{"id":501,"date":"2023-05-09T17:46:17","date_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:46:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/?p=501"},"modified":"2023-05-09T17:46:18","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T00:46:18","slug":"team-critical-analysis-moocs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/team-critical-analysis-moocs\/","title":{"rendered":"Team Critical Analysis–MOOCs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Team members: Terry Kent, Gill Dixon, Megan Li, Jess Sirois<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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https:\/\/www.canva.com\/design\/DAFiXHgBXr4\/dI3-pdbToI6OzhO5Ycd4ZA\/view?utm_content=DAFiXHgBXr4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink <\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Our team task for this course was to critically analyze a piece of technology; we unanimously chose to look at MOOCs. We were familiar with what MOOCs are but wanted to know more about this technology. In order to critically analyze MOOCs, we needed to decide what we wanted to focus on and how best to conduct our research. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Background<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We looked to Fawns\u2019 (2022) and Selwyn\u2019s (2022) statements regarding the significance of learner background, context, and values that affect learner experiences. We decided to focus our analysis around the following research questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1.     How do our differing backgrounds shape our educational experience, the learning experience, and the perceived value of the course\u2019s effectiveness? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2.     Who is this course appropriate for, and who may benefit from the learning experience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Findings<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on our findings, four key aspects affected our experience:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1- Course design: <\/strong>our team found that a lack of course design features, such as a lack of active learning, negatively affected our engagement and motivation. Sujatha and Kavitha (2018) suggest a need for advanced content and appropriate assessments to keep learners engaged and motivated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2- Accessibility:<\/strong> Accessibility affects the quality and reliability of course materials and negatively impacts learners\u2019 ability to navigate and benefit from the course (Iniesto et al., 2016). Our MOOC had limited accessibility options and many of the links were broken, which hindered our ability to maneuver the course. It’s important for MOOC developers to prioritize these aspects to ensure a positive and valuable learning experience for all participants<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3- Accountability and Assessment<\/strong>: These two aspects are vital for a credible and effective learning experience. As we discovered with our MOOC experience, the lack of mandatory assessments and projects compromised our accountability and therefore reduced learner engagement . To ensure engagement and accountability, assessment methods should be considered (Gowlett, 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4-<\/strong>Context in course alignment<\/strong>: Acknowledging learners\u2019 diverse backgrounds, needs, and expectations is crucial in the development of MOOCs. Our team noted that there was limited alignment with our personal and professional contexts which lessened the course’s perceived value, leading to decreased engagement and motivation. Curriculum mapping (the alignment of learning activities, outcomes, and assessments with course and program goals) is critical in creating engaging and valuable courses (Teaching Gateway, n.d.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recommendations- Things to consider when selecting MOOCs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

1-Assumptions made about the course might not be applicable. Thoroughly assess the course content and outcomes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2-Find a course that has assessment methods that will promote engagement and accountability  (Levy, 2011) (Gowlett, 2021).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

3-When choosing a course, consider the content, relevancy to immediate learning, and sense of progression and achievement, as these aspects have been found to be important for engagement (Wilkinson, n.d.).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

References<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fawns, T. (2022). An entangled pedagogy: Looking beyond the pedagogy\u2014technology dichotomy. Postdigital Science and Education, 4(3), 711\u2013728. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/s42438-022-00302-7<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gowlett, D. (2021). Assessment in MOOCs. Ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub. https:\/\/ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub\/tlhe720assessment\/chapter\/assessment-in-moocs\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iniesto, F., McAndrew, P., Minocha, S., & Coughlan, T. (2016). Accessibility of MOOCs: Understanding the Provider Perspective. Journal of Interactive Media in Education<\/em>, 2016<\/em>(1). https:\/\/doi.org\/10.5334\/jime.430<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Levy, D. (July, 2011). Lessons learned from participating in a connectivist Massive Online Open Course (MOOC)<\/em> (The 4th annual SLOAN international symposium: Emerging technologies for online learning (ET4OL ) at: San Jose, CA) [Conference Paper].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Selwyn, N. (2010). Looking beyond learning: Notes towards the critical study of educational technology. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning<\/em>, 26<\/em>(1), 65\u201373. https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1111\/j.1365-2729.2009.00338.x<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sujatha, R., & Kavitha, D. (2018). Learner retention in MOOC environment: Analyzing the role of motivation, self-efficacy and perceived effectiveness. International Journal of Education and Development Using Information and Communication <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teaching Gateway. (n.d.). Alignment of learning outcomes at course and program levels. <\/em>University of New South Wales. <\/em>Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https:\/\/www.teaching.unsw.edu.au\/alignment-learning-outcomes-course-and-program<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wilkinson, D. (n.d.). Online learning: How to increase learner engagement. The OR Briefings<\/em>. Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https:\/\/oxford-review.com\/online-earning-increase-engagement\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team members: Terry Kent, Gill Dixon, Megan Li, Jess Sirois Our team task for this course was to critically analyze a piece of technology; we unanimously chose to look at MOOCs. We were familiar with what MOOCs are but wanted to know more about this technology. In order to critically analyze MOOCs, we needed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":273,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lrnt526","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/273"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=501"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":508,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/501\/revisions\/508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0263\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}