Last year, I stumbled on something called Massive Open Online Courses (colloquially referred to as MOOCs). The immediate appeal of taking free open classes through world-class institutions like Harvard aroused my curiosity. I was intrigued and mystified.
It just so happened one of my high school friends works at a start-up called Coursera. Coursera partners with institutions to offer MOOCs throughout the year; the classes are offered in much the same way Western organizes their course calendar.
I ended up enrolling in two MOOCs through the service.
For one, I had the option to pay $40 to receive an accredited competition ‘badge.’ These badges are not credits that can be used on a transcript. I opted out because it was my first time experience with a MOOC.
Before I signed up with Coursera, I read several studies about the completion rates of MOOCs and it didn’t look too promising – only a dismal 7-10 per cent of participants ended up completing a course. The thought of a student paying $40 for something one might not finish wasn’t a trivial matter.
The first week, I didn’t know what was going on. Discussion forums were chaotic with students asking all sorts of questions. I eventually checked the syllabus, which had the timeline for the next six weeks. Basically, I need to watch some videos, post on the discussion forums at least five times and do a quiz after each lecture, which would land me verification that I have completed a course.
Seemed pretty straight forward. I remembered asking myself why the completion rates were low when it seemed to require less than two hours a week.
For the first two weeks, I was a keener who took notes and tried to get perfect on the quizzes, despite the unlimited attempts. The videos were divided into 10-minute segments totalling one to two hours. Typically, I would watch a video during a break from schoolwork, much like checking Facebook. What I loved about the videos was if you switched windows or the computer was inactive for a few minutes, the video paused and waited for your return.
I eventually started writing the quizzes to identify gaps in my knowledge prior to viewing the lectures. Depending on how I felt, I redid the quizzes. I actually skipped one week because I only got one wrong before watching the lecture.
I can only recall two weeks of material new to me. However, I noticed the lectures contained open-source, freely available information but in a structured format, i.e. ‘the classroom.’
I can see the appeal of someone wanting to take a structured course instead of reading article after article. Even with my learning style, lectures best suit me. I did well in both courses and was relatively satisfied with my grade, considering the little effort I put in.
So, do MOOCs have the power to replace university classrooms?
Nope.
As a student, I will defend educational institutions wielding my pencil at a desk, fortified by a wall of textbooks and moat of coffee. I firmly believe you cannot effectively emulate the essence of sitting in a classroom, taking notes, having a dynamic discussion, while maintaining strong academic rigor through current online technologies.
There is great deal of contention toward MOOCs, but we need to take a step back. MOOCs may have all the requisite ingredients of a class, but they are not classes.
First, the academic level required is equivalent to high school, but I cannot say if this is the same for all MOOCs. Second, I had the opportunity to meet incredible students from all over. If anything, MOOCs are virtual conferences, best compared to sites like TED.com.
As a grad student, attending conferences is an important opportunity to build your career. I approached MOOCs as a networking tool to meet people with similar interests and aspirations. We were able to discuss different perspectives on the same topic at our leisure. I even had the opportunity to participate at a course meet-up in Toronto.
Similar to open-source journals, MOOCs are the next wave of services to change academic culture. I already see myself listing MOOCs under a section on my CV titled ‘Online Classes.’
Even the prospect of hosting my own MOOCs in future, like a conference presentation, is exhilarating; imagine hundreds of people taking your course about something you’re passionate about. Many of us forget that we already engage in these activities using services like YouTube and WordPress.
Regardless of your stance on MOOCs, as academics we need to also look at what MOOCs stand for – free education for all. Universities cultivate social change; MOOCs simply add another venue to do so.
It may not replace a class, or get you an academic credit, but at least it advocates that through education for the masses, we can still share knowledge to make an impact for the better.
Bhavin Prajapati, a master’s degree candidate in the Health Information Science program under the Faculty of Information and Media Studies and Health Sciences, is the graduate student senator on the university Senate and vice-chair of the Student Caucus on Governance.