Networked world
Once viewed as a beacon of hope for higher education to redefine itself in the face of a range of pressures- from shrinking state budgets, to stiff competition from for-profit institutions- Massive Online Open Courses seemed to have lost much of their luster in the past two years. Colloquially known as MOOCs (because we love our acronyms in higher ed), the Higher Ed Chronicle notes three key ways in which their star power has diminished:
- Fewer believe that it is a viable economical model.
- The importance of “self-directed learning,” on which MOOCs heavily rely, has decreased in light of other more pressing demands on higher education and its constituents.
- MOOCs do not provide any meaningful improvement for online pedagogical evolution.
The story is not over yet as far as MOOCs are concerned. As the demand for open educational resources increases, we may see a stabilization occur. There may yet be some usefulness to this model, but for now it appears that only the very large universities have the financial means to sustain the enterprise long-term.
What are you’re thoughts? Feel free to share your comments.
(Source: Kolowich, S. 2015. “The MOOC Hype Fades, in 3 Charts,” Chronicle of Higher Education. http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/the-mooc-fades-in-3-charts/55701)
(Image: “Network.” Geralt. License: CCO, Public Domain. http://pixabay.com/en/network-networking-networked-94222/)
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