The discrete optimization MOOC: An exploration in discovery-based learning
Coffrin, Carleton and Hentenryck, Pascal Van

Alternate titleIssue No.37 Experiences and best practices in and around MOOCs
PublishedMarch 2014
JournaleLearning Papers
Volume 37, Issue March 2014, Pages 51-56
Publisherelearningeuropa.info
Original PublicationEMOOCS 2014 conference
EditorsUllmo, Pierre-Antoine and Koskinen, Tapio
CountrySpain

ABSTRACT
The practice of discrete optimization involves modeling and solving complex problems which have never been encountered before and for which no universal computational paradigm exists. Teaching such skills is challenging: students must learn not only the core technical skills, but also an ability to think creatively in order to select and adapt a paradigm to solve the problem at hand.
This paper explores the question of whether the teaching of such creative skills translates to Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). It first describes a discovery-based learning methodology for teaching discrete optimization, which has been successful in the classroom for over fifteen years. It then evaluates the success of a MOOC version of the class via data analytics enabled by the wealth of information produced in the MOOC.

Keywords computer science education · discovery-based learning · MOOC · problem solving skills

Published atBarcelona
ISSN1887-1542
RefereedYes
Rightsby-nc-nd/3.0
URLhttp://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/article/The-Discrete-Optimization-MOOC%3A-An-Exploration-in-Discovery-Based-Learning?paper=136477
Export optionsBibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar



AVAILABLE FILES
From-field_37_2.pdf · 743.4KB86 downloads



Viewed by 280 distinct readers




CLOUD COMMUNITY REVIEWS

The evaluations below represent the judgements of our readers and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Cloud editors.

Click a star to be the first to rate this document


POST A COMMENT
SIMILAR RECORDS

What's Next for MOOCs
Downes, Stephen
This talk looks at the recent resurgence of MOOCs and describes this growth (despite claims that they are 'dead'), shows how they are providing access to micro-credentials and skills-based learning, and explains how ...
Match: MOOC

If Freire made a MOOC: Open education as resistance
Morris, Sean Michael; Stommel, Jesse
On November 21 at the OpenEd Conference in Washington, DC, Sean Michael Morris and Jesse Stommel will present on critical digital pedagogy and MOOCs. This is the second of three articles that inspired that talk. The ...
Match: MOOC

Current status of the MOOC movement in the world and reaction of the Turkish higher education institutions
Aydin, Cengiz Hakan; HOME Project; European Association for Distance Teaching Universities
Match: MOOC

The world is not flat
Rivard, Ry
Online higher education is increasingly hailed as a chance for educators in the developed world to expand access and quality across the globe. Yet it may not be quite so easy. Not only does much of the world not have ...
Match: MOOC

Designing Your First MOOC from scratch: Recommendations after teaching “Digital Education of the Future”
Alario-Hoyos, Carlos; Pérez-Sanagustín, Mar; Kloos, Carlos Delgado; Gutiérrez, Israel; et al.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have been a very promising innovation in higher education for the last few months. Many institutions are currently asking their staff to run high quality MOOCs in a race to gain ...
Match: MOOC; Spain

Indicators of pedagogical quality for the design of a Massive Open Online Course for teacher training
Aleman de la Garza, Lorena; Sancho Vinuesa, Teresa; Gomez Zermeño, Marcela Georgina
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) have generated high expectations and revolutionized some educational practices by providing open educational resources for reference, usage and adaptation; therefore, their ...
Match: MOOC; Spain

Digital Learning Objects for teaching computer programming
Topali, Paraskevi; Mikropoulos, Anastasios
The evolving character of learning technology has fostered changes in the way that the learning material is produced, stored, manipulated and experienced. The result was the development of reusable learning content, ...
Match: computer science education

On human terms – A first evaluation of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) in ergonomics
Berglund, Martina; Osvalder, Anna-Lisa; Tartaglia, Riccardo; Albolino, Sara; et al.
The Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) 'Work and Technology on Human Terms' (www.onhumanterms.org) was launched in July 2017 with the aim to contribute to safer and healthier workplaces by increasing the knowledge about ...
Match: MOOC

Negotiation and conflict resolution education in the age of the MOOC
Ebner, Noam
Even as online learning is increasingly embraced by institutions of higher education, the past decade has seen the arrival of yet another new educational vehicle: massive online open courses (MOOCs). These courses are ...
Match: MOOC

Measuring the success of scaleable open online courses
Klobas, Jane E.
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose measures of online open course success for non-commercial institutional providers of massive open online courses (MOOCs) and other scaleable open online courses ...
Match: MOOC