The discrete optimization MOOC: An exploration in discovery-based learning
| Alternate title | Issue No.37 Experiences and best practices in and around MOOCs |
| Published | March 2014 |
| Journal | eLearning Papers Volume 37, Issue March 2014, Pages 51-56 |
| Publisher | elearningeuropa.info |
| Original Publication | EMOOCS 2014 conference |
| Editors | Ullmo, Pierre-Antoine and Koskinen, Tapio |
| Country | Spain |
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 at | Barcelona |
| ISSN | 1887-1542 |
| Refereed | Yes |
| Rights | by-nc-nd/3.0 |
| URL | http://openeducationeuropa.eu/en/article/The-Discrete-Optimization-MOOC%3A-An-Exploration-in-Discovery-Based-Learning?paper=136477 |
| Export options | BibTex · EndNote · Tagged XML · Google Scholar |
AVAILABLE FILES
Viewed by 168 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
MOOC user persistence
Heutte, Jean; Kaplan, Jonathan; Fenouillet, Fabien; Caron, Pierre-André; et al.
This research explores user persistence in a massive open online course (MOOC) that was set up as an experiment before the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research launched in October 2013 the French Digital ...
Match: mooc
Learning in a small, task–oriented, connectivist MOOC: Pedagogical issues and implications for higher education
Lovegrove, Elizabeth; Roberts, George; Waite, Marion; Mackness, Jenny; et al.
Despite the increase in massive open online courses (MOOCs), evidence about the pedagogy of learning in MOOCs remains limited. This paper reports on an investigation into the pedagogy in one MOOC - Oxford Brookes ...
Match: mooc
Digital culture clash: “massive” education in the E-learning and Digital Cultures MOOC
Knox, Jeremy
While education has been both open and online, the sizeable enrolment numbers associated with massive open online courses (MOOCs) are somewhat unprecedented. In order to gauge the significance of education at scale, ...
Match: mooc
Open universities in the time of MOOCs: Reaching the unreached?
Kanwar, Asha; Balasubramanian, K.
Transcript and presentation slides of the 19th Prof. G. Ram Reddy Memorial Lecture, Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), India, 2 July 2014, Presented by Professor Asha Kanwar (co-written with Dr. K. ...
Match: mooc
Impacts of MOOCs on online learning and campus-based course design
Phan, Trang; Tomei, Lawrence; Milheim, Karen L.
There are two lines of expert debates on whether MOOCs could improve the overall quality of college and university education in America. Experts like Fiona Hollands believe MOOCs have made positive influence in ...
Match: mooc
Motivations and challenges in MOOCs with eastern insights
Zhong, Sheng-Hua; Zhang, Qun-Bo; Li, Zheng-Ping; Liu, Yan; et al.
Massive open online courses (MOOCs) are the latest e-learning initiative to attain widespread popularity in the world. Unfortunately, nearly all of these studies are built from western insights. Thus, there is a need ...
Match: mooc
Reluctant mathematician: Skills-based MOOC scaffolds wide range of learners
Lambert, Sarah
The University of Wollongong’s first locally developed and hosted Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) “The Reluctant Mathematician” was run in the last four weeks of our summer holiday, prior to Autumn session in ...
Match: mooc
Coursera’s introductory human physiology course: Factors that characterize successful completion of a MOOC
Engle, Deborah; Mankoff, Chris; Carbrey, Jennifer
Since Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are accessible by anyone in the world at no cost, they have large enrollments that are conducive to educational research. This study examines students in the Coursera MOOC, ...
Match: mooc
Improving learning in MOOCs through peer feedback: How is learning improved by providing and receiving feedback?
Jiao, Jianli; Yang, Yuqin; Zhong, Hongrui; Ren, Gaimei; et al.
As the "campus tsunami'' that is purportedly poised to change the face of higher education. Peer assessment has been adopted as a strategy to stimulate students' active engagement in learning in MOOCs. While it is ...
Match: mooc
Learning designers in the ‘Third Space’: The socio-technical construction of MOOCs and their relationship to educator and learning designer roles in HE
White, Steven; White, Su
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are frequently portrayed as “agents of change” in higher education (HE), impacting on institutional practices, processes and structures throughout HE. However, these courses do ...
Match: mooc
