1. Applying MOOCs in on-campus college settings:
Opportunities, Obstacles, and Results
Rebecca Petersen, edX (Moderator)
Damian Bebell, Boston College
Kathy Fernandes, California State University System

2. Goals Today
Provide a candid look at two on-campus approaches that incorporate MOOC content and technologies into the curriculum
Share our successes and failures
Discussion of the role of blended learning on campus

3. About edX Non-profit consortia founded by MIT and Harvard in May 2012
31 higher education institutions from around the world
Mission driven: Improve access to education for all learners while improving on-campus education
Over the past few years, traditional higher-educational institutions have advanced the scalability of online instruction and learning through massive open online courses (MOOC) whereby a limited number of instructors can serve a potentially limitless number of students.
In 2012, MIT and Harvard University founded edX as a non-profit learning partnership that would feature high quality undergraduate courses delivered via the web for little or no-cost.
The first course, 6.002x: Circuits and Electronics, was initially offered by MITx in March Over 150,000 students from over 160 countries initially registered for the course with over 7,000 students ranging in age 14 to 74 years-old completing the class
*Harvard and MIT have committed $60M to the venture *

4. Improving on-campus education Blended learning is happening around the world
University of Southern Denmark
Ben Gurion Univ. of Negev
Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto
University of Melbourne *

5. SPOCs: Blended Learning @edX
Small Private Online Course
A copy of a MOOC course
Hosted on a private instance for local campus use
(not on edx.org)
SPOC faculty cannot change edX/Ux content, but can modify due dates, make assignments optional, hide content, and add their own syllabi, announcements, etc.
Institution receives data and individual student performance/grades within the SPOC

6. Two SPOC Vignettes California State University System (CSU) – Kathy
Expanded SJSU pilot use of 6.002x Circuits and Electronics on six CSU campuses during academic year
Community College/Gates Foundation Study –Damian
Adapting a new curriculum from 6.00x Introduction to Computer Science and Programing at two Massachusetts Community Colleges –
Gates Foundation Post Secondary Success Program
CSU Example-
Leveraging an existing program, eAcademy, to fund and run pilots of the circuits course on other campuses. Replicating SJSU succees? Able to address a specific need of bottleneck courses.
Community College – Gates Foundation funded. Funds received right when edX was born –June 2012. *

7. Proven Course Redesign Kathy Fernandes
California State University System
Proven Course Redesign Kathy Fernandes

8. Enrollment Bottleneck Solutions http://calstate.edu/courseredesign
Proven Course Redesign: Offering a year-long program for CSU faculty who have successfully redesigned their courses to significantly improve student success.
Promising Practices for Course Redesign: 77 awards were made to campuses to redesign bottleneck courses to improve student success and improve access.
CourseMatch: CSU students now have access to online courses delivered by campuses other than their own.
Virtual Labs: Planning is underway to build a collection of virtual STEM labs for faculty to adopt for hybrid lab courses.
eAdvising: All 23 campuses will streamline advising, registration, and academic planning for undergraduate students.
Introduce the Cal State Implementation
Pilot course is a required course for all engineering majors at SJSU
SJSU trying to increase pass rates, therefore increasing matriculation into the engineering curriculum.
As the public university in silicon valley, need for highly qualified engineering students. *

9. Proven Course Redesign: SJSU Engineering
Source: San Jose State University
Fall 2012: Using a blended model, San Jose State circuits course piloted the use of edX’s Circuits & Electronics course materials.
Blended Model = Assigning edX video lectures and online activities as homework. In-class activities include hands-on group work.
Initial results reported by SJSU was a significant decrease in failure rate, from 41% down to 9%.
Introduce the Cal State Implementation
Pilot course is a required course for all engineering majors at SJSU
SJSU trying to increase pass rates, therefore increasing matriculation into the engineering curriculum.
As the public university in silicon valley, need for highly qualified engineering students. *

10. Engineering eAcademy SJSU led the eAcademy
Shared experience and implementation strategy
Thirteen CSU campuses participated in the eAcademy
17 faculty engaged in edX training
Six campuses moving forward with edX 6.002x
SJSU, Sac State, Chico, SDSU, Pomona, Long Beach
Over 600 CSU students enrolled in course sections for the AY
Each campus implementing edX course differently. Anywhere from 20-90% of edX content being used
SJSU continues to see pass rates of 90% and higher ( outsourcing-trial/49905)
SJSU =Khosrow would say it’s a complete integration SJSU adopting most of MIT curriculu now
Everyone else- ranges from assigned videos/content to supplemental
Sonoma -did not find much curricular fit but were inspired by the edX style and developed their own website of edX style videos and exercises for students.
Recent Chronicle article

11. Lessons Learned So Far Successes
Prompted discussion across CSU campuses regarding the electrical engineering curriculum and core competencies
Faculty engaged in discussing new pedagogies and innovative technologies
In cases that edX content does not align with curriculum, faculty are creating their own MOOC-style videos, quizzes and exercises
Continued enthusiasm to keep piloting, refining, and sharing approaches and course materials
Challenges
Defining success: Each campus has different needs and problems they are trying to solve
Curricula and campus environments vary as well as student population
Faculty need more support to understand blended and flipped teaching model
Course redesign vs. additive approach
Students aren’t expecting the flipped model
Lack of integration between MOOC’s digital content and campus LMS
Challenge:
edX not “additive…. Integration.
LMS Paradigm hard to crack. Many want the site to be their local LMS. *

12. Next steps Pilot concludes Spring 2014
Spring 2014 focused on ePortfolios, data gathering and analysis
Understanding improved student performance and relationship to edX content and/or blended classroom practice
SJSU plans to continue use of edX going forward
Other campuses TBD
Fall 2013 showed on three campuses increased pass rates –SJSU continues to show strong results. Two additional campuses reported in January some prelim numbers of increased pass rates but we still need to really identify the variables there. How much is edX? How much is shift in teaching and pedagogy? *

13. Massachusetts Community Colleges Gates Foundation Pilot Damian Bebell Rebecca Petersen

14. Framing questions for the project:
Can Community Colleges (and other credit granting institutions) adopt and use MOOCs to benefit their students?
To what extent do edX courses (and MOOCs in general) need modification for delivery in a community college classroom?
How do different types of students respond to the blended classroom approach?
How do faculty view the effectiveness of the blended classroom approach?
How do students perceive their learning in this format compared to their other online and in-class courses?
How does the Community College student experiences (and performance) compare to those students who have completed the same course as a MOOC in the Fall 2012?
What support do the faculty need to use the edX courseware? How are institutions able to support them?

15. MassBay Community College Bunker Hill Community College
Partner Profiles
MassBay Community College
Bunker Hill Community College
2-yr. Community College
Chartered in 1961
95 Full-time faculty
250 Adjunct faculty
Located 10 miles west of Boston in Wellesley Hills
3,600 full-time students
6,300 part-time students
70 associate degree and certificate programs
2-yr. Community College charted in 1973
143 Full-time faculty
603 Adjunct faculty
Located in Charlestown, MA
8,927 full-time students
4,577 part-time students
Over 100 associate degree and certificate programs

16. Two partners, two different models
Mass Bay Community College:
Offering full edX course
20 students, 1 faculty member
Offered in a computer lab
Bunker Hill Community College:
Offering 7 weeks of the MITx course
1 week of MITx paced for two weeks of class
20 students, 2 faculty members
Taught by one computer science faculty, Prof. Harold Riggs
20 enrolled students
Prerequisite: Ready for college-level math (MA98 intermediate Algebra)
Most students were computer science majors
MITx 6.00x materials and platform, plus:
Free downloadable O’Reilly text: Think Python
Interactive tutorials
Course designed to keep pace with MITx 6.00x Introduction to Computer Science and Programming
18 edX/MITx certificates awarded.

17. Formative Evaluation Approach and Methodology
Examine the perspectives of:
Community College students enrolled in course
pre and post course surveys
focus groups
analysis of student participation in on-site and off-site course activities
assessment results
class observations
big data
Community College Instructors
interviews
Community Colleges and other accrediting institutions
edX and other providers
Document and better understand the perspectives of students and teachers completing the course, the program itself, and the program outcomes over the Spring 2013 semester. *

18. Strong student retention and course performance:
MBCC and BHCC student performance on the 6.00X midterm examination
At the midterm, a total 90% of the 29 students who sat for exam passed the edX test.
Although 10 students did not persist in the course long enough to complete the midterm (see Table 1), this pass rate is especially impressive when compared to the Fall 2012 online MOOC version of the course where just 59% of the 11,645 students passed the same midterm.
The overall midterm pass rates at each institution varied somewhat, with 94% of present students passing at MBCC compared to 82% of students at BHCC *

19. Strong student retention and course performance:
Number and percent of registered students who completed the Spring 2013 edX course
A total of 40 students originally registered for the edX hybrid course at the two Massachusetts community colleges.
By the courses midterm a total of 73% of the original student registrants were still actively enrolled in the course and attending the in-class portion of the course with at least some regularity.
At the end of the course, a total of 67% of the original registrants had successfully passed the course for college credit.
MBCC students were more likely to complete the course (80%) than BHCC students (53%). *

20. Proof of concept confirmed as community colleges deliver hybrid MOOC course:
project partners successfully developed and implemented the edX 6.00 course to serve for-credit students at two MA community colleges
In both settings, the majority of students were successful in the course
administration, faculty, and students there was an overall high degree of satisfaction with the edX course content and resources as well as the hybrid blended implementation mode
met a previously unmet curricular need at each institution *

21. Strong student retention and course performance:
Final 6.00x Community College Grade Distribution (Spring 2013)
Students typically performed either very well in the course or withdrew or otherwise disengaged from the course within the first month.
For example, of the BHCC students who ultimately unsuccessful in the course, only three had completed the exercises associated with Lecture 3 and only 1 of these students completed any exercises for Lecture 5. *

22. Background student variables related to students course performance:
Percent of Spring 2013 participating students who are Computer Science majors
Percent of students who have completed at least one course in three subject concentrations
The vast majority of the students had fairly limited prior academic experiences prior to their community college enrollment *

23. Blended course implementation was critical to student success:
In the student focus group, students reported their experiences in the course had been much more positive than their prior online and blended course experiences.
Specifically, students reported that the in-class time has been especially valuable for:
Providing structure to help students keep pace,
Providing examples and context for students with less programming, computer science, and math backgrounds,
Getting authoritative answers to student questions (from instructor or other students),
reviewing challenging concepts and providing clarification of video, and
Peer interaction.
Despite the majority of students having never participated in prior online or blended courses in computer sciences or informational technology (65% of all enrolled students), most students felt the combined in-class and online components of the blended course were effective and complementary. *

24. Blended course implementation was critical to student success:
As one of the Community College instructors shared in a post-course interview:
“The more advanced students were carried along by the edX resources so I could deal with struggling students individually in class. The MOOC component of the course meant that my “on-track” students were more self- sufficient and kept making progress while I could focus on my neediest students. This was my technique to prevent attrition from middle-level students….and it was very effective.” *

25. Evolving roles and pedagogical approaches of instructors:
All CC faculty reported that this blended implementation served to challenge, evolve, and improve their teaching practices.
“I often put students in groups and encouraged group work so students could help each other out. I intentionally paired stronger students with students who were struggling. Typically, this meant that students who could program were set up with students who could not. This peer learning and bonding worked really, really well”.
The blended MOOC/in-class implementation of the edX 6.00 class actually served to improve and refine the faculty’s in-class pedagogy, making instructional time more student centered, more problem-based, and generally providing improved differentiation to students of various levels and needs.
Results showed local instructors could leverage MOOC resources to tailor delivery, content, and assessment in ways that were complementary to their own instructional needs
Both edX content and tools were shown to be adaptable. *

26. Massachusetts Community College Study: Results and Take Aways
Proof of Concept Worked!
Developed and offered course successfully at both CC’s with high satisfaction across stakeholders
Both offered the course 2nd time in Fall 2013
Also demonstrated not one size fits all, but MOOC resources could be customizable to specific needs:
varied student populations and instructional approaches
considerations for course difficulty and adaptation
tech issues, pre-reqs, instructor language
getting course adopted by departments, politics
sustainability and credit models
Future iterations and implementations could learn much from successes and struggles of this program.
Value in blended model
course difficulty and adaptation
tech issuesa
pre-reqs
course language
long-term student impact
getting course adopted by departments
sustainability and credit models
fine tuning course in future *