Massive open online courses (MOOCs) offer a new way of looking at education. As faculty take on the challenge of teaching through MOOCs, they're experimenting with a variety of theories and techniques--some more effective than others.
In his article "Try, Try Again," published in Inside Higher Education, Carl Straumsheim discusses the trial-and-error process of MOOC instructors at Stanford University. He speaks with Keith Devlin, who teaches the MOOC "Introduction to Mathematical Thinking." Devlin compares MOOCs to Massively multiplayer online role playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft. These games make it "virtually impossible to get the cool stuff unless you enter into at least temporary collaborations." MMORPGs succeed at being massive because they encourage players to form smaller groups, Devlin says, and he is trying to imitate that success by building smaller groups and emphasizing participation over testing in his MOOCs.
Straumsheim also talks with Scott Klemmer, who teaches the MOOC "Human Computer Interaction." Klemmer has found the introduction of elements such as a community teach assistant, a LinkedIn group for former students and a curated forum post of the day help give the course a more polished feel. However, video lectures are still a central component of how the course content is delivered, Klemmer says--and videos are hard to revise.
To read the full article at Inside Higher Education, click here.