The Maturing of the MOOC

The Maturing of the MOOC
MOOC model of online learning will impact the tuition-based revenue model. This
will happen in four domains: Content production, building of delivery platforms,
provision of feedback and support, and awards. In all these dimensions, MOOCs
offer not just new financial models, but in addition the opportunity to unbundle
elements of the HE package and deliver them through different channels.
5. Shared Services. Universities are also advised to embrace the possibilities of
sharing content and student support services that come with aggregation platforms.
The University of California move to provide a single statewide version of core
courses shared by multiple instititions is offered as an example.
6. Learning R&D. UniversitiesUK underlines that MOOCs foster a set of so-called
“emergent learning technologies” (as opposed to those already resident in installed
Learning Management Systems) and highlights the potential from them. The priority
technologies are listed as:
Learning Analytics (to improve feedback to students)
Adaptive Learning (personalised pathways)
Social Network Analysis (puts connection and linkage to the fore)
Discourse Analytics (automated assessment)
Semantic Web Technologies (automated personalised enabling of customised
support and content feeds)
Virtual Problem Based Learning (immersive environments to hone procedural
skills).
The report makes the observation, based on the experience of Amazon and
Google, that early adoption of such technologies can help to build dominant market
positions, and applies this principle to Universities.
(By way of commentary on this list, the present authors note that UniversitiesUK
have not identified the authentication technologies (Iris recognition, key stroke
pattern) that would automate learning validation – we consider this an omission,
especially as Coursera is already deploying some of them.)
7. Reforming the Core. Under this rubric, UniversitiesUK considers a basket of
institution-wide issues raised by the increasing role of online provision in University
offers. Recommending that Universities rebalance “different aspects of an
institution’s work, including online and physical, free and paid-for provision”, the
report lists several areas of HE activity which may need to be reassessed including
quality assessment, assurance and organisational structure. Included in this
heading is the need to deliver courses that give students the skills to extract value
from online environments – including new presentation and networking skillsets.
Academics and administrators too will need re-educated, to exploit data and
technology opportunities more effectively as part of their workload.
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