Abstract:

Have you had enough of the MOOC learning processes with their videos and questionnaires? In the modern world, the MOOCS form an important way of learning and of acknowledging learning. But does a specific MOOC pedagogy even exist? If it does, which learning theory is it based on?

During the recent years, we have been concerned about the quality of education. For several years now we have worked in the field of online teaching – something that requires collaborative work. During those years it has become apparent to us that the pedagogy involved in MOOCs has certain distinct features. These often include watching videos and answering one questionnaire after another. A week's process can include a number of small, disconnected tasks. Our extensive experience as online teachers has revealed to us this indisputable fact: the learning results and the degree to which the studies are considered meaningful are connected to collaborative work and knowledge creation.

HAMK Professional Teacher Education Unit in cooperation with Coleg Cambria has created and implemented a MOOC that is based on dialogic and collaborative learning. The course is titled “Making Learning Personal: How to develop individualised approaches in Vocational Education and Training”. This pedagogical innovation was developed in a Mapping project (Leonardo Da Vinci, TOI). After careful consideration, we chose the Canvas learning environment (Canvas.net) for the course. This environment has been used in MOOCs for years by dozens of universities all over the world. The key element in our course is formed by study groups and the sense of community that they emphasise. Learning and knowledge are created collaboratively by focusing on a certain theme. Facilitation is multinational. The learning process was created by following the principles of the DIANA model (Dialogical Authentic Netlearning Activity), a pedagogical model developed in Finland.

MOOCs challenge our pedagogical thinking. The DIANA model was chosen as the based of the learning process, because the key point of use of this approach was that the model is created originally to clarify how web-based learning becomes a reality. Implementation of the model requires a genuine dialogical learning community, commitment on the part of learners and the teacher, and a solid presence in the net. (Aarnio & Enqvist 2001, 11-13.)

The course takes place 13 April – 2 June 2015. We expect to obtain the results from the course in June, 2015. They will be available for presentation in the conference in July.

Keywords:

MOOC, DIANA model, pedagogy.