Running head: WHAT IS A MOOC?

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What Is A MOOC?
Elizabeth Romero
Azusa Pacific University
What Is A MOOC?
Abstract
MOOC is an acronym for a movement of Massive Open Online Courses. This platform of
online courses is a new trend that has been quickly expanding throughout the digital-cyber world
and well-known universities. MOOC courses have been created to aim for unlimited
participation and open access via the internet. MOOCs offer a platform of forums, other
communication formats, and other media that help build a community for students, and
professors. In addition to traditional course materials the MOOC courses use videos as teacher
assistances. Various well-known universities have joined the new trend and have helped
support, provide and now offer MOOC courses. This trend is changing the educational system.
Other businesses have also integrated the movement and support the new movement of Massive
Open Online Courses. Will this change be learning system permanently or will this new trend
expire?

What Is A MOOC?
In 2012, Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) began to arise and is the most recent
expansion in distance-education. One of the first direct distributions of a MOOC class seems to
have originated from a course titled CCK08 by Stephen Downes and George Siemen. In that
course, the discussion of Massive Open Online Course was started and adopted as a name for
future platform of courses.
Before digital distance learning, distance learning was accessible through correspondence
courses, later on the movement was through broadcast, and early form of e-learning.
Correspondence courses appear in 1890s. In the 1920s broadcast radio offered free programs for
a wide range of audiences. Many universities set up radio stations. Some of the universities
were New York University, Harvard, Kansas State, Ohio State, Columbia, Purdue, Wisconsin,
and others. After reading textbooks and listened to the broadcast lectures, students mailed in
essays and answers to tests. During the World War II, the use of movies and televised lectures
were used for education, demonstrations and trainings for millions of drafted solders. In the
1980s, universities used closed-circuit broadcasting to access recorded class lectures.
Currently, there are various Massive Open Online Course entities but the most known
and well-financed providers in the United States are Udacity, Coursera, and edX. Udacity is
supported by Standford University and in January of 2013, launched the first MOOCs with
university credits. A few months after Udacity was started, in collaboration with San Jose State
University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and AT&T, the first MOOC-based Masters Degree
was announced by Udacity. The latest reported numbers show that Udacity offered 26 courses
with an enrollment well over 300,000 students. Coursera has a partnership with Princeton
University, The University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania, and Standford Universtiy.
Coursera offered about 325 courses, with 30% in the sciences, 28% in arts and humanities, 23%
What Is A MOOC?
in information technology, 13% in business and 6% in mathematics. edX was established in
2012 as non-profit by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard joined. In
the spring the University of California, Berkeley followed by University of Texas Systems,
Wellesley College and Georgetown University all linked to support edX. Google joined the
partnership in September 2013. Presently, 29 institutions from around the world offer courses
through edX this totals to 94 courses. The University of Miami shifted the direction and targeted
audience by launching the first high school MOOC in the fall of 2012, named Global Academy.
The students that enroll in MOOC courses consist of traditional university students,
business people, researchers, educators, along with degreed professionals, and others interested
in experiencing online courses. The student demographics are very dynamic yet can be broken
down into four groups; the sampling leaners, auditors, detached learners, and the completers. The
sampling learners are the students that occasionally watch lectures and are participating in the
course as a form of trial of online courses. Auditor learners watch video throughout the course
but seldom participate on quizzes or exams. Detached learners drop the courses quickly while
the completer students watched the videos throughout the course and partake in most
assessments.
The reasons for universities adopting these forms of courses may be shifting and drifting
apart. One reason that the universities are offering MOOC courses is to extend their remedial
classes and reach a massive number of students. The professors are also collecting date to
analyze if there a large number of students that struggle with one specific topic. In turn the
professors are shifting their pedagogies and lessons to meet the needs of the mass. There are
What Is A MOOC?
three types of MOOC courses, the connectivist philosophy cMOOC, vMOOC a vocational
format, and a more traditional format xMOOC.
The access to multiple topics has greatly expanded and influenced many people because
of the MOOC courses available. I do not think this will be a fab. I think that the opportunity to
obtain new knowledge for free is going to continue growing in popularity and demand. The
online access allows anyone with online access to find courses. This includes people that may
live in rural countries, busy persons from overcrowded cities that would not want to drive
through freeways and struggling to find parking lots to get this information. The information
adds great value to societies across many economic levels.
However, the MOOC structure is in the beginning stages. The information and result
from the first courses has been analyzed and brought up a few controversial issues. The first
issue is that the MOOC courses have to have a defined purpose. Why will people e sign up and
complete there courses? Will the courses offer a certificate of completion, college credits, or an
accredited degree? Although major universities have sponsored these courses, the validity is still
not acceptable or valued as quality education. Another issue is that the mass production of
classes via web-based may provide quantity but not quality education. The majority of students
will be caught in the convenience of cheap education, while the privileged will rejoice with
quality small in-person live lectures and interaction.
As I have been learning about various platforms of presentations online, I was very
entertained by the live drawing used while the presenter spoke. I also realized that although the
scenes were at a kitchen or home environment, the lighting and audio was very carefully
monitored. The switching of cameras was precise and well planned. The topics were organized
What Is A MOOC?
and presented as one finds them in a chapter book. There were definitions, clarifications, and
examples before presenting the student with a quick quiz.
This course was easy for me to sign up and adjust to my busy schedule. As I signed up
for this course as a requirement to participate for another course, I am also participating in two
additional courses online aside from working in a summer program for 7 hours a day and being a
full time mother. The MOOC class was a great experience because it was programed to be a go
at your own pace time of class. This allowed me to open up sessions whenever I had the
opportunity and advance or slow down as I needed. This is a major plus for many people that
already have a full schedule, as I did.
I have to add that I have been taking online tuition-fee courses for a couple of years now.
The first courses I took were set up to go at my own pace. The purpose for me to enroll was for
professional development while earning salary points. Later, I enrolled and participated in
another set of tuition-fee courses that had a set schedule to open lessons and post per week. That
experience allowed me to develop a routine and regiment to practice and (without knowing then)
prepare for this Masters program.
As I searched for salary point classes online, I found other programs that are offered
online. However, I never found the free courses such as the ones offered and listed through the
MOOC list offered in this course. I think that just like me, many people do not know about these
courses. Yet, as they do become more popular and more people participate and find them. The
same people will share the information with others and the MOOC trend will grow more and
more.

What Is A MOOC?
Reference

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_open_online_course
Miller, A. (Feb. 03, 2014). MOOCs as Disruptive Innovation?[Blog post].
Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/groups/community-bulletin-board/695501
Negrea, Sherrie. (September 2013). Colleges and universities begin to assess the benefits of
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universities-begin-assess-benefits-moocs
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