The social side of MOOCs

MOOC-discussion-forum-crowdJohn Cochrane has written a nice exploration of the economics of MOOCs this week.  In it he discusses the very nature of MOOCs and the concept of the flipped classroom.

A lot of mooc is, in fact, a modern textbook — because the twitter generation does not read. Forcing my campus students  to watch the lecture videos and answer some simple quiz questions, covering the basic expository material, before coming to class — all checked and graded electronically — worked wonders to produce well prepared students and a brilliant level of discussion. Several students commented that the video lectures were better than the real thing, because they could stop and rewind as necessary. The “flipped classroom” model works.

To a large extent, that is where MOOCs are at the moment.  They are being branded as the mechanism whereby a whole lot of explicit knowledge can be communicated at next to no cost (other than time).  What most have failed to do thus far however is explore the softer, tacit side of participation.

A study from the Chinese University of Hong Kong has recently explored the role of emotions in MOOCs.  The study explored two main questions:

1. How is emotion afforded by the MOOC?
2. What kinds of non-achievement emotions can the MOOC afford?

Central to the study was an analysis of the discussions that occur alongside a MOOC on the course forums.  They found a rich portfolio of emotions that evolved as the course progressed and the students began engaging in more social learning.

To begin with, most of the posts were of a social nature as learners started to get to know their fellow students.  As the course progressed however the comments began to take a more technical slant, as learners sought help with assignments.  Unlike other online communities however, the study found that the vast majority of comments were positive, with any negative comments quickly swamped by positive ones.

It also emerged that students were strongly disposed towards helping one another via the forums, even though they didn’t gain anything from it themselves.  What’s more, this only increased as the course progressed, rapidly becoming a community norm.

The other interesting point was the diversity present, and the value that brings to social learning.  With so many students from around the world, the discussion forums offer a huge range of diverse opinions and perspectives, and these can be tremendously valuable to the learning process.

This communal, or social, learning is key to a meaningful learning experience.  It was pleasing therefore to speak with the UK MOOC FutureLearn this week and to hear that they are placing a strong emphasis on the social aspect of their courses.  Their initial student engagement stats are very encouraging, with 34% of all students participating in the discussion forums (via a comment – not just reading).

This research provides evidence that by fostering collaborative learning environments, MOOCs can engage learners’ emotions in highly positive ways. Investigations like these can inform instructors and MOOC providers as they work to design meaningful virtual learning experiences.

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12 thoughts on “The social side of MOOCs

  1. I think there has to be a more outgoing approach to MOOCs. They've relied so far on PR, and whilst they've reached a strong audience, there is still a lot that can be done, especially to appeal to those who wouldn't ordinarily consider a tertiary education.

    • Yes, I think a lot more can be done to reach out to non-core audiences. For instance people looking to improve their employability or try out university/a course before deciding if it's for them.

  2. Other MOOC providers have recently been moving toward a more collaborative model. For example, just last week, HarvardX announced an initiative to make MOOCs more interactive. Interaction is a major determiner of MOOC success and engagement, and it is one of the pieces that many feel has been missing from the courses.

    • I think it's inevitably the direction things are going to go in Sandra. There is a lot of evidence to show that social learning aligned with the explicit kind delivers some excellent results.

  3. NovoEd run along similar lines I believe. They've just announced an upkick in the number of colleges they partner with, including Princeton, University of Virginia Darden School of Business, University of Pennsylvania, and more.

  4. I've taken and completed a Futurelearn MOOC and am totally puzzled by their 'social' hype. It was a good course, but largely videos, text and a few quizzes. It was less 'scoial' than MOOCs I've taken on other platforms. Just slamming a comment box at the bottom of many pages does not a scoial experience make! I think the whole socail constructivist hting is a bit of bluster here.

    • Hi Donald. I suspect there is still a considerable amount of improvement in this area across all of the MOOC platforms, not least on FutureLearn. Few have really nailed the concept of offline study groups for instance, nor have any managed to tie in with other professional social networks, be that LinkedIn or platforms such as eLance.

      Really is very early days thus far I'd say.

      • I like the idea of working better with LinkedIn and eLance etc. I mean what's the point of knowing something if you can't show off that you know it? That's got to be as much 'social learning' as the tacit side of things.

        • Exactly, but not just that. Think of the networking opportunities with people you're talking to on the forums. At the moment, it's not all that easy to connect up with those folks off of the MOOC, nor indeed see who they are in the real world.

  5. I've done a few MOOCs since they really hit the big time, but must say that I've never really bothered much with the forums. It might be different if the courses was something I really needed for my career rather than something purely for interest sake, but they haven't lured me in thus far.

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