitously and
continuously throughout a course” and that
registered students do not post to forums more than once a course. (Data
Mining Exposes,2013). Some reasons
that were mentioned in the article stated that the peer reviewing of work and
the lack of substance in conversations were key attributors to the lack of discussion
on forums. In the comments section of
the article, a user compiled the reasons why students had dropped out of the
course and most enlightening were the wrong presentation style (boring), wrong
academic level, and a pace that was hard to keep up with.
Dr. Manford
Spitzer, author of Digital Dementia, sees an even more problematic issue
when working on computers. “When you use
computers, you are outsourcing your mental activity”
he states. He sees the overuse of computers and feels
that the rise of anxiety, stress and stunted socialization skills are
attributed to the excess in which young people look at smartphones, a number
which he states is in the realm of 150 times per day. (Digital Dementia, 2014)
One of the more
highly publicized critiques of MOOCs come form an open letter form the
philosophy department of San Jose State University. Presented in an article in the New Yorker by
Nathan Heller, the professors address Michael Sandell, Harvard professor and
primary educator of the online course “JusticeX”. In the letter, the department questions their
self worth by stating that they would be reduced to “glorified
teaching assistants” and that “[in our
department] there is no pedagogical problem…that JusticeX solves.” Other concerns stated in the article
is the inability of such a largely enrolled course having meaningful discussion
and meaningfully graded work by institution personnel.
Other opponents
of MOOCs challenge the integrity of the mission statement of intended
audience. In the article MOOCs Stir
Up Controversy the people that are intended to be reached are those that
would otherwise not have the means to attend a higher education
institution. The low, if any cost, and
the only necessity being an internet connection, the intention to reach the
masses is evident. The reality of the
MOOCs audience is that they are motivated with the capability to attend higher
education and some are either currently attending or participate just to do so,
without any other intention than hobby.
Furthermore, approximately half of those that are enrolled in MOOCs are
outside of the United States, namely Brazil, India, and Russia. These reasons have allowed the critics of
MOOCs to speak loudly and the facts are undeniable concerns with its current
implementation.
As stated
before, the solution to the right form of education is not going to be answered
easily. Education, as commonly known and
as it has ben presented earlier, is an important part of societal existence. While there are common things that people
must learn to be successful in a society, there are also things that people
must learn for themselves and because they want to. There have been many studies in regard to
motivation and once an individual is motivated intrinsically they are much more
likely to be successful. Timelines not
withstanding, it can be a possibility that MOOCs are the solution to education
after primary school. While studying and
learning information that is self directed, by content providers far and wide,
the possibilities are endless yet uncertain.
Perhaps with more testing and risk taking can people see this aspect of
existence become more rewarding.
References
Bonvillian, W., & Singer, S.
(2013, Summer). The Online Challenge to Higher Education. Issues in Science and
Technology , pp. 23 - 30.
Carlson, S., & Blumenstyk, G.
(2012 17-December). College Reinvented: For Whom
is College Being Reinvented. Retrieved 2014 3-April from Chronicle of
Higher Education: http://chronicle.com/article/The-False- Promise-of-the/136305/
Carver, L., & Harrison, L. (2013
Fall). MOOCs and Democratic Education. Liberal Education , pp. 20 - 25.
Common Core Curriculum &
Assessments. (n.d.). Home. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from
http://www.engageny.org/common-core-curriculum-assessments
Data Mining Exposes Embarrassing
Problems for Massive Open Online Courses | MIT Technology Review. (2013,
December 18). MIT Technology Review. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from
http://www.technologyreview.com/view/522816/data-mining-exposes-embarrassing-problems-for-massive-open-online-courses/
Digital dementia for our screen-addicted kids. (2014, March 16). The Seattle Times. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://seattletimes.com/html/health/2023110779_healthdigitalxml.html
Field, R. (n.d.). Internet Encyclopedia
of Philosophy. Dewey, John []. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from
http://www.iep.utm.edu/dewey/#H2
Gray, P. (2008, August 20). A Brief
History of Education. Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a
Therapist. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/freedom-learn/200808/brief-history-education
Hanie, D. (2013, May 14). MOOCs stir up
controversy. US News. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from
http://www.usnews.com/education/online-education/articles/2013/05/14/explore-the-mooc-controversy
Heller, N. (2013, May 20). Is College
Moving Online?. The New Yorker. Retrieved April 17, 2014, from http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/05/20/130520fa_fact_heller?currentPage=all
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