Can we use MOOCs?

[Activity 12]

I'm going to look at this from three different perspectives, based on the different 'hats' I wear:

• The Open University - although 'only' an associate lecturer, I do consider myself part of the OU. I seriously considered doing this course as a MOOC when it was released. The main reason I didn't was because I knew completing (passing) it would be the final piece in the jigsaw for the MAODE, and although I would probably learn as much, I couldn't gain the credit. I think they would be particularly useful as foundation-level courses, giving people the basic study skills they need and a realistic understanding of the work level involved in studying as an undergraduate before parting with what is a significant amount of money.
• The courses I deliver as Clearly Stated... we simply don't have the resources. We're a small company (just the two of us) and no matter how you define "massive", it's simply not going to work.
• My professional body - for a while, we delivered an open course in Technical Communication, based on the City & Guilds syllabus before that course was discontinued. It would be an ideal state to provide this course for free as a MOOC, but again we are an organisation run by volunteers with limited resources.

On a personal note, I learn a lot from informal learning - and I consider MOOCs to be a hybrid between formal and informal studying. My big problem, however, is in being able to 'prove' to others that I have learned something.

In principle, I'm happy to accept people's word for the learning they've undertaken - and it's how the CPD programme I've implemented works. Our Fellows tell us what they've learnt and - ideally - how they've used it, but we don't care when, how or why they learnt it. It's now a matter of convincing academic institutions and employers that this learning is equally valuable.