Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)

MOOC as the name suggests Massive Open Online Course is open source online learning which has revolutionised the way teaching and learning was imparted around the world. MOOC entered in the world of online learning too fast and used widely by around 190 countries across the world.

Quick Facts on MOOC

  • MOOC stands for a Massive Open Online Course.
  • It is an online course aimed at large-scale participation and open (free) access via the internet.
  • They are similar to university courses, but do not tend to offer academic credit.
  • A number of web-based platforms (initiatives) supported by top universities and colleges offer MOOCs in a wide range of subjects.

History of Massive Open Online Course  (MOOC)

Open CourseWare has been used by the education institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology for fifteen years now, providing access to universities lectures and other tools to enhance elearning experience. Later, Canadian educator George Siemens developed a theory called connectivism that could explain changes in education after the popularisation of technology inside and outside classrooms. Using this theory, Siemens partnered with Stephen Downes to develop a new format of online course that is open for anyone interested. That class was Connectivism and Connective Learning/2008 (CCK/08), that allowed students to create their own Personalised Learning Environments (PLEs) and share interconnected knowledge. 

Different theories around the  MOOC  Models


Knowledge: Most us as a student have gained our knowledge  from our teachers. And it is easy to replicate the knowledge rather than generating. But we should always remember that  creating and then sharing is actually giving knowledge. The learners should always try to create some thing new of their own and share - it can be through blogs, articles, videos or images.

Social Networking:  With the availability of different  platform like facebook, twitter, google groups, wikipedia, youtube, plurk and many more the knowledge can be shared on a vast basis and in a faster way.

Synchronization: Another important aspect of learning is synchronization. We do not align ourselves to the course content and the guide; we align ourselves to other learners and the the knowledge they share.

Resonance: Is again very important, as it helps in filling the gaps in MOOCs.  Resonance is concerned with why some ideas are easily merge with my pre-existing knowledge.  While others  become “integratable” later on.

Self learning: . At the base of MOOCs,  is the approach to  motivate the learners for  creating an identity for themselves and not just depend on learning.

Connectivism: As the world is becoming more digitalised and everyday new technologies are coming up. Therefore it is easy to share knowledge in a faster and easier manner i.e, just  by staying connected.

Coherence: In the traditional way of learning, the teachers guides and the learners takes the knowledge.  The gained knowledge can be validated through assignments, quizzes, tests etc. But with MOOC, the learners themselves have to be more prompt and kerning enthusiast. The learner himself finds his way by exploring from the many dimension of a field.  

Focused and Innovative: It is a common saying "the only constant thing in life is change". Since the world we live in is changing so fast, so are the the difficulties we face. Therefore answering them in the traditional way will not yield the desired result. With  MOOCs , we attempt to emulate connective and integrative knowledge

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