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Why MOOCs matter: the consequences of massive open online courses for museums, universities, and their publics
conference contribution
posted on 2018-05-18, 09:38 authored by Ross Parry, Alex Moseley, Nichola Gretton, Rachel Tunstall, Matthew MobbsThe last two years have seen an extraordinary expansion in the number of massive
open online courses (MOOCs) around the world. This proliferation of programmes (in
diverse subjects, at all levels of expertise and styles of delivery) has been accompanied
by a debate on both the value this provision may have for learners and the return it may
offer to the learning providers. MOOCs, after all, flip the traditional university model.
Rather than managing student numbers, MOOCs potentially accommodate a
simultaneous learning cohort of thousands—if not tens of thousands. Rather than place
the learning experience behind a pay wall of tuition fees, MOOCs instead can open up
their teaching for free. Rather than maintaining admission criteria (built around prior
academic attainment and experience), MOOCs are open to all with an internet
connection. Rather than leading to a recognised accredited award, most (though not all)
are sub-award, in many cases resulting in simply a certificate of participation. And rather
than having direct and regular contact and access to faculty and expert scholars, many
of these MOOCs mobilise the learning community itself to self-regulate, moderate, and
support learners. This paper draws upon a two-year pilot run by the University of
Leicester into designing and delivering MOOCs, including in the area of museum
studies. The paper describes how the development of MOOCs at Leicester has,
evidently, had an impact on the way the institution is beginning to think more generally
about both its distance-learning provision and the role of digital social-learning
environments within all of its teaching offers, on and off campus. Specifically, the paper
looks at the development and impact of "Behind the Scenes at the 21st Century
Museum," a MOOC developed by Leicester’s School of Museum Studies in partnership
with National Museums Liverpool.
History
Citation
Museums and the Web MW2016: 2016, 2016, pp. 35-45 (11)Author affiliation
/Organisation/COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, ARTS AND HUMANITIES/School of Museum StudiesSource
Museums and the Web 2016, Los Angeles CA, USAVersion
- AM (Accepted Manuscript)