Abstract:

Astronomy is one of the most dynamic research areas in all of science, with discoveries almost daily and enormous public interest. As such, it is a great vehicle for harnessing the power of massive open online classes (MOOCs) to reach a worldwide audience with free and open content. We have developed an online astronomy MOOC that has been hosted by the providers Udemy and Coursera, with over 180,000 enrolled, 75% of whom are in 180 countries outside the United States.

The overall goals of the project are to:
(1) reach large audiences of lifelong learners with astronomy informed by recent research,
(2) understand the demographics and motivations of informal learners, and
(3) develop new tools for online education that demonstrate how to bring evidence-based instructional strategies and assessments into online learning environments, to bridge the gap between formal university-based learning and informal lifelong learning.

The content covers the whole of astronomy but concentrates on topics at the cutting edge of current research – Mars and the moons of the giant planets, exoplanets, black holes and collapsed stellar objects, distant galaxies, dark matter and dark energy, and astrobiology. The course has a core of video lectures, with quizzes and enrichment materials that include lecture slides, text readings, and podcast interviews with leading local researchers. There are live sessions, discussion threads, and extensive use of social media such as Facebook and Twitter. Part of the evaluation is based on peer-reviewed writing assignments, and each learner is expected to do one or more citizen science activities. The rich data environment facilitates research on the MOOC, where the challenges are to maximize student learning and engagement, and overcome the typically low completion rates in such a course.

We have experimented with using amateur astronomers who are enrolled in the course as meta-experts to help other learners. While the promise of MOOCs remains unfulfilled, they have enormous potential to democratize higher education and lifelong learning, increase scientific literacy, and inspire people worldwide with astronomical knowledge and discoveries.

Keywords:

Online education, massive open online courses, lifelong learning, astronomy.