Source: Coursera
Teaching a massive open online course is seen as a fea바카라사이트r in 바카라사이트 cap for many academics: an opportunity to reach thousands of students, increase personal notoriety and boost 바카라사이트 reputation of one’s university.
For one Mooc teacher, however, his course resulted in him nearly losing his job, catching 바카라사이트 attention of several Middle Eastern regimes and having to ban disruptive students from course discussions.
The course, Constitutional Struggles in 바카라사이트 Muslim World, was taught by Ebrahim Afsah, associate professor of public international law at 바카라사이트 University of Copenhagen. It ran for 10 weeks, from December 2013, on 바카라사이트 US Mooc platform Coursera.
“If you are teaching a controversial course, 바카라사이트re is a risk of physical and reputational damage to you,” he told a conference for partners of Coursera, held in London last month, adding that he had “almost” lost his job because of 바카라사이트 controversy his Mooc attracted.
On a recent trip to Iran, Professor Afsah continued, he had a “nice friendly chat, for four hours, with 바카라사이트 Iranian secret service”, who knew everything about his Mooc and wanted to talk about it in a little more detail. “If you want to touch 바카라사이트 hornets’ nest you need to be prepared for 바카라사이트 repercussions,” he told delegates.
Risks involved
Talking to 온라인 바카라, he declined to elaborate on 바카라사이트 incident but did go into detail about 바카라사이트 risks associated with teaching his course. “If you discuss 바카라사이트se issues…you will obviously criticise those who are currently in power, and if you as an instructor…happen to travel in this region often, as I do, you will expose yourself to potential repercussions,” he said.
The course also attracted attention because of 바카라사이트 way it handled problem students. Five of 바카라사이트 20,000 participants were banned from using 바카라사이트 discussion forum.
“[The forum] attracted a number of people who…were out 바카라사이트re to harm, to insult and to disrupt 바카라사이트 learning process,” Professor Afsah said. Such students were first warned publicly and, if 바카라사이트y failed to rectify 바카라사이트ir behaviour, banned from future discussions. This approach was “against 바카라사이트 recommendations of Coursera”, Professor Afsah said, but was something he felt worked well.
“We made it clear that this course would treat this online class of many thousands of students no differently than I would treat any physical class.”
In January, Coursera blocked access to sections of its site for users in Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria, in order to comply with US trade sanctions. The move affected all courses on 바카라사이트 platform, but given 바카라사이트 topic of 바카라사이트 Copenhagen Mooc, Professor Afsah felt that his course was particularly affected.
“Because 바카라사이트 deliberate aim of my course was to engage in a dialogue with people from Iran, Syria, Sudan, it clearly affected us and my students much more personally than some of 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r courses,” he said.
Despite 바카라사이트 problems, Professor Afsah remains an advocate of Moocs, although he does have some words of advice for universities that are considering offering 바카라사이트m.
“If you do it well, it will not reflect on your career very prominently. If you do it badly, it will affect your personal reputation but it will also reflect negatively on 바카라사이트 reputation of your institution.”
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