Comparing MOOCs

[Activity 14]

After a bit of thought, I decided I might as well sign up for two courses that hold some interest for me... that way, how I feel about the subject matter is not going to adversely affect my impression of the pedagogy. I have signed up for:

• Intro to Psychology with Udacity
• DS106

Intro to Psychology

Most of the materials are delivered via online interactive videos... there is a nice clear audio track, accompanied by either a video of the teacher or slides of notes with a pen in someone's hand. Every so often, the materials paused and I was asked to answer a short (usually multi-choice) question. Although there was some interaction, it was fairly predictable... but pleasant enough.

The technology was fairly mainstream - and there was information that the videos are hosted by Amazon, so even if YouTube is blocked they should still be available.

As I was watching the 'lesson', links to related discussions are shown on the right of the window - and I could join these, or start a new discussion.

Definitely an xMOOC - traditional content (possibly from a campus-based course) moved online.

What did I think?

Well, I could probably have done the same from a book. I didn't need the online concept at all. However, I found it interesting, and also felt I could do a small bit when I felt like it and come back to exactly where I'd left off without feeling as if I'd missed something or needed to spend time hunting for something.

DS106

It actually took me a while to work out what I would be studying on this course. It wasn't immediately apparent from the page I landed on.

It sounds fascinating - and something I may well follow through, purely out of interest.

My problem with it is that I would need to be engaged and motivated from the start, because it's not that easy to find your way around. For this particular subject, and for me as an individual, it's not that important. If I miss something, I'll probably pick it up later. But that approach doesn't work for everything. I remember when I was nursing having the strong feeling that I must have missed a lecture somewhere, because something simply wasn't making sense - a bit like when you intend to skip through the adverts on a recorded TV program but actually jump 20 minutes. At first, all is fine - you're in familiar territory, with familiar characters... but you realise you've missed a chunk of the plot. If the same approach was used for a subject that I needed to fully understand and be sure I'd covered all aspects, I would be quite worried.

It's definitely more of a cMOOC than an xMOOC. The campus-based materials may have formed the basis for the course, but as even the assignments are devised by the community, the course has moved away from those beginnings.

I'm pleased that I don't seem to have to sign up for a whole host of new social media platforms to be able to get on with the course - and the list of software applications are suggestions (if you already have something, you can use it).

What did I think?

For me, it would work as a "hobby" course... something to pick up and do something with when I had a few spare minutes. Without any real concept of a "course" with start and end times, it's likely to fall down my list of priorities.

Having said that, with the limited time I have available, I can see myself dipping in to do some work on a particularly relevant topic, releasing me from the confines of a "course".