Abstract:

A case study involving the establishment of a Connectivist massive open online course (c-MOOC) at a college of education is presented. c-MOOCs are seen to represent an approach to learning that should be of interest to educators preparing their learners (the teachers of tomorrow) for life and work in a knowledge society. The paper differentiates between c-MOOCs and courses that are labeled massive, open, and online - MOOCs, but of a different kind and that reflect theories differing from Connectivism in most essential respects. Then, it examines the case of establishing a c-MOOC at the college using a methodology for analyzing organizational transformation triggered by the adoption of computing technologies. Through the narrative analysis of the actions characterizing the implementation of our initiative, we have succeeded in understanding how the affordances of MOOCs may subvert the mainstream agenda of an organization and its established practices. This understanding is valuable in future plans to establish a MOOC in its appropriate context. The rise of the MOOC is relatively young; hence studying how to implement it is also in its infancy. The presentation aims to contribute to this research-in-progress by bringing the teacher educators' point of view.

Keywords:

Educational Technology, Connectivism, OER.