Challenges and Recommendations for MOOC Learners

The emergence and rapid development of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) since the 1980s has changed the way people learn ever and there comes the term connectivism. Connectivism is a perspective that describes a type of learning where the knowledge is not transferred from the teacher to the students and where learning does not take place in a single environment; instead, knowledge is distributed across the Web and people’s engagement with it constitutes learning (Kop, 2011). This type of learning includes 4 main activities: aggregation (access to a number of resources), relation (the learner’s relating what he/she has read, watched, or listened to with his prior knowledge), creation (the learner creates something with the help of Internet service such as blogs or discussion forum), and sharing (the learners share with others their work on the network). It is through these activities that learners can find more information and make connections with knowledgeable others so as to enhance their learning.

What are the challenges for a connectivist learner? Absolutely, the very first challenge is that a connectivist learner must be self-directed, i.e. he/she has to be able to set their goals, find resources, manage time, try new tools and make them work. Intrinsic motivation on the part of the learner is very important in this case as there is no teacher or exams coming that force learning to happen.  Second, the level of online presence of the learner and others are of great significance in producing the deep understanding of the knowledge to be acquired. This is because the higher level of presence from others means more engagement in the discussion and more support in problem-solving. Last but most importantly, the learner should possess critical literacies in order to make the most of the huge online resources available. The learner has to make judgment, to validate information and knowledge, and to find knowledgeable others who can help them. In addition, the learner should be active in their learning by communicating and collaborating with others, be competent in using ICT applications, and be flexible to adapt to new situations and able to solve problems that they may confront during the learning process.

The National Research Council of Canada’s Institute for Information Technology in 2011 conducted a research on two massive open online courses (MOOCs), namely Critical Literacies (with 377 participants) and Personal Learning Environment, Networks and Knowledge (with  1610 participants) to find out that whether the four activities (aggregating, relating, creating, and sharing) are crucial to learners in acquiring the knowledge and whether the challenges (self-directed, presence, and critical literacies) are perceived by learners as problematic. The result showed that learners feel comfortable to aggregate, relate, and share sources but just a minority of them created digital artefacts, such as blog posts, and videos. However, learners still benefit from learning without this kind of activity. Regarding the challenges, learners all agree that the ability to direct their learning and having a level of critical literacies help them feel more confident to engage in the discussion and learn more from their peers. Certainly, learners’ active participation is one of the factors that contribute to fruitful outcomes but learners suggest that the learning environment should create a sense of community belonging to stimulate the frequency of being online and constructive discussion.

With the challenges that are inevitable, it is not surprising that of the 160,000 registered students of the MOOC Artificial Intelligence course at Stanford University in late 2011, only 23,000 students made it to the end, which accounted for 14% (Cabiria, 2012).

Koutropoulos and Hogue (2012) suggest some recommendations for MOOC learners to succeed in their learning:

• Appropriateness: The learner should evaluate if this course is suitable for him/her or of his/her interest by referring to the MOOC introduction or overview. This will reduce chances of withdrawal.
• Time consideration: The learner should make sure that he/she can follow all or most of the lessons or discussions. In case he/she cannot attend all because of the lack of time or already having a considerable prior knowledge, he/she can choose the weeks of greatest interest to attend and try to find out some time to follow and contribute to discussions.
• Identification: The learner should first introduce himself/herself to the online community with basic information and expertise or reasons to follow the course. A picture can be included to create a sense of presence. In addition, it is a good idea to read others’ introduction so that he/she can create his/her Personal Learning Network (PLN) later.
• Participation: The leaner should first do the reading or watch the video required to get the ideas on the topic. Then he/she can further deepen the knowledge or post his/her reflections on the learning environment. It is advised to participate regularly so that the learner can gain better or expanded learning by the contribution of his/her peers. When creating the post, the learner should read previous posts to make sure there is no overlapping and his/her post should link to his experience or provide additional resource so that everybody can learn something from one another.
• Questioning: When confronting with a question, the learner is encouraged to ask for support from his/her peers. It is through questioning that helps closing the gaps in knowledge and discovering new potential gaps. Also, it is the interactions between members that learning actually occurs.
• Information Filtering: It is very likely that the learner will have to deal with an overload of information and certainly can not read everything. The learner should filter the topic he/she wants to read and responds. In case he/she finds it useful but does not have enough time to read, he/she can bookmark it for later reviewing.
• Staying connected: when the MOOC is over, the learner should keep in touch with other peers so that connections and collaborations can be continued, which creates more opportunities for learning and sharing not only knowledge but also a lot of values in this rapid changing times.

Being a successful MOOC learner require much efforts on the part of the learner, especially the determination to stay the course through and the active participation in the discussion sessions so that new knowledge can be internalized. However, the rapid changing of the society and the creation of knowledge are positive pressure that help to train all us to be self-directed lifelong learners and I suppose that MOOCs are our companion in both our professional and personal development.

Reference

Cabiria, J. (2012). Connectivist learning environments: Massive open online courses. Retrieved from http://elrond.informatik.tu-freiberg.de/papers/WorldComp2012/EEE6065.pdf

Kop, R. (2011). The Challenges to Connectivist Learning on Open Online Networks: Learning Experiences during a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). International Review of Research in Open and Distance Learning, 12(3), 19-38. Retrieved from http://nparc.cisti-icist.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/npsi/ctrl?action=rtdoc&an=18150443

Koutropoulos, A., & Hogue, R. J. (2012). How to succeed in a MOOC - Massive Open Online Course. Retrieved from http://www.cedma-europe.org/newsletter%20articles/eLearning%20Guild/How%20to%20Succeed%20in%20a%20MOOC%20-%20Massive%20Online%20Open%20Course%20(Oct%2012).pdf