I really looked forward to this presentation and this team did not disappoint. They included lots of relevant information on the pluses and minuses of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs). I completed this MOOC at the beginning of the pandemic and, as I described during the live presentation, it became part of the impetus for me to apply to the MALAT program. I am also one of the minority of students who have completed the course, which was a nice feeling of accomplishment at a time when I did not feel like I was accomplishing much at all. Another thing that I appreciated was feeling the same way as the team about the odd sort of artificial connection that the MOOC tried to convey (Breton et al., 2022).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I loved the infographic that this team posted on Ashley\u2019s blog (Breton et al., 2022). I agree with what they say about MOOCs being shiny and optimistic on the surface, where you can easily see what the developers want us to see, but there being a deeper, perhaps darker, underside that is more difficult to see. During the presentation that the group made, I especially found the discussion about low completion rates (Murphy et al, 2014) that was part of Emma\u2019s critical issue most fascinating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Overall, this team has raised some very interesting thoughts on MOOCs that I had not thought of before reading their thoughts. I look forward to seeing where their research goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
References:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murphy, J., Williams, A., & Lennox, A. (2014). MOOCs in VET and higher education. 22nd National Vocational Education and Training Research Conference \u2018No Frills\u2019: refereed papers. Australian College of Applied Education. 76-82. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breton, A. (9 May, 2022). Making Sense of MOOCs: A Critical Look at the Impact of MOOCs in Teaching and Learning | Ash\u2019s Blog<\/em>. From https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0205\/making-sense-of-moocs-a-critical-look-at-the-impact-of-moocs-in-teaching-and-learning\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now for my music choice. Shinedown is an interesting band that used to occupy some space on my running playlist with “Second Chance”. As a nod to this team, I chose “Brilliant” for this entry. It has a good message<\/a> about not giving up, which speaks to me right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n