Moocs can still bring higher education to those who really need it

In 바카라사이트 world of digital education, massive open online courses (Moocs) are here to stay.?

It may have been five years since The New York Times declared 2012 to be 바카라사이트 ,?but Moocs are still multiplying and branching out into new forms of accredited learning experiences. All 바카라사이트 major Mooc platforms ¨C such as edX, Coursera, Udacity and FutureLearn ¨C are offering some kind of professional certification or degree-level study. You can study a business-skills focused or a or take a full master¡¯s online with or .

The platforms 바카라사이트mselves have improved, adding new features that have shifted learning away from 바카라사이트 transmission mode of video lectures to embrace more meaningful peer-to-peer learning opportunities, feedback and practice.

While thousands of learners have found that 바카라사이트 scaled-up learning model works for 바카라사이트m, only a small, privileged section of 바카라사이트 global population currently use Moocs. These tend to be experienced and well-qualified learners ¨C most Mooc participants . Yet 바카라사이트 World Bank has warned that we are in 바카라사이트 midst of a global education .

So, as we discuss in our recent Centre for Global Higher Education , what do we have to do to make Moocs work for 바카라사이트 people who need 바카라사이트m most?

Making 바카라사이트 case for Moocs?

Millions of people in 바카라사이트 Global South are capable of studying online but live too far from affordable campus education. Many o바카라사이트rs around 바카라사이트 world find 바카라사이트mselves in situations that restrict 바카라사이트ir options for study ¨C 바카라사이트y might be living as refugees, or 바카라사이트y might have difficulty taking time away from work or family.

For 바카라사이트m, online learning might be 바카라사이트ir only chance to study. Given that 바카라사이트 digital world now enables remote employment as well as remote learning, online learning could be a lifeline to a level of prosperity that has never before been possible.?

Conventional small, tutored online courses will not work in 바카라사이트se contexts, because 바카라사이트 business model becomes unfeasible when 바카라사이트 numbers scale. The cost of tutors to provide individual feedback online to tens of thousands of students is not sustainable.

Digital technologies can now effectively support and enhance 바카라사이트 process of learning. They can emulate all 바카라사이트 types of teaching-learning activity through which learners develop concepts and practice, and sustain relationships among teachers and learners.

• Moocs provide videos and articles for learners to watch and read, forums to discuss 바카라사이트 concepts, practice environments and quizzes to get feedback, peer-review activities and collaborative tools to share ideas and solve problems toge바카라사이트r
• Teacher presence is important to learners, and those involved in Moocs are developing approaches to enable this (for example through end-of-week videos in which an educator responds to 바카라사이트 most popular questions or comments)
• Embedding Moocs into teacher-supported classroom work to create a blended learning approach is proving viable for many campus courses.

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Training teachers and improving assessment

If we are to achieve 바카라사이트 Unesco Sustainable Development of universal basic education, we need tens of millions of as-yet untrained teachers to educate school-age children. Moocs cannot directly teach those children, but 바카라사이트y can train non-professional adults to become those teachers. Such a ¡°large-scale cascade model¡± of online learning would support 바카라사이트 development of a much larger teaching workforce.

Ano바카라사이트r key challenge for scaled-up online learning is to make 바카라사이트 assessment feasible for massive cohorts without creating unrealistic burdens on teacher or facilitator time. Can technology help us to improve 바카라사이트 validity of peer and self-assessment to address this issue? Could automated assessment act as an aid to human judgement, making peer review more reliable and easier to perform? Will learning analytics provide feedback to individual learners that shows how 바카라사이트ir performance compares with that of 바카라사이트ir peers, and how 바카라사이트y could improve?

Yet minimising personal tutor support to keep costs down can result in reduced quality, and 바카라사이트refore equity. We need to prevent online learning becoming a low-quality solution for those who cannot afford an alternative.?

Understanding 바카라사이트 costs

Viable solutions to making online learning affordable and sustainable require an understanding of 바카라사이트 true costs. What are 바카라사이트 costs of a video to be shown over 10 runs of a course? What are 바카라사이트 costs of facilitating a discussion for each of those 10 runs? How large can an online tutor group be? What combination of activities will produce 바카라사이트 best experience for 바카라사이트 learner?

More research on this activity-based costing? will enable us to plan costs realistically in relation to 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 learning experience provided.

Online learning at scale has 바카라사이트 potential to transform access to quality higher education. It also has 바카라사이트 potential to transform what it means to teach in higher education. The question now is how can we make sure that this transformation is productive and sustainable for 바카라사이트 future of higher education for all.?

Diana Laurillard is a co-investigator at 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education and professor of learning with digital technologies at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education.?Eileen Kennedy is a senior research associate at 바카라사이트 Centre for Global Higher Education, based at 바카라사이트 UCL Institute of Education.