In unit 2 activity 1, we were tasked to write a critical academic reflection blog update regarding the issues that have been investigated in the learning events and delivery of technology. In my team’s learning event, I have learned that assumptions made about the learning (e.g., a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC)) might not always be applicable. The experience was unsatisfactory and different from what was perceived.
My team decided to explore MOOCs offered through OpenLearn and the Open University. According to Wilkinson (2020), a MOOC is a type of free online learning course that is available for anyone with internet access around the world. Prior to experiencing the MOOC through OpenLearn, the ideas I had about MOOCs were like obtaining other corporate online training courses in my organization. For example, I expected an advanced level course would be challenging and require more time and effort in achieving the learning outcomes. As claimed by the Assumption Theory of Learning, the learners have assumed that they would achieve learning goals based on certain learning strategies and context (Mak, 2009). Assumptions also reflect the underlying beliefs about the way the program will operate (University of Wisconsin-Madison, n.d.). When expectations such as accessibility and context do not meet in a learning experience, learners might feel underwhelmed and have a negative impact on learning engagement (Hood & Littlejohn, 2016).
My concerns about this MOOC learning event were the poor course design and unreliable course content and accessibility. Others in my team also had the same concerns, and these concerns may discourage learners from enrolling in another MOOC through OpenLearn. To address these barriers, we will thoroughly assess the course content and outcomes, and consider courses that have assessment methods for learning progression and achievement (Wilkinson, n.d.).
Despite the negative experience of this MOOC learning event, I strongly believe MOOCs provide many learning opportunities. In my individual critical inquiry, I plan to investigate the expectancy-value theory that explains how learners’ motivational variables affect their learning persistence, which is a critical component for successful MOOC learning (Lee & Song, 2022).
References
Hood, N., & Littlejohn, A. (2016). Quality in MOOCs: Surveying the terrain. Commonwealth of Learning. https://oasis.col.org/items/20a87a06-b1fd-44b7-bfe5-2d170f819e8d
Lee, Y., & Song, H.-D. (2022). Motivation for MOOC learning persistence: An expectancy–value theory perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(958945). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.958945
Mak, J. (2009, June 26). Theory of assumption – The “A” theory of learning. Learner Weblog. https://suifaijohnmak.wordpress.com/2009/06/26/theory-of-assumption-the-a-theory-of-learning/
University of Wisconsin-Madison. (n.d.). 1.14: Assumptions. Enhancing Program Performance with Logic Models. Retrieved May 22, 2023, from https://logicmodel.extension.wisc.edu/introduction-overview/section-1-what-is-a-logic-model/1-15-assumptions/#:~:text=Assumptions%20are%20beliefs%20we%20have%20about%20the%20program
Wilkinson, D. (2020). What is a MOOC? [Video]. Vimeo. https://vimeo.com/408277375
Wilkinson, D. (n.d.). Online learning: How to increase learner engagement. The OR Briefings. Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://oxford-review.com/online-earning-increase-engagement/
Hi Megan,
I enjoyed reading your thoughtful blog post and am interested in hearing more about OERs and the impact it can have on employees’ decision-making in corporate training. I personally have not had much experience with OERs but understand how valuable they can be for career development, especially in my context of higher education.
Thank you for the informative post,
Giulia
Hi Giulia,
Thanks for reading! Yes, I do believe it is valuable for career development. A good thing is that you can choose what you’re interested in taking. Test out a couple courses and then customize your learning. I liked the microlearning/ bite-sized courses as they provide flexibility and on demand learning option. I encourage you to check out the OERs when you have time. There are a lot in that environment and you will most likely find something that interests you 🙂
Thanks,
Megan
Hi Megan,
Thanks for your post regarding concerns about MOOCs; I am intrigued to see how your individual plan with expectancy-value theory plays out. Do you plan on tying your research into work-place use of MOOCs? Have you found any information regarding strategies you (or your company) could implement in a real-world setting that tie into increasing and sustaining motivation?
Happy writing and researching!
-Terry
Hi Terry,
Thanks for your questions. My critical inquiry focuses on exploring the barriers to employee learning engagement in corporate MOOCs and I do plan to correlate my research into workplace use of MOOCs. One of the common strategies about MOOCs that I see in my research is that a leadership team that prioritizes learning , and provides a clear vision for employees to drive their own development will help to motivate learning within the organization. I hope to find other strategies that focus on the content and design of MOOCs that increase/ sustain motivation. I’ll let you know 🙂
Thanks,
Megan
Megan, it was a very enlightening experience to see a MOOC from the inside, in the way that you and your team shared. Selwyn’s (2010) advice to view educational technologies as they actually are implemented in real life is an important part of developing a critical perspective. You might find it helpful to decide whether you want to use your own experience as a platform for critiquing the MOOC, which you have started very well based on design, content and other such variables, or delve into the literature on leaner-expectancy theory and come up probably with a more theoretical study. Either way works, but both together could be difficult.
Hi Megan, I am very interested in the experience you had with this OpenLearn course. I can’t imagine that learner experience was good at all. Being a Learning Experience Designer myself, that situation made me cringe. Happy that you’re keeping an open mind. I’m wondering what a positive experience could bring to your topic of MOOC’s. In our organization, we use Linkedin Learning and it does get connected to our internal LMS, however, we do not feed our internal information back to LinkedIn from Scotiabank. I’m wondering how implementing a MOOC into an organization would look, given the open nature of the MOOC. Interesting to think about how those two technologies could work together to give a positive learner experience.
Great information, happy researching!
Hi Andrea,
Thanks for reading. I appreciate your comment here. Yes, the learning experience was not as positive as expected; however, outdated learning materials or broken links are not uncommon in my workplace 🙂 This has given me insights and think of MOOCs from different angles in terms of how we can make it most effective in corporate settings. I’m very interested in how Linkedin Learning works in your organization. I guess the assessments would be challenging if internal information cannot be sent back to the external system?
Thanks. It was great meeting you in this course.
Megan