second language writing moocs in theory and practice
TRANSCRIPT
Second Language Wri/ng MOOCs in Theory and Prac/ce
TESOL 2015 Toronto, Ontario March 27, 2015
Agenda • Introduc/on • Maggie Sokolik: College Wri/ng 2x: a MOOC for ELLs • Micah Risher: State Department facilita/on of College Wri/ng 2x MOOC
• Betsy Gilliland: Second Language Wri/ng MOOCs: Affordances and Missed Opportuni/es
• Vance Stevens: Wri/ng MOOCs: Some Theory and Prac/ce from a DilePante and Charlatan
• Robert Connor: Mini-‐MOOCs for L2 wri/ng • Discussion
College Wri/ng 2x: A MOOC for ELLs
Or… How do you grade that many essays?
Beginnings
• edX.org / BerkeleyX collabora/on – edX.org = MIT + Harvard + Berkeley, now with many others
• Department of State coopera/on – Moderators – F2F sessions
Structure
3-‐part course 5 weeks per part Cer/ficates—verified and honor
Design of materials Videos WriPen materials Assessments
Registra/on
First Offering (Sept/Oct 2013) 2.1x
• 10K the first day • ~65K total Feb/March 2015 offering of 2.2x • 78K total
Demographics*
*Not enough respondents gave loca/on; those data are not reliable
Challenges
• Student percep/ons of the experience
• Assessment limita/ons – peer and self assessment
• Plaiorm limita/ons for forum discussions
• Personalizing the experience
Benefits to Students
• Access and interac/on • “Real” wri/ng (wri/ng for an audience, not just for an instructor)
• Learning the peer response system
Benefits to Instructor/Researcher
• Big Data • Understanding the wri/ng process at scale • Reflec/ng on the larger experience’s rela/onship to the F2F experience
A final note
• I do not grade 78,000 essays • Changing metrics of course par/cipa/on • There are no dropouts here
Think of a gym…
You sign up hoping to for this…
But you might end up more like this…
But at least you tried…
For more informa/on Language MOOCs: Providing Learning, Transcending Boundaries Mar7n-‐Monje, E./ Bárcena, E., editors DeGruyter Open, 2014 Free online access: hJp://degruyteropen.com/book/language-‐moocs-‐providing-‐learning-‐transcending-‐boundaries/
US State Department facilita/on of College Wri/ng 2x
Micah Risher Regional English Language Officer
Second Language Writing MOOCs: Affordances and Missed Opportunities
Betsy Gilliland, Ai Oyama, & Pamela Stacey Second Language Studies, U. Hawaiʻi Mānoa
Purpose
• Analyze College Wri/ng 2x course design with aPen/on to use of affordances in available modes
Argument
Courses like College Wri/ng 2x have the poten/al to introduce L2 learners to U.S. academic wri/ng, but course design must pay careful aPen/on to how course modes and affordances are employed.
Multimodality in MOOC Design • Modes: resources used for communica/ng meaning • Affordances: social possibili/es and constraints a mode provides (Kress, 2010) • Design: "the purposeful choice and arrangement of page elements" (Arola, 2010, p. 6) • Choice: of words, modes, elements, and layout (Purdy, 2014)
Research Questions 1. What are the modes available to designers
of a wri/ng course in the MOOC environment?
2. In what ways does the College Wri/ng MOOC u/lize the available modes in the MOOC environment?
3. In what ways does the course design miss opportuni/es to use affordances available in the MOOC environment?
Our Study: Data Collection • Par/cipa/on in course as “students” • Collabora/ve reflec/ve par/cipatory diary kept in a single shared Google doc • Post-‐courses review of contents with summa/ve reflec/ve wri/ng
Our Study: Data Analysis • Ongoing Comments on Google Doc • Independent open coding • Shared list of codes • Code co-‐occurrences • Nego/a/on among researchers over coding conflicts
Co-‐occurrences • Student x Discussion board: 58 • Wri/ng x Course design: 41 • Affordances x Video: 34 • Course Design x Feedback: 27 • Discussion board x Course Design: 27 • Level x Language: 25 • Feedback x Discussion: 24 • Video x Course Design: 24
Research Question 1
What are the modes available to designers of a wri/ng course in the MOOC environment?
Mode: Text
Mode: Discussion Board
Mode: Images
Mode: Quizzes
Mode: Video
Mode: Peer Review
Mode: Google Hangout
Mode: Wiki
Research Question 2 In what ways does the College Wri/ng MOOC u/lize the available modes in the MOOC environment?
Affordances: Video • Visual plus audio explana/ons • Opportuni/es to review as oyen as needed • Use of cap/ons to complement audio
Affordances: Interaction Discussion boards • Connected to specific modules • Prac/ce Exercises • Sharing Ideas about topic • Feedback on drays of final essays
• General • Introduc/ons • Trouble-‐shoo/ng and ques/ons
Affordances: Interaction • OpportuniNes for synchronous interacNon • Student-‐ini/ated Skype group • Google hangout op/ons
Affordances: Honor System o Check off boxes sta/ng that you have posted and responded to others’ posts
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
1 2a 2b 2c 2d 3a 3b 3c 4a 4b 5a 5b 5c
Num
ber o
f Discussion Th
read
s
Weeks in 2.3x course
Honesty check present
No honesty check
Research Question 3 In what ways does the course design miss opportuni/es to use affordances available in the MOOC environment?
Missed Opportunities: Language Ac/vi/es assumed prior knowledge of complex language structures
Missed Opportunities: Feedback • There was almost no structure for feedback on essay drays. (2.1x)
• Introduc/on of peer review system and peer review ques/ons (2.2x)
• Going back to the less structured commen/ng on discussion forums (2.3x)
Missed Opportunities: Course Design
Inappropriate ques/on formats
Missed Opportunities: Affordances • Video • Confusing or hard-‐to-‐watch uses of video instruc/on
• Discussion board • Google hangout
Discussion How does College Wri/ng 2x fit with principles of second language wri/ng instruc/on? • Poten/al for peer feedback • Self-‐paced • Ac/vi/es target specific areas of wri/ng • Sharing of resources
Recommendations • Careful aPen/on to language level of texts and
ac/vi/es • Structured peer review • Improvement on the discussion board system • More professionally produced videos to avoid
distrac/ng presenta/on • Division into smaller communi/es within the
course to encourage more personal connec/ons and interac/ons
References Breslow, L., Pritchard, D. E., DeBoer, J., Stump, G. S., Ho, A. D., & Seaton, D. T. (2013). Studying learning in the worldwide classroom: Research into edX’s first MOOC. Research & Prac;ce in Assessment, 8.
Flannery, M. E. (2013). Here a MOOC, there a MOOC. NEA Higher Educa;on Advocate, 30(5), 4-‐5.
Kress, G. (2010). Mul;modality: A social semio;c approach to contemporary communica;on. New York: Routledge.
Liyanagunawardena, T., Williams, S., & Adams, A. (2013). The Impact and reach of MOOCs:A developing countries’ perspec/ve. eLearning Papers, 33, 1-‐8.
Meisenhelder, S. (2013, Fall). MOOC mania. Thought & Ac;on, 29, 7-‐26. Purdy, J. P. (2014). What can design thinking offer wri/ng studies? College Composi;on and Communica;on, 65(4), 612-‐641.
Rodriguez, C. O. (2012). MOOCs and the AI-‐Stanford like courses: Two successful and dis/nct course formats for massive open online courses. EURODL [European Journal of Open, Distant, and e-‐Learning, 2012(II). hPp://www.eurodl.org/?ar/cle=516
Questions? Comments? Ideas? For reference list and slides: hPps://manoa-‐hawaii.academia.edu/BetsyGilliland
Betsy Gilliland [email protected] Ai Oyama [email protected] Pam Stacey [email protected]
Wri/ng MOOCs Some Theory and Prac/ce from a
DilePante and Charlatan Vance Stevens, as part of a panel on
Second Language Wri/ng MOOCs TESOL in Toronto, Mar 27, 2015
Presented as part of a panel on MOOCs in Wri/ng from 1:00 PM to 2:45 in room 203D at the Metro Toronto Conven/on Centre
What is this about?
Listed in conven/on program hPp://www.tesol.org/conven/on2015/conven/on-‐news/conven/on-‐program-‐(pdf) p. 120
DilePante
• I’m a dilePante when I use MOOCs in ways for which they may not have been designed
• I use MOOCs like I once used a library – as repositories of informa/on I can wander into and browse
– I treat them as a berry bush. I take what is convenient, I fill my bucket
– I go away sated -‐more knowledge in my bucket than I had before
When is a MOOC not a MOOC?
hPps://www.flickr.com/photos/mathplourde/8620174342/
X → C Stephen Downes says that xMOOCs are about knowledge replicaNon; whereas cMOOCs are about knowledge creaNon • xMOOCs typically used in more linearly, pre-‐scribed fashion
– xMOOC address agreed and predetermined skill set – Examples: Udacity, Coursera, …
• cMOOCs can be used to nego/ate whatever knowledge needed to meet the needs of the individual learner. But – learner has to define own needs and set own goals, pace of
learning – Learners might self-‐assess even self-‐assess – Goal might be simply to make connec/ons that will generate
discourse to augment individual and shared goals cMOOCs not for just anyone, nor easliy adaptable to all formal educaNonal seXngs
Who’s been running a MOOC? • Essen/ally 3 eras – Before 2008 – The big bang in 2008
– Ayer 2008 • xMOOCs e.g. Thrun and Norvig course on AI • More xMOOCS • More cMOOCS
hPps://sites.google.com/site/themoocguide/3-‐cck08-‐-‐-‐the-‐distributed-‐course
Before 2008, some perpec/ves • 1994 – Jus/n Hall creates the first blog
(per Isaacson, The Innovators) • 1996 – StudyCom for EFL • 1998 -‐ Wri/ng for Webheads • 2001 -‐ Electronic village Online • 2002 -‐ Webheads in Ac/on 2002 • 2004 -‐ George Siemens seminal work on connec/vism (& Facebook) • 2005 -‐ Jeff Lebow and Dave Cormier start Wordbridges
and EdTech Talk • 2005 -‐ 1st WiAOC: free, online, no funding or expenses (2nd in 2007) • 2006 -‐ 1st K-‐12 Online Conference, same model above • 2007 -‐ Siemens organized Future of Learning, free, online • 2008 -‐ Siemens, Downes, Cormier 1st connec/vist MOOC
Are these MOOCs or mOOCs? While all this was going on, I taught Mul/literacies online from 2004 -‐ 2011 in the TESOL PPOT program (not a MOOC, not open) • Ran it concurrently as an
EVO session star/ng 2009 • Evolved and rebranded it
by 2013 and 2014 as Mul/MOOC (actually,a mOOC)
hPp://goodbyegutenberg.pbworks.com
Am I a charlatan?
• When is a MOOC not a MOOC? – When it’s a mOOC? – When it’s less than 100 people?
• When it’s an x-‐MOOC? – When it does not map to my personal needs – When it does not map to my students’ needs – When it does not connect learners?
Cormier’s 5 steps to MOOC success Dave Cormier’s five stages of coping with MOOCs Conveniently, EVO had sePled into a 5 week format
Success in a MOOC (Dave Cormier) hPp://youtu.be/r8avYQ5ZqM0
Dave Snowden, Cynefin • Wikipedia entry on Cynefin /
ˈkʌnɨvɪn/ hPp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynefin
• Wikipedia Change MOOC (2011-‐2012) hPp://change.mooc.ca/week17.htm
• Cormier talk at Mul/MOOC
MOOCs and Cynefin MOOCs best at Complex and Chao/c issues; e.g. Teaching WriNng • Formulaic wri/ng
can be trained • Crea/ve wri/ng
depends on a range of factors that are complex and involve emergent prac/ce
hPp://prosites-‐vstevens.homestead.com/files/efi/webheads.htm (1998-‐2001)
Some implica/ons for MOOCs in Wri/ng • This no/on scales: Abundance vs. scarcity
– Where there are increasing numbers of learners and diminishing resources for addressing their needs the MOOC approach provides a model that handles unlimited numbers of people who want to learn
• MOOCs are also good for learning about complex maPers – Where deep knowledge is required – Where nego/a/ng meaning is cri/cal
• Community as Curriculum
MOOCs and Wri/ng
Community as Curriculum Example of Rhizoma/c Learning MOOC • hPps://p2pu.org/en/courses/882/rhizoma/c-‐learning-‐the-‐
community-‐is-‐the-‐curriculum/
When E/enne Wenger asked her when she felt that she was a member of a CoP, Cris/na replied that she realized this when her prac/ce began to change
Cris/na Costa on CoPs
hPp://advanceduca/on.blogspot.ca/2009/04/global-‐and-‐local-‐visions-‐webheads-‐and.html
From Costa, C. (2012). Communi/es of Prac/ce #altsep12. Knowmansland. Retrieved from hPp://knowmansland.com/blog/2012/10/11/communi/es-‐of-‐prac/ce-‐altsep12/
• Referenced in Costa • From Exploring the Theory, Pedagogy and Prac/ce of Networked
Learning edited by Lone Dirckinck-‐Holmfeld, Vivien Hodgson, David McConnell
Digging deeper, from Wenger
Community Nego/a/ng Knowledge
A Model: Minecraft and CyneRin • Learning to play Minecray and massage the game so that it leads
to learning outcomes -‐-‐ a complex and at /mes chao/c problem • Many factors changing constantly. – Constantly changing / unpredictable playing field – Ac/ons of other players and of actors • generated by the game • or dependent on collabora/on
– For teachers, being able to channel these into a produc/ve learning environment.
Proposal abstract for #evomc15: • This session will invite interested teachers to join us in playing
Minecray, learning all we can about playing alone and together, and how Minecray is being used effec/vely in language learning. We'll learn by doing and from one another. We'll start here: hPp://www.tesl-‐ej.org/wordpress/issues/volume18/ej70/ej70int/
Minecraft and EVO
Minecraft and EVO
Target audience: • Teachers with a gaming
problem • gamers with a teaching
problem • teachers of gamers with a
learning problem
More on this at hPp:///nyurl.com/vance2015pd 4pm Fri Room 703 or tomorrow at my featured session
• Vance's email: [email protected] • These slides:
hPp:///nyurl.com/tesol2015vance-‐mooc • Inten,ons, not yet realized
– Post defini/ve slides to hPp://slideshare.net/vances – Clean up my notes, in rough state here
hPp:///nyurl.com/tesol2015vance-‐mooc-‐doc – Blog them at hPp://advanceduca/on.blogspot.com
• URLs here will be updated as work gets done
Hope you enjoyed it
Mini-‐MOOCs for L2 wri/ng Robert Connor, Ph.D. [email protected] Tulane University
MOOC Principles
Pre-‐arrival courses
Placement
Core courses
Rwanda and Kepler
Discussion
Second Language Wri/ng MOOCs in Theory and Prac/ce