MOOC roles

The purpose of the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) medium is to provide very large numbers of students with an intense, interactive, sequenced learning experience. MOOCs are generally categorized as two kinds. In a cMOOC, students generate lots of discussion from which they can draw their own focussed conclusions according to their purposes for studying. An xMOOC is quite different; it comprises recorded content with automated online quizzes and exams. To this could be added the mechanical MOOC, which integrates resources from separate sources; for example, the course could comprise content from one provider, study group hosting at another, and interactive tools from yet another. Even so, there are many other characteristics by which MOOCs could be categorized, and no categorization is yet definitive.

The MOOC movement

So far, the MOOC movement is failing in some important ways. MOOCs generally lack a business model, have muddled educational design (despite some of the hype), and suffer huge dropout rates because they do not engage most students. They have also failed to democratize education by providing it to those who least need it. A recent study reported that over 83 percent had done some higher education with most of them have done graduate studies. Moreover, nearly 40% of MOOC students were from either the US or the United Kingdom. (John Swope. "What Do We Know About MOOC Students So Far?: A Look At Recent User Data", MOOC News and Reviews Nov 25, 2013.) This is much the same as publishing a book hoping to educate poorly educated people, and finding that only educated people want to buy it. This is not unusual in marketing terms. For some commodities, the buyers tend not to be people who most need it but people who already have it. They are convinced of its worth, have accepted its assumptions and methods, and are accustomed to its medium of communication.

MOOCs already have a history of very poor completion rates. The thinking is like this:

This kind of thinking is not acceptable in for-credit courses for several reason. First, no accreditor could accept such a high dropout rate, so the course would not be accreditable. Second, the amount of tutor time expended for a for-credit course, which is much more than an MOOC, would render such a high dropout rate an unacceptable investment. Third, fee-paying students could probably mount a justified legal case for a refund.

The next generation of MOOCs

MOOCs are resolving these problems in order to survive, and seem to be developing these characteristics.

  1. They will have a clear business model with defined income streams and a proven rationale for at least recovering costs. Although none yet charge fees, some arrange college credit, some use it to reduce costs or risk in other parts of their operations, while others will monetize their student data.
  2. They will have a proven educational design, hopefully with less empty hype, and be developed for well-defined target populations. They will probably not sell-out to social constructivism, but will often include it in a broader pedagogical approach.
  3. They will have much lower dropout rates. Course developers will field-test new courses to check that they maintain student engagement and give students optimal chances of successful completion.
  4. They will not be completely open access. They will separate "taste and see" students from committed enrollees, and a pretest will probably channnel students into the level of course complexity where they can succeed. (Notably, WGU has a selection criteria so that it accepts only students who are likely to satisfactorily complete their courses.)
  5. They will provide better systems of tutor support.

As the MOOC movement is young and still evolving rapidly, some MOOCs will probably implement these changes fairly quickly. For example, some MOOCs are already being used for formal recognition and could become competitors.