In October 2014 we, at the University of Leicester, UK (EMMA partner) started a new adventure by running a pilot of two massive open online courses (MOOCs) in the EMMA platform: Learning Design and Technology-Enhanced Learning. We had over 60 participants in each of these courses. It was an interesting experience that has enabled us to improve our MOOCs.
We are currently getting ready for the rerun in May 2015. Here is what we are working on:
Listening to the evidence
During the first pilot of the MOOCs, we asked participants to use blogs as a way of documenting their learning. We noticed that most of them did not use this tool. We have modified our activities to make the use of blogs optional.
Obtaining participants’ feedback
We have added optional entry and exit surveys that will let us know more about participants’ background, motivation and expectations, and their perceptions on the MOOCs. Answers will be useful for research-based future improvements.
Facilitating time-management
Many learners struggle to balance their life and work commitments with their online studies. We are trying to help by adapting units in our MOOCs’ lessons so they can be completed in approximately 30 minutes each.
Increasing accessibility
We have increased the variety of formats in which we present the information, trying to provide a suitable option for learners with different needs. For example, we have included text alternatives to describe relevant images.
Clarifying attribution
We try to give credit to the people who created the open educational resources (OERs) we are using. We have clarified attributions where required. Images without an attribution belong to the public domain.
Making materials learner-friendly
MOOCs may attract participants with all sorts of educational backgrounds and skills. Finding the ‘right level’ is a challenge. What some participants might consider ‘too easy’ might be ‘too hard’ for others. We are trying to find the right balance. We have added new examples and explanations. We are aiming to make the courses easier to follow and more learner-friendly than before.
Fostering learners’ engagement
Most of the activities in our MOOCs follow the e-tivity framework described by Prof Gilly Salmon. This approach recommends the use of ‘sparks’, which are resources -such as images and videos- that generate interest in the topic of the activity. We have changed some of our sparks to make them more interesting, engaging and relevant than before.
Improving communication with learners
For the rerun in May we will increase our participation in communication channels outside EMMA, such as Twitter. We have selected useful resources and questions that foster reflection, which we will share with participants throughout the delivery of the MOOCs.
We strive to be better every time. We hope to see you in our MOOCs in May!
By Brenda Padilla