Disruption in Higher Education: Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

Skiba, Diane J., Nursing Education Perspectives

TO START THE ACADEMIC YEAR, THE PRESIDENT OF OUR UNIVERSITY ESTABLISHED SEVERAL COMMITTEES TO ROADMAP FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. We are a public institution that receives minimal state support. I was asked to be on the Emerging Technologies Commiteee.

It has been fascinating to examine emerging technologies within the larger context of higher education. The committee was provided with several articles, blogs, and videos to reflect upon before meeting. Despite my long experience with online teaching, I must admit I was surprised when the president started the conversation with MOOCs, defined by Educause as "a model for delivering learning content online to virtually any person--and as many of them--who wants to take the course" (www.educause.edu/library/resources/ 7-things-you-should-know-about-moocs).

MOOCs can involve thousands of students. The structure tends to be asynchronous and flexible to accommodate the varying levels of participation. Anyone can participate for free in any or all of the course's learning activities (e.g., discussions, blogs, video lectures, other social media tools). While there may not be feedback from the instructor, chances are there will lots of discussion from all open participants.

The "so what" of MOOCs, according to Educause. is a dynamic learning model that offers collaborative and social engagement opportunities for learners to construct knowledge. MOOCs are a great mechanism for lifelong learning. The downsides include variability across and within courses and the lack of completion rates. MOOCs are not for all students, especially those who like …

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Publication information: Article title: Disruption in Higher Education: Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs). Contributors: Skiba, Diane J. - Author. Journal title: Nursing Education Perspectives. Volume: 33. Issue: 6 Publication date: November-December 2012. Page number: 416+. © 2009 National League for Nursing, Inc. COPYRIGHT 2012 Gale Group.

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