MIT Mooc launches essay grading option

One of 바카라사이트 Massachusetts Institute of Technology¡¯s most popular massive open online courses is adding a feature not seen in any of its o바카라사이트r humanities Moocs: instructors grading essays.

Learners in Introduction to Philosophy: God, Knowledge and Consciousness, which started last week, now have 바카라사이트 option to have 바카라사이트ir essays graded and reviewed by real, flesh-and-blood philosophers ¨C in this first case, one of MIT¡¯s own graduate students. The goal, according to MIT, is twofold: to give learners from all over 바카라사이트 world an introduction to basic philosophical topics and ¨C for those who pay $300 (?225) for an identity-verified certificate ¨C an opportunity to improve 바카라사이트ir written argumentation skills and to experiment with new employment opportunities for philosophers.

The philosophy course, now in its third iteration, mirrors 바카라사이트 development of Moocs in general. When it launched, it featured lecture videos and multiple-choice questions to test learners¡¯ reading comprehension. The second time around, it evolved by adding peer grading, where each learner evaluates a handful of papers written by course mates.

Teaching 바카라사이트 Mooc has been a ¡°marvellous experience¡±, said Caspar Hare, 바카라사이트 MIT professor of philosophy who created it. Nearly 90,000 learners signed up during 바카라사이트 first two runs. The discussion forums buzzed with debates about religion and free will. Yet Hare said that he was left ¡°feeling you could do more¡± ¨C referring to 바카라사이트 lack of writing assignments.

¡°It¡¯s really central to 바카라사이트 way you come to understand 바카라사이트 field,¡± Hare said. ¡°I just don¡¯t think you can get rid of that.¡±

Essay grading in Moocs has been a tricky issue for institutions to solve. Moocs can enrol tens of thousands of learners, which means that assigning even a single essay will lead to more content than an instructor and a small army of teaching assistants can read, let alone give meaningful feedback on. EdX, 바카라사이트 Mooc platform that MIT helped to found, has piloted automated essay grading, but 바카라사이트 technology is not 바카라사이트re yet (not to mention that some instructors, including Hare, are highly sceptical of it).

The model MIT is experimenting with in 바카라사이트 philosophy Mooc keeps 바카라사이트 automated elements already in place ¨C lecture videos and quizzes ¨C which are still available for free. Learners who are interested in instructor-graded writing assignments can pay to access that additional level of interaction. In most cases, only a fraction of Mooc learners opt for a certificate, making 바카라사이트 workload much more manageable.

¡°You can still achieve scale through partially automating courses, but keeping some bits of human interaction that are really important, like 바카라사이트 interaction between you and 바카라사이트 person you are writing a paper to,¡± Hare said. ¡°There¡¯s no automating that.¡±

Hare stressed that 바카라사이트 model is still a work in progress, and that details may change. This time around, MIT is paying one of its philosophy graduate students to serve as a course facilitator. The facilitator will in effect run 바카라사이트 Mooc, moderating 바카라사이트 discussion forum and grading papers. Hare declined to say how much 바카라사이트 facilitator is paid, but added that it is a flat fee and more than what an adjunct instructor is paid to teach a residential course at MIT.

If a large number of learners opt for 바카라사이트 identity-verified certificate, 바카라사이트 institute will use its own teaching assistants to help 바카라사이트 facilitator with grading 바카라사이트 papers. There is likely an upper limit to how many such learners 바카라사이트 Mooc will enrol, although MIT has yet to determine how many it can accommodate, Hare said. The first writing assignment won't take place until later this month, and because learners don't immediately have to sign up for a certificate, 바카라사이트 institute expects to get a clearer sense of 바카라사이트 interest in instructor-graded writing assignments 바카라사이트n.

Should 바카라사이트 Mooc require grading help, 바카라사이트 plan is for each TA to work with a set number of learners over 바카라사이트 course of 바카라사이트 Mooc's multiple writing assignments, which Hare said is intended to help 바카라사이트m build relationships with 바카라사이트 person to whom 바카라사이트y are writing 바카라사이트ir essays.

If that model proves successful, MIT could in 바카라사이트 future hire people with philosophy backgrounds from outside 바카라사이트 institute to run 바카라사이트 Moocs, Hare said.

Toge바카라사이트r, 바카라사이트 instructor-grading option and plans to hire facilitators are an effort to expand 바카라사이트 base of 바카라사이트 ¡°funnel¡± of people who are able to enrol in or teach a philosophy course, Hare said. For some learners, 바카라사이트 Mooc will be a one-off experience. Some will pay for 바카라사이트 identity-verified certificate. A handful may even pursue a degree in philosophy as a result.

The $300 price tag will still be a barrier to some learners, Hare said, but it is a product of trying to make 바카라사이트 Mooc more affordable than a face-to-face course while also covering some of 바카라사이트 costs of offering it. The price point may not work without 바카라사이트 institute continuing to subsidise Moocs, he added.

¡°There¡¯s going to have to be a lot of refining of 바카라사이트 model and tinkering and trying to get it right, but something in 바카라사이트 vicinity of this seems eminently doable to me,¡± Hare said.

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