I have heard about
these Massive Open Online classes, but it is hard to imagine a class with
18,000 students! How do they communicate
with the instructor? Or do they? How do they get grades? Are there grades? How
do the instructors know who has done what?
Is there any interaction between students? Is it a series of video lectures and
PowerPoint presentations? What about
homework? Are there class
presentations?
The courses are free.
How do instructors get paid? How
does the supporting college or university make money? I have heard that the students who want credit
for the course have to take a test in a location where they must prove their
identity. Otherwise, you don’t know who
actually did the work to get the credit.
And what is the cost of credit?
Is it the same as a seated class or an ordinary online class?
There are so many questions, I decided to experience it for
myself. Penn State is offering a MOOC on
creativity in Coursera. I have signed
up. I do have a Master of Science in
Creative Studies, and I teach the subject, so I really don’t need the course
except to satisfy my curiosity. I also
signed up for a course in how to do a MOOC to get the “behind the scenes” view
in case I would like to run one. Many
people have asked that I keep them informed about both courses so I am starting
this blog to journal the processes. Stay
tuned!
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