Massive Open Online Courses

Introduction to MOOCs

Massive Open Online Courses, or MOOCs, have recently come into the public eye as a topic of interest. Whether as an alternative to traditional education, a way to enhance skills in the work-place, or as a way to make education freely available to everyone, many teachers, institutions and students are currently participating in MOOCs. However, as with any new technology, MOOCs are not yet fully understood, in terms of their impact, quality, and effectiveness. In this vein, the MOOCs have the potential to change the face of education, and how teaching is done, but at what cost, or at what benefit? To analyze this phenomenon from the perspective of work and the education industry, the question becomes whether or not the shift from the traditional classroom to the Virtual Workplace, in the form of MOOCs, increases the efficiency and impact that teachers can have. This question will be addressed through considering how MOOCs affect teacher’s ability at their job: the Reach and Cost of these programs, the Quality of teaching that can be passed on, and how MOOCs affect teachers and the institutions that promote them.

Reach and Cost

One of the most important characteristics of a MOOC is its size, and by connection, its cost. Because MOOCs are based on a scalable internet platform, they are greatly increase the availability of their course without increasing the cost. By moving to the virtual workplace, individual teachers are able to reach tens of thousands of students at virtually no cost to the student [1]–[4]. However, as Postman said, “All technological change is a trade-off” [5]. This section will discuss the advantages and disadvantages directly related to teaching a course at the large scale that is common am...

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[18] S. Grossman, “Moody’s Says MOOCs Could Raise a University’s Credit Rating,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/moodys-says-moocs-could-boost-a-universitys-credit-rating. [Accessed: 07-Dec-2013].

[19] S. Saxena, “How MOOCs Can Turn Teachers to Rockstars,” EdTechReview, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://edtechreview.in/news/news/trends-insights/trends/629-how-moocs-can-turn-teachers-to-rockstars. [Accessed: 07-Dec-2013].

[20] K. Werbach, “Don’t Call Us Rock Stars – The Conversation - Blogs - The Chronicle of Higher Education,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2013. [Online]. Available: http://chronicle.com/blogs/conversation/2013/10/25/dont-call-us-rock-stars/?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en. [Accessed: 07-Dec-2013].