1. MOOCs, mixed media and learner
interaction
To MOOC or not to MOOC?
Where will we be in the future?
Inge (Ignatia) de Waard
Download bigger presentation on MOOCs and some MOOC research here

2. The times they are a chaaäänging!
“We are living through one of the recurring periods in world
history when far-reaching changes in economics, culture, and
technology raise basic questions about the
production, preservation, and transmission of knowledge”
(McNeely and Wolverton, 2008, p. 7).

3. New technologies, new pedagogies
Mobile devices, mobility, social media, MOOCs…

4. How to define MOOC’s?
A (connectivist) Massive, Open, Online Course is a
course format which uses social media extensively to
build the ad hoc learner community and to allow
discussions, networking and resulting learning to take
place… sometimes chaos.

5. Background: MobiMOOC = MOOC lab
• Different facilitator approaches
(passive, active, participatory…)
• Different course architecture (linear, branching…)
• Different learning/teaching dynamics (behaviorist => social-
constructivist/connectivist)
• Different durations

6. About MobiMOOC
A Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on mobile learning
1250 registered learners, 17 facilitators, 9 weeks, 14 mLearning
topics: introduction to mLearning, planning mLearning, mHealth, corporate
mLearning, train-the-trainer, mobile learning curriculum framework, global impact of
mLearning, augmented mLearning, mobiles for development (m4D), mobile gaming,
mobile activism for education, mLearning in k12, bridging mLearning theory and
practice.
2 core course spaces:
Course wiki (http://mobimooc.wikispaces.com/)
Course discussion group
https://groups.google.com/group/mobimooc2012
• MobiMOOC 2011, first run: April-May 2011
• MobiMOOC 2012, September 2012

7. MOOCs: Appropriateness & Affinity
90% Of active participants said the MOOC format was
appropriate for their learning communities
42.5% Of active participants connected with other participants to
collaborate on projects after MobiMOOC
MOOCs: ubiquity through mobile
77.5% Accessed MobiMOOC via mobile
61.3% Location independence
56.8% Temporal independence

8. MOOC Design
Syllabus
Core
discussion Course
anchor
Social
media Ubiquity
tools

9. The core of the course
Course outline and expectations
Central discussion starting and
meeting point

10. Select relevant tools with the right educational benefits and extra’s.

11. Mobile enabled social media Why use it Knowledge Age Challenge
tool Addressed
Blogs To reflect on what is learned, or Self-regulated learning.
what the learner thinks is of Lifelong Learning.
(Examples: wordpress, blogger, importance. Becoming active, critical content
posterous) Keeping a learning archive. producer.
Reflecting on the learning itself. .
Commenting on content.
Discussion enabler: Listserv This type of online tool uses e- Enabling dialogue.
mail to keep everyone informed. Collaboration.
(Examples: google groups, With many of the listserve’s you Self-regulated learning.
yahoo groups) can choose how you want your Informal learning.
mails to be delivered (e-mail
digest: e.g. immediate, once a
day, once a week), which adds
to self-regulated learning.
Generating and maintaining
discussions.
Getting a group feeling going via
dialogue.
Social Networking Building a network of people that Enables networking.
can add to the knowledge Collaboration.
(examples: Facebook, Google+, creation of the learner. Enabling dialogue.
LinkedIn) Informal learning.
Becoming active, critical content
producer.
Link to Google document with more social media tools

12. Ensure Ubiquity: access with BYOD

13. Open Educational Resources (OER)
All the materials shared and
produces during MobiMOOC
become part of the OER for
mLearning.
e.g. http://www.youtube.com/mobimooc
But international OER are set up
that are of interest to all of us.

14. Learner interactions in MOOCs
The mixed media available in MOOCs offer extra learner
interactions AND ubiquitous access increases learner
interactions with those media with approx 25%

15. But media is distributed worldwide
What media will attract new
learners/trainers?
Who will provide these media?

16. Bigger picture for all of us:
why is MOOC research needed?
We must optimize open, online course learning.
Building a strategy for educational quality in an increasing
competitive world:
Udacity, Coursera, EdX … all free, open, online courses by big
universities => they corner a potential global learner market
(marketing, profiling).
(xMOOC = more behaviorist, student-content oriented)
We (academic, learner-centered teachers…) need to put
something of high quality to the learners in order to
attract global learners.

17. Contemporary MOOCs: 2 main types
cMOOC xMOOC
First MOOC format developed (CCK08) MOOC format on the rise at Universities
More connectivist learning oriented: More behaviorist learning oriented:
George Siemens (2005 – Connectivism - a Burrhus Frederic Skinner
learning theory for the digital age)
Based on dialogue Based on student/content
More informal (participant input & More formal (behaviorist approach: easier
content production), open badges for assessment and accreditation)
Network building, trust in collaboration,. Less networking, trust in content and
institution
Ad Hoc learner space: Learning Quilt Fixed LMS: Coursera, Udacity…
Social media rich Social media used
Expert learning, Community of Personal accreditation, lifelong learning
Practitioners (CoP), lifelong learning for basics, personal knowledge increase,
high knowledge workers starting from basic information.
Room for emergence More stick to the plan
High drop out, free in most cases

18. xMOOC
Started with the Artificial Intelligence course of
Stanford: lots of student interest, as well as non-
Stanford students => high enrollment

19. www.EdX.org
• Came from MitX, open courseware
• Now: open, online courses for free
• Not-for Profit foundation.
• Goal: social agents and automated assessment editors to cater massive
amounts of students

20. www.Udacity.com

21. www.Coursera.org
Gaining momentum as more Universities and colleges
enter. But all of xMOOC more student-content centered.

22. What are you doing?
What would you choose?
No mercy for the one’s that are not capable for change?
A certificate/degree of Stanford or ….?

23. Contact
E-mail: ingedewaard (at) gmail.com
Blog: ignatiawebs.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ignatia
Publications:
http://www.ingedewaard.net/pubconsulpres.htm
Presentations: http://www.slideshare.net/ignatia
linkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ingedewaard
And feel free to talk to me right here, right now!
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