Abstract:

This paper explores how a typical, stable online course constructed and housed on a learning management system (LMS) becomes a subject of analysis to be developed into a massive online open course (MOOC). In contrast, MOOC’s are evolving rapidly and tend to exist outside of a LMS environment. As in some forms of online education, the practices and concepts underpinning the non-traditional academic elements of participation in the MOOC phenomenon are quickly becoming standard. First hand observations were used by the author when delivering an online program combined with the author’s direct experience as a participant in a series of MOOC’s during the preceding year. This paper was developed and written when the author was participating in a meta-MOOC on MOOCs (www.moocmooc.com) exclusively utilizing information shared by other participants. This paper contributes to the ongoing debate around the value of MOOC’s versus online education, the changing role of educators and the potential synergy between the modalities. Integral to this study is an analysis of what tools, new skills and technology an educator will require in shaping the transformation of an online course to be aligned with the growing array of emerging courses collectively known as MOOC’s.

Keywords:

MOOCs, disruptive innovation, online learning, asynchronous learning.