Responding to Disruptive Forces: MOOCs and Their Consequences Dolores Davison, ASCCC Area B Representative Michelle Pilati, ASCCC President

Overview MOOC Basics The Origins of MOOC-fatigue Status of MOOC-hype MOOC Mysteries Do MOOCs have a place in California’s community colleges?

The Early Year(s)…

MOOC Massive Open Online Course

MOOC Basics  Much of the grading is automated or is done by peers, and predictive analytics are used to help students learn material.  Massive discussion boards allow students to ask questions of their classmates.  Free?  “Standard” MOOC – not eligible for financial aid, apportionment, credit (no regular effective contact).

Focus on “scale”

The Major Players CompanyCourseraEdXUdacity CredentialsFounded by Stanford CS faculty Collaboration between Harvard and MIT Founded by Stanford faculty and Google employees Classes190+ courses, in diverse subjects 15 courses currently, expanding in classes, primarily in skills and computer science ConnectionsStanford (sort of) Michigan, Princeton, Edinburgh Harvard, MIT, Cal, University of Texas, and now Stanford Google, Stanford, Silicon Valley employers

What are the origins of MOOC-fatigue?

Headlines The Year of the MOOC Innovation forces higher ed's hand Massive free online teaching the next big thing in China Thousands Sign Up for UT-Austin's First EdX Courses Can an international online course get you a job?: Massively Open Online Courses may help you land a job in the near future, predict educationists

Headlines Outsourcing Public Higher Ed (SB 520) MOOCs: The future of education or mere marketing? Public universities use MOOCs to steers students to traditional credit pathways /Mainstreaming MOOCs Earning college credit for MOOCs though prior learning assessment/ Making It Count

SB 520 (Steinberg)  Proposes outside private vendor to provide on-line the most in-demand courses that students have difficulty getting.  Intersegmental Committee of the Academic Senates of California (ICAS) comprised of representatives from the UCs, CSUs, and CCCs are opposed.

Sacramento’s Interests  “Efficiency”  End of waitlists (“access”)  Remediation for students prior to enrollment

Status of MOOC- hype

Will it ever end?

MOOCs Near the Peak of Inflated Expectations?

Learning Vs Education Many universities now consider offering MOOCs, but they don’t do it for educational reasons. There is no intention to improve society, inclusion or retention, there is no quality consideration or recognition of achievement. It’s the latest marketing move, nothing more. …once we see MOOCs as a way to offering learning, but not as a system to provide education, these two can happily live together and be even a part of each other.

Remember These?

MOOC Mysteries How do you sustain a MOOC? Will MOOCs always be free? Are MOOCs inherently evil?

Do MOOCs have a place in the CCCs?

Some things to consider as we move on…  Do MOOCs call for additional rethinking of expectations of teaching and learning - beyond current conversations?  Today’s MOOCs offer:  Alternative delivery of instruction - noncredit offerings to a mass, potentially world wide, audience.  Alternative approaches to instruction - a more modest faculty role, expanded reliance on students and peer- to-peer grading and auto-grading.  Alternative evaluation of learning - use of data analytics. Alternative evaluation of learning - use of data analytics. Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA )

the NY Times--2 November “Because anyone with an Internet connection can enroll, faculty can’t possibly respond to students individually. So the course design — how material is presented and the interactivity — counts for a lot. As do fellow students. Classmates may lean on one another in study groups organized in their towns, in online forums or, the prickly part, for grading work. ”

So, What’s the Big Deal?  160,000+ students! In one class!  Taught by Stanford, Michigan, Harvard, MIT professors, many of the classes are advertised as being essentially the same as the courses offered at the major universities in the US  There is no cost to enroll in a MOOC  The subjects vary from practical skills (accounting) to advanced courses in medicine and everything in between.

MOOCs by the Numbers

Impact on the CCCs  Credit for MOOCs?  Certification in subject areas or workforce?  Preparation for placement exams?  Bridge to more advanced courses?  Other Opportunities?

Concerns about MOOCs?  Plagiarism  Lack of motivation  Faculty primacy over curriculum  Reporting of competencies  Authentication  Scalability

Going Forward--One CCC’s plan

How can we make MOOCs work for us?

Questions?