Sunday, July 21, 2013

MOOCs: Can we say "I told you so" yet? Probably not.

No real post because of family events but --

SJSU has suspended its Udacity courses because of failure rates from 56-76%. See also Tenured Radical and Edge of the American West.

It's the lesson of MOOC 'n Bake: MOOCs may be great for self-paced learners seeking a tech credential, or those who just want to learn more about a subject, but a substitute for real fried chicken education they're not.

But evidence-based practices and actual student outcomes have never been a strong suit for MOOC enthusiasts. Quality and student learning are not their concern; efficiency and cost containment are.

As long as someone's willing to lavish grant money on MOOCs, and as there's money to be made by mass producing and "delivering content," MOOCs aren't going away anytime soon.

5 comments:

Dame Eleanor Hull said...

If we can't say "told you so," can we at least say "neener neener neener"?

undine said...

I'm sure tempted, Dame Eleanor.

Fie upon this quiet life! said...

I don't know if those numbers will speak to admins when money is so outspoken. But seeing this made me feel good. :)

Anonymous said...

Well, I signed up for another one just to see if they were all as bad ... this one is by someone I know. It's a regular college course, online, reputable, actually college level, etc. Except: professor and TA not available to be contacted. At all. Too many students. And only those other students are reading your work. And no, having a "facilitator" on the ground to do it would not be the same.

Z said...

Well, I signed up for another one just to see if they were all as bad ... this one is by someone I know. It's a regular college course, online, reputable, actually college level, etc. Except: professor and TA not available to be contacted. At all. Too many students. And only those other students are reading your work. And no, having a "facilitator" on the ground to do it would not be the same.