Upscaling the number of learners, fragmenting the role of teachers: How do massive open online courses (MOOCs) form new conditions for learning design?
| Published | April 2018 |
| Journal | International Review of Education Volume 64, Issue 2, Pages 179-195 |
| Publisher | Springer Netherlands |
| Country | Denmark, Europe |
ABSTRACT
The proliferation and expansion of massive open online courses (MOOCs) prompts a need to revisit classical pedagogical questions. In what ways will MOOCs facilitate and promote new e-learning pedagogies? Is current learning design adequate for the "massiveness" and "openness" of MOOCs? This article discusses the ways in which MOOCs create new conditions for designing learning processes. The authors present various theoretical approaches to learning design and discuss a combination of theoretical perspectives. They discern a fragmentation of the teacher role; where the teacher was once the main person responsible for planning, practice and reflection, those activities may now be performed by different actors with different areas of responsibility. The theoretical discussion is complemented by a review of recent studies of new practices and design formats aiming to overcome the upscaling issues of MOOCs. The authors present a multifaceted picture of MOOC methodologies, including a typology of hybrid approaches to MOOC design. Through the example of MOOC implementation in India, they address the integration of MOOCs into formal higher education systems. They conclude their article with the contention that, through upscaling, important facets of students' intellectual development and critical thinking might be left to the students themselves. This may cause problems. Adequate scaffolding from a teacher, such as adapting activities to the specific situation, might be needed to develop the skills required to be a self-directed learner. Furthermore, upscaling seems to promote a separation of the formerly unified teacher functions of planning, teaching and assessing, which necessitates increased collaboration among the many new actors in the field of pedagogy.ABSTRACT
Multiplier le nombre d’apprenants, fragmenter le rôle des enseignants : comment les formations en ligne ouvertes à tous (FLOT) créent de nouvelles conditions pour la conception pédagogique – La prolifération et l’expansion des formations en ligne ouvertes à tous (FLOT) entraînent la nécessité de réexaminer les questions pédagogiques classiques. Dans quelle mesure les FLOT faciliteront et favoriseront-elles de nouvelles pédagogies d’apprentissage électronique ? La conception pédagogique actuelle se prête-t-elle à la « massivité » et à l’« ouverture » des FLOT ? Cet article examine de quelles manières les FLOT créent de nouvelles conditions pour la conception des processus d’apprentissage. Les auteurs présentent diverses approches théoriques de la conception pédagogique et analysent un ensemble de perspectives théoriques. Ils perçoivent une fragmentation du rôle de l’enseignant : si celui-ci était autrefois principal responsable de la programmation, de la pratique et de la réflexion, ces activités peuvent aujourd’hui être assumées par différents acteurs investis de différents domaines de responsabilité. L’analyse théorique est complétée par un recensement des études récentes sur les nouvelles pratiques et formes de conception visant à résoudre les problèmes d’échelle des FLOT. Les auteurs présentent une image pluridimensionnelle des méthodologies des FLOT, dont une typologie d’approches hybrides pour leur conception. À travers l’exemple de la réalisation des FLOT en Inde, ils abordent la question de leur intégration dans les systèmes formels d’enseignement supérieur. Ils concluent leur article par l’affirmation qu’en raison de la massification, d’importants aspects du développement intellectuel et de la pensée critique pourraient être abandonnés aux seuls étudiants. Cette tendance pourrait créer des problèmes. Un soutien approprié de la part de l’enseignant, tel que des activités d’adaptation à la situation spécifique, pourrait être requis pour développer les compétences nécessaires à un apprenant auto-dirigé. En outre, la massification semble favoriser une séparation des fonctions auparavant concentrées chez l’enseignant, à savoir programmation, enseignement et évaluation, ce qui nécessite une coopération accrue entre les nombreux nouveaux acteurs présents sur la scène pédagogique.| Keywords | course design · designing learning processes · instructional design · learning design · massive open online courses in higher education · teacher roles |
| Published at | Netherlands |
| ISSN | 1573-0638 |
| Refereed | Yes |
| Rights | © Springer Science+Business Media B.V., part of Springer Nature, and UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning 2018 |
| DOI | 10.1007/s11159-018-9714-1 |
| Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
Viewed by 263 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
Learning potentials and educational challenges of massive open online courses (MOOCs) in lifelong learning
Buhl, Mie; Andreasen, Lars Birch
Match: buhl, mie; andreasen, lars birch; denmark; europe
New design approaches to repurposing open educational resources for collaborative learning using mediating artefacts
Dimitriadis, Yannis; McAndrew, Patrick; Conole, Gráinne; Makriyannis, Elpida
In spite of high expectations and the support given by prestigious funding and educational institutions, Open Educational Resources (OER) have not been adopted widely by teachers and learners in practice. From a ...
Match: instructional design; learning design
The global eBook market: Current conditions & future projections
Wischenbart, Ruediger
This research report will discuss the current state of the ebook market as well as provide guidance on what the future looks like. The report is presented by country and will consist of the primary report covering ...
Match: conditions
The OERTEST Project: Creating political conditions for effective exchange of OER in Higher Education
Ferrari, Luca; Traina, Ivan
This paper refers to the OERTest project and Open Educational Resources (OER) as support education materials that may be freely accessed, reused, modified and shared by anyone. In this paper we will try to answer the ...
Match: conditions
Special session OER: Integrating OER and Instructional Design – Towards a more holistic view
Deimann, Markus; Bastiaens, Theo
Instructional Design (ID) has been introduced as a fundamental approach to design learning environments with a strong focus on media usage. In this regard, recent transformations in the realm of ICT have gained an ...
Match: instructional design
MOOC design principles. A pedagogical approach from the learner’s perspective
Guàrdia, Lourdes; Maina, Marcelo; Sangrà, Albert; Koskinen, Tapio; Mor, Yishay
The debate around Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) is much more focused on the social, institutional, technological and economical aspects than on the need for development of new pedagogical approaches that provide ...
Match: learning design
Open Education Resources and Massive Open Online Courses
Latchem, Colin
This chapter explains how the open access movement, open education resources (OER) that can be freely accessed, reused, modified and shared by anyone, and massive open online courses (MOOCs) which are aimed at unlimited ...
Match: learning design
MOOCS Massive Open Online Courses
Gaebel, Michael
Match: europe
Collective effervescence: Designing MOOCs for emotion and community
Kizimchuk, Stephanie; Freund, Katharina; Prescott, Margaret; McLaughlin, Crystal; et al.
This paper shares the experiences of a course team in designing and delivering a massive open online course (MOOC). It offers insight into how their approach can help build learning communities and enhance pedagogy for ...
Match: learning design
Designing for innovation around OER
Lane, Andy
This paper argues that designing collections of ‘closed’ educational resources (content and technologies) for use by specific student cohorts and collections of open educational resources for use by any ...
Match: learning design









