IMPROVING QUALITY OF TEACHING IN MOOCS: A PRACTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE NEW INSTRUCTOR ROLE IN THE SMOOC MODEL PROPOSED BY THE EUROPEAN ECO PROJECT (ELEARNING, COMMUNICATION AND OPEN-DATA: MASSIVE, MOBILE, UBIQUITOUS AND OPEN LEARNING)

M.D. Castrillo de Larreta-Azelain, E. Martín-Monje

National Distance Education University (SPAIN)
The disruptive emergence of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in 2011 has led to a redefinition of the educational landscape in online instruction. MOOCs constitute a natural evolution of former learning models –based on social networks-, and premises put forward by the OER (Open Educational Resources) movement. Consequently, the need has arisen to investigate the role and competences of the educator in these new virtual environments. Such is the interest in the field, that it has become an emerging area of enquiry, putting it in relation with the two original types of MOOCs: cMOOCs (connectivist, network based MOOCs), and xMOOCs (content based MOOCs, much closer to formal models of Higher Education) (Beaven 2014, Castrillo 2014, Sokolik 2014).

It is in this context that the ECO Project* has been devised. It proposes an innovative MOOC model that aims to improve quality, access and equity in education: the sMOOC, a social and seamless MOOC typology. It is ‘social’ because it is based on network learning practices and ‘seamless’ because it intends to transcend both real-life and conceptual boundaries, enabling a wide spectrum of approaches and contexts related to the different languages, cultures, settings, pedagogies and technologies. Thus, this paper will provide a practical analysis of the new instructor role and competences in this innovative sMOOC model, which combines the content based typology with the participation and debate through social networks.

* Project funded by the EUROPEAN COMMUNITY'S CIP (PROGRAMME UNDER GRANT AGREEMENT N. 21127)

References:
[1] Beaven, Tita et al.(2014) Motivation in a Language MOOC: Issues for Course Designers. In E. Martín-Monje & E. Bárcena (Eds.) Language MOOCs: Providing learning, transcending boundaries. De Gruyter, 48-62.
[2] Castrillo de Larreta-Azelain, Mª Dolores (2014) Language Teaching in MOOCs: the Integral Role of the Instructor. In E. Martín-Monje & E. Bárcena (Eds.) Language MOOCs: Providing learning, transcending boundaries. De Gruyter, 69–92.
[3] Sokolik, Maggie (2014) What Constitutes an Effective Language MOOC? In E. Martín-Monje & E. Bárcena (Eds.) Language MOOCs: Providing learning, transcending boundaries. De Gruyter, 16-31.
keywords: moocs, smoocs, instructor role, eco project.