Download - Abc MOOC presentation 2013
Associa'on for Business Communica'on New Orleans, LA October 2013
Rebecca E. Burne@, Ph.D. Director, Wri.ng and Communica.on
Georgia Tech ~ Atlanta, GA
Paper Co-‐authors Andy Frazee, Ph.D. Karen J. Head, Ph.D.
Associate Director Director Wri.ng and Communica.on Communica.on Center
Overview
§ Defining MOOCs
§ Understanding historical context
§ Considering efficacy
Defining MOOCs
MOOC Defini'on
§ Massive § Open § Online § Course
Appropriateness of MOOCs for Business Communica'on
The 2013 NMC Horizon Report iden.fies MOOCs as an important technology, no.ng that MOOCs have “deviated from the ini.al premise…a pedagogy in which knowledge [was] not a des.na.on but an ongoing ac.vity, fueled by the rela.onships people build and the deep discussions”
Johnson et al., 2013, p. 11
MOOC Characteris'cs § FREE, OPEN enrollment across the world. § MOSTLY FREE materials. § HUGE class size. § VIDEO modules for primary content. § PEER REVIEW for engagement and assessment. § DISCUSSION FORUM par.cipa.on. § SYNCHRONOUS and ASYNCHRONOUS viewing § LOW COMPLETION rates
Our MOOC Characteris'cs § FREE, OPEN enrollment — Across the world (e.g., Argen.na, Canada, China, Egypt, Iran, Mexico, New Zealand, Pakistan, Russia, US)
§ FREE MATERIALS — Open-‐source textbook and open-‐access materials
§ HUGE class size — 21,934 registered; 14,772 ac.ve students
§ VIDEO modules — 26 video lectures; 7 live Hangouts
§ PEER REVIEW — 2,942 submiced assignments; 19,571 peer assessments
§ FORUM par.cipa.on — 1,728 threads; 6,990 posts; 2,866 comments
§ SYNCHRONOUS and ASYNCHRONOUS viewing — 95,631 viewings of videos by 10,452 par.cipants
§ LOW COMPLETION (1–2%) — 297 passed; 238 earned cer.ficates
Our Outcomes § Cri'cal Thinking: Evaluate the effec.veness of personal essays,
images, and oral presenta.ons. Assess your work and the work of your peers. Reflect on your own processes and performance.
§ Rhetoric: Analyze the ways in which you and other communicators use persuasion. Think about and use context, audience, purpose, argument, genre, organiza.on, design, visuals, and conven.ons.
§ Process: Apply processes (read, invent, plan, drak, design, rehearse, revise, publish, present, and cri.que).
§ Digital Media: Produce wricen, oral, and visual ar.facts.
Karen, Rebecca, and Andy worked closely together in designing the course and managing our 17-‐person team. Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
The PIs, project managers, and postdocs had weekly team mee.ngs.
Curriculum was designed. Videos were scripted.
Assessment was planned. Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
The videos included § Screen summaries § Callouts § Hand-‐wricen notes during brainstorming
§ Annota.ons on sample ar.facts
Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
During the live weekly Hangouts, students from around the world met virtually with instructors in Georgia Tech’s Communica.on Center. Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
MOOCs Hangout sessions in the Communica.on Center were videotaped for later analysis. Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
Asser'ons
§ #1 Technology § #2 Hype § #3 Limita'ons § #4 Reality § #5 Poten'al
Asser'on #1 Technology. MOOCs are the most recent technology enabling distance learning. Each technology has affordances and limita.ons that shape pedagogy and enable, encourage, constrain, and impede learning.
Asser'on #2 Hype. MOOCs receive great acen.on (~4.5 million hits on Google), a lot of it unwarranted hype in newspapers and in the blogosphere.
Asser'on #3 Limita'ons. MOOCs are not yet good in peer review, in assessing anything but quan.ta.ve responses, in responding to par.cipants who need accommoda.ons, in in-‐depth and monitored discussions, or in enabling reflec.on. They’re .me-‐consuming and expensive to produce and may not be governed by the same high standards as the organiza.on sponsoring them.
Asser'on #4 Reality. MOOCs are not the salva.on of higher educa.on. They’re excellent for prepara.on, review, and enrichment. They are another resource, valuable if done well, but they’re frustra.ng and unproduc.ve if not done well.
Asser'on #5 Poten'al. The technology has not yet caught up with the need. The individual success stories are persuasive and heartwarming, but problems with access, ac.vi.es, assignments, accommoda.on, and assessment are enormous.
Understanding Historical Context
The Bigger Context of MOOCs
§ Distance educa'on – Systems: extension, correspondence, fiber op.cs, online learning – Media: radio, film, television, and video
§ Wri'ng centers § Technologies
The videos were recorded and edited in Georgia Tech’s professional TV studio.
Photo used with permission © R.E. Burnec
Contextual Perspec'ves Distance Educa'on Systems
§ University degree and extension services § Correspondence courses § Fiber op'c networks § Online learning/e-‐learning
Contextual Perspec'ves Media: Radio
§ Educa'onal Radio Sta'ons — N. America, Asia, Africa, Europe
§ Benefits — wide distribu.on, low cost, usable in areas with virtually no other technology
§ Limita'ons — limited interac.on, pacing, playback
Berman, S.D. (2008). “The Return of Educa.onal Radio” The Interna3onal Review of Research in Open and Distance Educa3on. 9(2) hcp://www.irrodl.org/index.php/irrodl/ar.cle/view/563/1038
hcp://streema.com/radios/genre/Educa.on
Contextual Perspec'ves Media: Film
§ Academic Film Archive of North America — 100,000+ educa.onal films made in N. America, early 1900s–~1985; subjects including art, history, social science, literature, and science (hcp://www.afana.org/)
§ Indiana University Libraries Film Archive — 48,000+ films da.ng from before World War II and intended for classroom use, including U.S. Department of War produc.ons and 5,600+ programs produced by the Na.onal Educa.onal Television (NET) network, precursor to PBS.
Staging facility, housed at History San Jose hcp://www.afana.org/facts.htm
Contextual Perspec'ves Media: Television
§ Federal Communica'on Commission — in 1952 designated 242 channels for educa.onal television. 60 channels in use by 1960.
§ Network TV created educa.onal programming. – Example: Sunrise Semester on CBS, 1957-‐1982. 30-‐minute NYU lectures with mail-‐in materials. Available for viewing by anyone; college credit with fees.
– Example: Ask Mr. Wizard, 1951–1965.
hcp://sta.c.stevespangler.com/stevespangler/uploads/2007/06/mrwizardearly.jpg
Contextual Perspec'ves Media: Videos and DVDs
Contextual Perspec'ves Media: Videos and DVDs
hcp://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/professors/professors.aspx
Contextual Perspec'ves Wri'ng Centers
hcp://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/
Considering Efficacy
Considering the Efficacy of MOOCs Ra'onales Benefits Cau'ons
Access Available to anyone in the world with a computer, internet access, and applica.ons.
Limited by .me for online connec.on, available power, local laws, and func.onality for ADA accommoda.ons.
Convenience Asynchronous and synchronous. On-‐line viewing and exercises. Off-‐line reading and assignments.
Limited convenience based on limited navigability of plaworm, uneven par.cipa.on.
Cost To students: basic course currently free. Some levels of “cer.fica.on” have a cost.
To students: cost of technology and .me. To school: expensive and .me consuming to create, tape, and disseminate; cost of faculty and support system.
Pedagogy Planned lectures. Some innova.on possible. Hangouts for community. Forums for collabora.on and learning.
Lecture largely ineffec.ve for learning. Plaworm for quan.ta.ve courses. Use forums technology glitches.
Assessment Online quizzes. Peer assessment. Some self-‐assessment.
Online can’t be graded if downloaded. Dysfunc.onal peer assessment. Uneven peer par.cipa.on. Plaworm designed largely for quan.ta.ve disciplines.
MOOCs A Match for Business Communica'on?
…if the focus is on processes, rhetoric, and culture of communica.on. Yes…if problems with access, ac.vi.es, assignments, accommoda.on, and assessment are resolved. Yes…if the purpose is preview, enrichment, or review.
…if the focus con.nues to emphasize pre-‐recorded lectures,
inflexible assignments, inacen.on to process. No…if issues related to quan.ta.ve assessment and inadequate peer review are not addressed. No…if intended as replacements for credit courses.
Rebecca Burne@, [email protected] Georgia Ins'tute of Technology
CONTACT ME If you have ques.ons about our program, please email…or come for a visit.