After reading the reading material on the second topic, I turned a lot of my previous understanding of some course models upside down, and MOOCs (massive open online courses) are definitely one of them. My previous understanding of MOOCs was that they were simply online courses for the masses that could be taken by anyone with the required equipment. And that’s actually true, but that’s only the understanding of the registration aspect of it. So the previous understanding of MOOCs is just one of the structural elements that make it up. But the article only states that there are at least two different forms of MOOCs —— xMOOCs and cMOOCs, and I am curious about other possible forms of MOOCs and their characteristics.
After that, the author mentions what he considers to be a way to distinguish between fully online courses and hybrid courses in the section ‘Quantity. The author argues that “the most accurate approach is to call courses that never meet onsite fully online, and courses that have some onsite meetings and some activities via the Internet hybrid courses.” (Major, C. H.,2015). I don’t agree with him because, in my opinion, even a fully online course needs to be designed with activities that correspond to the course. The purpose of this is to help learners test their learning and, more importantly, to ensure that what is taught is mastered and not misunderstood by learners. So it makes sense to call a course with some live sessions a hybrid course, but a fully online course also requires some activities over the Internet.
The chain of classification of the online course structure presented in the article is also useful, as it divides the online course structure into Enrollment, Amount, Timing, Platform, and Pathway, and goes through each of them. If I wanted to become a teacher, it would be of obvious help in my initial understanding of the online course structure, and I could even use it to attempt my first online course. It will also help me understand the advantages and disadvantages of online courses as I learn and can help me better choose the mode of teaching I wish to do, both inside and outside the university. It even helps me in my future work, for example when promoting products, where the structure of our courses is also applicable. We can think of the consumer as the learner, the company or factory as the instructor, and the product as the knowledge to be taught to the learners. The product is designed to teach the learners. The online course structure is used to promote the product.
Finally, I would like to know how online teaching and learning, especially MOOCs, can help learners use what they have learned? Just because learners know a piece of knowledge doesn’t mean they can use it in their own lives. In face-to-face and other online instruction, the instructor usually designs projects or activities to help learners do this. However, MOOCs are a way to teach to more learners, and many learners do not have time or are unable to participate in activities, so how can educators solve this problem?
References
Major, C. H. (2015). Teaching Online – A Guide to Theory, Research, and Practice. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uvic/detail.action?docID=3318874 (pp. 76-108)
hello dennis, i like what you wrote in your article about the definition of MooC and the demostration about your learning. Also, your explaination is very helpful. I get a upper level understanding of the comparision between the previous readings and the readings of this week. i agree about your opinion of the activity of the course, that is very important in our leaning experience.
Thanks for the post, Dennis! I appreciate how you tried to connect the classification chain to product promotion. Would you be able to give an example of this to help me understand?
Going back to your first point. You were discussing this definition: “the most accurate approach is to call courses that never meet onsite fully online, and courses that have some onsite meetings and some activities via the Internet hybrid courses” (Major, C. H.,2015).” You said you disagreed with this, but I think you may have had a flawed understanding. A course that never meets onsite (meaning in-person) can still have activities. This course we’re in right now has activities, it’s just that the activities all occur online.
The other part of that definition is interesting. What Major called hybrid is more commonly called “blended”, and due to COVID and the need for schools to define terms, hybrid typically refers to courses that are offered in-person and online simultaneously (students can choose to attend in-person or watch online).
Lastly, you wonder about knowing how students can do something online. I don’t think it is much different than in-person courses. Instructors can still assess students using projects or activities. Do you disagree? Please explain.
Hi,Dannis,Thanks for the explanation, I have a much better understanding of MooC after your explanation! I also agree with you that “online courses need to be designed with activities that correspond to the course”, because if it’s just online alone, sometimes it’s not a full course and it’s missing a lot of fun.