Karen Swan, Scott Day, Leonard Bogle & Traci van Prooyen University of Illinois at Springfield Exploring MOOC Pedagogies

American Council on Education’s (ACE) College Credit Recommendation Service is evaluating MOOCs for content and approving them for specific college credits if students pass ACE CREDIT tests ($150). ACE CREDIT evaluates MOOCs for their content; we are reviewing MOOCs for their pedagogical approaches. CONTEXT

We developed an instrument to characterize the pedagogical approaches taken in MOOCs -- modeled on a similar instrument proposed by Tom Reeves (1996) for describing the pedagogical approaches found in computer-based instruction -- “ Pedagogical dimensions are concerned with those aspects of design and implementation... that directly affect learning.” AMP (Assessing MOOC Pedagogy) tool

pedagogical category ratings epistemology (objectivist) (constructivist) role of teacher (teacher- centered) (student- centered) focus of activities (convergent) (divergent) structure (less structure) (more structure) approach to content (concrete) (abstract) feedback (infrequent, unclear) (frequent, constructive) cooperative learning (unsupported) (integral) accommodation of individual differences (unsupported) (multifaceted) activities/assessment (artificial) (authentic) user role (passive) (generative) AMP TOOL

METHODS By Fall 2013, ACE evaluated and approved 5 Coursera, 1 EdX, and 7 Udacity MOOCs -- College Algebra, BioElectricity, Genetics, Pre-Calculus, and Single Variable Calculus, Circuits, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, Introduction to Computer Science, Introduction to Physics, Introduction to Statistics, Introduction to Parallel Programming, 3-D Modeling and HTML 5 Game Development We reviewed the same 13 MOOCs and four other Coursera MOOCs that covered non-STEM courses.

METHODS We iteratively revised the AMP tool as we tested its efficacy on the approved MOOCs, first by reducing the scale of each dimension from ten to five, and then by establishing specific criteria for each dimension, to improve inter-rater reliability. We reviewed all the approved MOOCs using the revised instrument. Four researchers reviewed each MOOCs. Inter-rater reliability was >80% on all the reviews before meeting to achieve consensus on the ratings.

The approved COURSERA courses followed a format that resembled the traditional lecture/text/testing routine of traditional university courses, including cohorts and weekly hard deadlines.

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circuits pedagogical categoryratings epistemology (objectivist)12345(constructivist) role of teacher (teacher- centered) 12345(student-centered) focus of activities (convergent)12345(divergent) structure (less structure)12345(more structure) approach to content (concrete)12345(abstract) feedback (infrequent, unclear) (frequent, constructive) cooperative learning (unsupported)12345(integral) accommodation of individual differences (unsupported)12345(multifaceted) activities/assessment (artificial)12345(authentic) user role (passive)12345(generative)

The Coursera courses approved for ACE credit, as well as EdX’s Circuits, tended to be objectivist, teacher- centered, convergent, highly structured, more abstract than concrete, with minimal feedback. The courses tended to fall somewhere in the middle between supporting and not supporting cooperative learning, accommodating and not accommodating individual differences, artificial and authentic activities/assessment, and passive and active user roles.

pedagogical category ratings epistemology (objectivist) (constructivist) role of teacher (teacher- centered) (student- centered) focus of activities (convergent) (divergent) structure (less structure) (more structure) approach to content (concrete) (abstract) feedback (infrequent, unclear) (frequent, constructive) cooperative learning (unsupported) (integral) accommodation of individual differences (unsupported) (multifaceted) activities/assessment (artificial) (authentic) user role (passive) (generative) college algebra bioelectricity genetics & evolution pre-calculus single variable calculus circuits

UDACITY courses followed a format that resembled programmed learning, including self-pacing and embedded quizzes.

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Udacity courses tended to be neither objectivist nor constructivist, slightly less teacher-centered and convergent than Coursera courses, highly structured, halfway between abstract and concrete, with immediate, clear, and constructive feedback. They also tended not to support cooperative learning, but because of their self-directed approach were quite accommodating of individual differences. Udacity also made an effort to develop authentic activities, and perhaps because of the large number of CS courses, supported a more generative user role than the ACE- approved courses from Coursera and EdX.

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EDX COURSERAUDACITY epistemology role of teacher focus of activities structure approach to content feedback cooperative learning accommodation of individual differences activities/assessment user role average ratings across platforms

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STEMBEATLESNON-STEM epistemology role of teacher focus of activities structure approach to content feedback cooperative learning accommodation of individual differences activities/assessment user role average ratings across domains

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CONCLUSIONS AMP tool can effectively characterize MOOC pedagogies At least two distinct pedagogical approaches can be distinguished Future research will explore these distinctions, as well as MOOCs offered on different platforms & differently organized Future research will try to link pedagogical to learning outcomes