I first encountered the word MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) when I was on Facebook. A renowned and highly-respected expert in my field was offering a free course. I quickly enrolled in the class, joined the FaceBook group, and was eager to begin my studies. I even told graduate students in the department about the course; this was, indeed, exciting news. I thought I might be able to “borrow” some ideas about texts that I regularly teach.
The enrollment for this course grew to over 35 000 people. I was inspired by the idea of a charismatic, well-intentioned, absolutely wonderful professor teaching an often-maligned field of study. I imagined what I could do with half that many people, a quarter of that many people! That professor became an on-line rock-star.
The graduate students that the professor (or university) employed to assist in this endeavor were equally inspiring. They were all bright, passionate, absolutely devoted to the subject at hand. The recorded lectures were excellent; the discussion boards were helpful, if hit-or-miss. But 35 000 people around the world were discussing a subject about which I am deeply passionate. “That can’t be a bad thing,” I thought.
But as the course progressed, I realized that this was not education; it was not even “edutainment.” It was a way to feel that one’s time on-line was, in fact, spent fruitfully. I completed the first “test” (which was rudimentary and graded electronically) that did not take into account more nuanced readings of a text, more knowledge than was expected. I even began my first essay, which was to be ‘assessed’ by five or six of those registered in the MOOC, while I was to ‘assess’ five or six essays on my own.
That moment made me realize that the MOOC is not a form of education. In my opinion, the government of Alberta is attempting to capitalize on a popular and ill-fated trend in education. The MOOC will die off in a very short time. To be clear, I think it is a great opportunity for those interested in particular topics, for those who have hobbies, to learn more about their passions. It is not a way to receive an education.
I (and my young children!) continued to watch lectures for a little while, before life got in the way. And that is the problem with MOOCs. It is not possible to imitate a class-room on-line. You will not have an expert in the field of study offer you advice on how you can improve your essay. The person commenting on your essay could be twelve-years old.
With that said, I think MOOCs could be a hearty welcome to people who do not have traditional methods of education available to them. On-line courses are fantastic in that regard because there is direct instructor-to-student contact. But MOOCs do not allow for that. Those who wish for individual instruction, who have specific questions, who want to get expert advice? You might as well go to Yahoo! answers.
I am writing this blog post because I believe the Redford government and Mr. Lukaszuk, in particular, given recent tweets, are interested in making education more accessible to Albertans (while raising non-tuition fees and reducing the number of seats) by using MOOCs. We are certainly moving into an era where group-think and the wiki are new modes of developing knowledge. It is easy to lose the voice of the expert in a shouting-match of competing voices.
MOOCs are a great supplementary resource, and for those instructors who would like to teach them, I think the more knowledge disseminated, the better. But it is no substitute for an in-class face-to-face discussion in which the knowledge is created in the discussion, in which the teaching happens in that moment, where an instructor can see confusion on a student’s face or, better yet, enlightenment.
So, please excuse me, while I prepare for my next three face-to-face lectures, where students do not have anonymity and are required to take ownership for their ideas and actions.
I can only hope that Albertans will require the Redford government to take the same kind of ownership. Why should we require more of our students than we do of our leaders?
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