MOOCs: 2 Questions We Need to Consider

The biggest buzz-term in higher education right now is "MOOC."  A MOOC (massive open online course) has the potential to give thousands of students from all over the globe free access to high quality education from top professors completely through the internet.  Penn has thrown their hat in this ring, supporting one of the big platforms for MOOCs called Coursera (Penn Coursera courses are here) and there will be a forum at Penn on April 5th discussing open learning, the principal that sets the foundation for MOOCs.

The question that everyone is attempting to answer: Are MOOCs the future of higher education? Will they continue to disrupt higher education by granting widespread free access to knowledge that previous generations have paid thousands of dollars for?  Will they unite people all over the globe as these people pursue the quest for high level knowledge?  Will they level the playing field for citizens everywhere?

I do not have the answer, however, I am optimistic.  I am a big fan of open learning and utilizing technologies in innovative ways to maximize learning. In this case, MOOCs have the potential to be amazing fixtures in education.

Because I often look at learning environment design and the intricacies that create a space that maximizes learning for the learner, there are 2 design questions that I feel are important as we figure out the future of MOOCs:

First, how should we design MOOCs to keep the learner motivated?  The foundation of a MOOC relies heavily on the self-motivational capacity of the learner. There are a lot of articles that state that many people who start a MOOC do not finish.  I am not sure that we can interpret the MOOC stats correctly as of yet (remember, stats don't always tell the whole story).  So rather than focusing on that, I'd like to focus on motivation as a whole. How can we make sure that the learner stays motivated when there's no one forcing him or her to keep going?

Second, what is the best way to design a MOOC for maximum learning?  The main issue here is even if we can motivate the learner to keep participating in a MOOC through its design, he or she may not get the most out of the learning experience that they can. If they are motivated to finish a MOOC, but learn less than or even the same as what they would have learned in the classroom, isn't that a missed opportunity given how boundless a digital environment can be?

If we simply transfer the classroom experience to an online space (by say, turning the lectures into video lectures, and then tacking on a discussion forum), I do not think this will result in the maximum amount of learning that could occur from a MOOC.  Going back to my previous post that discussed why we must learn from learners, it is important that we get an understanding of how learning currently takes place in digital environments like virtual worlds, video games, and participatory media from the perspective of those who are actually learning in those environments.  An understanding of this will help as we design any digital environment for learning, including MOOCs.

These are just 2 of many, many thoughts I have about MOOCs and their future.  I believe it is a bright future and that right now educators and researchers are working out the kinks.  We have only begun to experience what a MOOC can do and what it can consist of.  Beyond the hype, this really is a very important development in higher education and perhaps one day, in all of education.