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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

Massive Open Online Course
P. Russell Chevrier
Azusa Pacific University
EDTC 515 Emerging Trends in Technology
Professor JR Brown
July 17, 2014



















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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE



We boast of our systems of education, but why stop at schoolmasters and schoolhouses?
We are all schoolmasters and our schoolhouse is the Universe. Henry David Thoreau

MOOC
Massive Open Online Course


Explained and Defined
What is it? Why is it Important? Who is it for? Where do you find one? How do you get in?
When does the next one start? These and other questions will be examined in the following review.
What is a MOOC? MOOC stands for massive open online course. It is offered online via the
world-wide-web and is open to anyone who wants to participate. A MOOC usually consists of
traditional course methods such as videos, textbook reading, online readings, and problem sets. It
has facilitators, start and end dates, and participants. It is not a school, but is usually hosted by a
university or higher level learning institution. It is a way to collaborate and learn computer skills at
the same time. There can be quizzes and tests as well. There are interactive forums where
participants can communicate with each other. The teacher, students, and others can choose
between instant communications such as chat windows, Skype, Adobe Connect, and Google
Hangout, or forum posting and e-mail. Students can take the course from any computer in the
world. Access is unlimited an open to everyone. Some have said it is an event where people who
care about a topic can get together and work and talk about it in a structured manner.

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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

The course is open. There are usually no fees involved to get in. There may sometimes be an
option to pay for the course in order to receive college credit, but generally there are no costs
required to participate. All work is assessable and shared to all those involved in the course.
Everyone can see each others work, talk about it, and comment on it.
Participation is the key to success. You become part of the course by engaging in other peoples
work. There are no specific assignments. People are to engage with others about the material in the
course and others experience and material they find on the web. It is important because
connections are made between ideas from yourself and other people. One of the outcomes of the
course is that it allows network connections to be made during the process of engaging with each
other. MOOCs promote independence among learners to work in their own spaces to create
networks that are easy to maintain after the course is over. You get out of the course what you put
into it.
News about when a MOOC is offered usually spreads across online networks. People who have
innovative skills or creative thinking about a topic decide to collaborate by offering a massive open
online course. There are websites that list MOOCs that are available, when they start, how long
they last, and how to join in. Anyone who wants to join in, can. In a MOOC, you can choose what
to do, how you want to participate, and only you can tell in the end if you were successful. The
topics are endless and with the explosion information overload you do not have to go far to get
involved. All you need is an access device and an internet access point.
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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

Ramifications and Future
The internet and the technology explosion across the globe have truly made the world a very
small place. News travels as fast as it happens now, and people have lost tolerance for waiting for
almost anything. Higher education is not exempt from the digital revolution either. Online
learning is not a new tool to be implemented in universities today. It has been around for a long
time. Students have been taking online classes at university levels for many years. Some experts say
that over 26% of all United States college students have taken an online course already. What makes
MOOCs different is the fact that some prestigious universities allow their professors to offer lectures
online free of charge to those that would not qualify to get into the actual university. They will be
an acceptable alternative for delivering knowledge. They serve as an enticement to gather the worlds
attention and sooner or later there will probably be a charge. Many colleges cannot keep up with the
demands for higher learning at the campus level and have temporarily solved that issue with
MOOCs. Although MOOCs are currently free, that will likely change in the future. Although
MOOCs currently do not award credit, that will likely change in the future as well. Although the
discussion about MOOCs has centered on colleges and universities, MOOCs are likely in the future
to be used by organizations outside higher education for professional development.
Detractors believe that MOOCs are just a passing fad and will not have a lasting impact on
higher education. They base their argument on the high dropout rate of 90%, the exclusion of
learners without online access, the poor engagement of weaker learners and the high potential for
cheating, plagiarism and for fostering a system of global sameness in higher education learning.
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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

While that remains to be seen those that do not drop out or complete still benefit from the time that
they were involved in the course. Because MOOCs serve as a networking tool, they may have
positive effects on career employment between employers and students from the connections that
were made during the process of seeking a higher level of education. Either way MOOCs probably
will not replace the university, but shall serve as a supplement in congruence with higher education
institutions making learning accessible to all.

Personal Experience
During the first week of July I found a website named Coursera. It is one of the big three or four
places where MOOCs are listed on the internet. I found a course offered through the University of
Houston entitled Applying Principles of Behavior in the K-12 Classroom. Since I am a classroom
teacher I was intrigued to see how I might be able to find knowledge to help with classroom
management skills. This topic was perfect. It started on June 20, 2014 and ran for four weeks
ending on July 23, 2014. I signed up. The course was like any other college online course except it
was FREE! It had a course description, a syllabus, course outline, grading policy, goals of the course,
and discussion forms listed in easy to navigate format. Here is an excerpt from the course outline:
Teachers in the classroom today have to be equipped with a variety of tools. Not only do they need
to have subject knowledge and the ability to effectively teach, they must also have excellent
classroom management skills. When challenging behavior in the classroom becomes a barrier to
instruction, teachers who understand the fundamental principles behind functional behavior
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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

assessments (FBA) are prepared to address the behavior before it becomes so disruptive additional
resources outside the classroom are needed. Perfect.
The format is essentially the same as any APU class and follows a similar pattern. I spend about
20-30 minutes a day with this class. I have an 80% score. I think the time spent here will pay off in
my classroom this coming year because I have found a forum to learn from others and collaborate on
this topic and even other topics regarding my classroom environment. I totally recommend the use
of MOOCs to all people and whether they lose their no cost status or not, I believe they are a force
to be reckoned with in the future.













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Running head: MASSIVE OPEN ONLINE COURSE

References



Cormier, Dave. (2012, Dec 8). What is a MOOC? [Video file]
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eW3gMGqcZQc

Dennis, Marguerite. (2014, Jan 24). The Future of MOOCs
University World News, Issue No. 304
http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20140123133351291

Pappano, Laura. (2012, Nov 4). "The Year of the MOOC".
The New York Times.

Hassan, Saiful Izham. (2012, Feb 5). Information overload and technology [Video file]
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fy456TR7hvs#t=11

Lewin, Tamar. (2013, February 3). "Universities Abroad Join Partnerships on the Web".
New York Times.