Tuesday, May 28, 2013

MOOC to Manage Change

I’m following a new MOOC now in progress called Managing Change in Community Development.  So far 158 members worldwide. 

This is my third MOOC to follow.  What does “follow” mean?  I check out how the MOOC is structured.  I check out how participants engage with each other.  Mainly, my self-directed learning revolves around how technology works or does not work to improve my learning.  

The first MOOC I followed was MobiMOOC12, and I did participate and complete the course.  The first MOOC is considered a cMOOC since it is constructivist in approach.  Experts present live and recorded webinars available on You Tube. Interaction is encouraged through discussions around the expert webinars.  Learners work on individual projects with feedback from each other. 

The second MOOC would be considered an xMOOC.  The course “How to Build a Start Up” on Udacity is backed by higher education experimentation.  A high profile expert, Steve Blank is the instructor.  Really great videos by Steve Blank are followed by quizzes to test knowledge of skills.  A discussion on site covers topics of interest to the learners.  So, why do I not complete this course?  I could get a certificate and it is of interest to my non profit. 

The third MOOC is delivered on Google+.  The expert webinars are delivered live using Google Hangouts and recorded on You Tube.  The discussions to date are not organized around any topic.  This MOOC would also be considered a cMOOC.   The MOOC fills the need for a community of practice and a certificate is available.  At this point, I’m participating since I’m doing this blog, considered a weekly activity.  This MOOC is the least structured, but it is using simple tools that are available for free and could be accessed on many devices. 

To stay on top of all these MOOC changes, I’m reading Inge de Waard’s e-book, MOOC Yourself: Set up your own MOOC for business, non profits & informal communities (2013).   Check out the book to see how fast this new MOOC disruption is changing learning. 

Then, view the video to see where you fit into the MOOC revolution.  What kind of follower are you?



2 comments:

  1. Hello Kris

    thank you for sharing a link to your blog it was interesting to learn that you'd tried out both cMOOCs and xMOOCs but hadn't completed the xMOOC despite it being structured and covering topics of interest to the learner and providing quizzes that test your knowledge. Have you come to any conclusion about why you didn't complete that course yet?

    As you say our Managing & Surviving Change MOOC is the least structured and I'm glad you noted that we are using free and easily accessible tools. The course is part of an action research project that investigates the potentials technologies may have in providing relevant CPD opportunities for people within rural and remote areas. One of our key aims is to use accessible easy to use tools so that participants can see how they might apply these in their own community setting.

    I was intrigued by your post and I'm keen to find out how you think we could make this course a little more structured particularly since you're an experienced MOOCer with knowledge on other MOOC structures.

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  2. Hi Ramone,
    Thank you for responding to my post. In my experience with MOOCs, I seem to take them in pieces. The Udacity xMOOC requires much more time and energy. Perhaps having the choice to say " I don't want that much" is a MOOC motivator in my case.

    So, for this course, lack of structure could be a positive characteristic for me. The only structure I would add is navigation of the Google+ site. Maybe add a video tutorial on all the features. I don't spend much time here, but I can see all the possibilities for open courses. The Hangout is a great option for those of us on limited budgets for webinars.

    Much success to you with your action research project.
    Kris

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