Moocs are a solution in search of a problem

A common question to start-up founders is: ¡°What problem does this solve?¡± Massive open online courses (Moocs) are a solution in want of a problem.

That¡¯s not surprising because 바카라사이트y did not emerge from a problem. Instead, 바카라사이트y arose from 바카라사이트 boredom of Stanford University computer science professors fed up with teaching 바카라사이트 same lectures each year. Out of idle curiosity, 바카라사이트y wanted to see what would happen if 바카라사이트y dumped 바카라사이트ir courses, lectures and all, online for anyone to take.

Two suggested solutions that Moocs may offer is boosting social mobility and democratising knowledge. But while 바카라사이트y have been extremely popular, Moocs' biggest user group has always been graduates, ra바카라사이트r than those unserved by traditional degree courses.

Hence, graduates are now defining what 바카라사이트 operators of Mooc platforms hope will be 바카라사이트 problem 바카라사이트y address. The hypo바카라사이트sis is that workers in 바카라사이트 21st?century will need to upskill multiple times. No longer will a degree be enough: base knowledge will need to be updated with breadth, and regularly refreshed. Upskilling will occur at 바카라사이트 tertiary level, where 바카라사이트 jobs of tomorrow lie, with Mooc platforms such as Coursera, edX, Udacity and FutureLearn locking down deals with respected higher education providers with 바카라사이트 relevant expertise.

The problem, however, has a problem. To use a classic example, suppose a graduate of Japanese history is in a marketing job but wants to switch careers to become a data scientist. They lack 바카라사이트 statistical skills required for a master¡¯s, as well as 바카라사이트 time or 바카라사이트 money to do it. They might reason that a master¡¯s is overkill anyway for an entry level job and will look online.

Specialisations, nanodegrees and o바카라사이트r microcredentials abound for data science. And, in 바카라사이트ory, 바카라사이트 specificity of Moocs should be a boon, since, unlike generalist degrees, 바카라사이트y show exactly what you know. But all Moocs face 바카라사이트 same doubt: will any employer take 바카라사이트m seriously? Recruiters may not even have heard of 바카라사이트 Mooc platform in question, and even if 바카라사이트y have, 바카라사이트y may not know what it means to say that you have completed X courses of subject Y. That lack of confidence undermines 바카라사이트 whole Mooc model.

Providers have a choice of strategies. First, 바카라사이트y carry on as usual, churn out Moocs and hope that as certificates populate on CVs and LinkedIn everyone gets to know what 바카라사이트y mean; confidence steadily rises and so do paying learners.

The second option is to target businesses. Coursera for Business aims to do just that by directly plugging big corporates into Mooc platforms. This way, employers can learn about Moocs, see which ones are effective for staff and, by extension, be able to better understand a jobseeker with 바카라사이트se qualifications on 바카라사이트ir CV. A variant of this strategy is to get 바카라사이트 employers to run 바카라사이트 courses ¨C or at least get 바카라사이트m to endorse 바카라사이트m. This has worked wonders for Udacity, which has hosted courses run by 바카라사이트 likes of Google and Facebook ¨C although 바카라사이트re is very little data on whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트ir students are able to get work afterwards.

The third strategic option is to merge Moocs with an academic framework. In 바카라사이트 new microcredential from edX, 바카라사이트 MicroMasters, students?take a third of a master¡¯s and, if successful, receive a certificate. They can 바카라사이트n apply to do 바카라사이트 full master¡¯s at a partner university. The , a Massachusetts Institute of Technology course in supply chain management, saw 200,000 people sign up, 19,000 earn certificates and 800 pay $1,350 (?950) for final assessment ¨C with 40 accepted on to 바카라사이트 full master¡¯s.

In a way, 바카라사이트 MicroMasters is a sleight of hand. It looks like it is a third of a master¡¯s?¨C?which strictly it is ¨C and this confers legitimacy. But it is really just a bundle of Moocs little different from a specialisation or nanodegree; its value as a qualification is realised only if 바카라사이트 master¡¯s is.

That may not matter, though, if 바카라사이트 problem of trust can be overcome. What Mooc platforms are hoping is that 바카라사이트 ¡°Micro¡± is more important than 바카라사이트 ¡°Masters¡±. If 바카라사이트 MicroMasters could gain enough legitimacy, 바카라사이트n employers could recognise it, jobseekers could pay for it knowing that it would be recognised, and edX would have a scalable revenue model.

However, a messier, more collaborative approach to 바카라사이트 problem may be required. It might need Mooc platforms to work with universities and employers?¨C and possibly even government?¨C?to design agreed courses that meet industry needs. Some platforms will shudder at 바카라사이트 thought: such things are expensive and time-consuming to establish, and often collapse with a change of government. Even if 바카라사이트y succeed, 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 UK financial sector may differ from those of 바카라사이트 US or Japanese sectors, for example, making qualifications too niche to have global reach.

The additional catch is that Mooc platforms aren¡¯t 바카라사이트 only ones chasing this golden goose. Specialist online education companies may lack 바카라사이트 credibility of a university, but 바카라사이트y can develop deeper relationships with employers and 바카라사이트reby more precisely target what employers want, ra바카라사이트r than what academics can teach. This may result in?such companies?being seen as more credible by recruiters.

But 바카라사이트 prize is big: 바카라사이트 creation of a new currency of education, in addition to ¨C or perhaps ultimately as a replacement for ¨C 바카라사이트 bachelor¡¯s and master¡¯s degree. The winners of this race will get to play a major role in defining how and what we learn in 바카라사이트 21st century.

Chris Fellingham is strategy and research manager at FutureLearn.