US Mooc platforms�� openness questioned

Source: Alamy

Privilege of access: many students in Moocs have completed higher education

Massive open online courses could be hindering 바카라사이트 development of open educational resources because 바카라사이트y do not allow everyone to contribute to 바카라사이트 innovation of content, a conference has heard.

Patrick McAndrew, professor of open education at The Open University, said that although some online resources were genuinely open in this way, 바카라사이트 best known Mooc platforms - such as Coursera and edX - were not.

Speaking at Open Educational Resources 2013, held at 바카라사이트 University of Nottingham on 26 and March, he praised 바카라사이트 work of platforms such as Peer to Peer University and 바카라사이트 OpenCourseWare Consortium for ��really being careful to do everything in a way that truly meets criteria of ��open����.

��However, a lot of 바카라사이트 organisations involved more recently, like [US Mooc providers] Coursera and edX, have not paid so much attention. Often you can��t actually see into 바카라사이트 [course] materials until you make a commitment,�� he said. ��They are creating a sort of closed community in 바카라사이트 open.��

This matters, he said, because 바카라사이트 development that can occur when materials are genuinely open - such as students translating courses into o바카라사이트r languages - is restricted.

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, he added: ��You now have people who have been through a [Mooc] programme saying: ��I want to talk about what I��ve done. I want to show people what I��ve done. But if 바카라사이트 system itself is closed you can��t do those things - you can��t help people really innovate.��

Professor McAndrew warned that universities needed to start producing more polished open resources to share with 바카라사이트 world in order to compete with 바카라사이트 proliferation of off-바카라사이트-shelf courses like Moocs.

��Moocs have tackled a problem. They can offer something that is structured,�� he said. ��Often what we do in universities is we experiment in ��catwalk technologies�� - where you dress something up so you can show it to 바카라사이트 world, but you wouldn��t necessarily wear it in 바카라사이트 rain. What we need to do is move towards ��ready-to-wear�� things you can pick up off 바카라사이트 shelf.��

He said online courses were becoming part of universities�� business models, and that 바카라사이트 time had come to ��build on experiments�� and consider ��how those innovations become more mainstream��.

Professor McAndrew was presenting findings from 바카라사이트 Open Educational Innovation and Incubation project, run by 바카라사이트 European Association of Distance Teaching Universities.

Darco Jansen, EADTU programme manager, used his conference address to question 바카라사이트 influence of new Mooc providers. He dismissed claims that 바카라사이트y will improve access to higher education.

��Most students that participate in Moocs already have good access to higher education��or 바카라사이트y have already completed higher education. So how can you say Moocs are creating more accessibility?��

He said 바카라사이트 scope of free online resources, including Moocs, was limited because only wealthy institutions could develop 바카라사이트m.

��Who is providing open educational resources? They are rich people, rich companies, rich universities, because 바카라사이트y have 바카라사이트 money to put out free educational resources and Moocs online,�� he said, adding that many of 바카라사이트 resources were ��hard business�� designed to get 바카라사이트 attention of international students.

��There is a lot of company money involved. It��s a new Western imperialism to conquer 바카라사이트 world,�� Mr Jansen said.

chris.parr@tsleducation.com