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MOOCS: HYPE OR HOPE?

Conflicting narratives in higher education policyMaureen W. McClure, University of Pittsburgh

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Conflicting NarrativesMOOC narratives run in divergent directions based on different foundational understandings of their purposes. (Innovation is increasingly global)

Peer Learning (cMOOCs) - Simultaneous, Knowledge Creation

Expert Teaching ( xMOOCs) – “Generational,” Knowledge Sharing

Noblesse Oblige

Democratic Empowerment

Self-Organized Learning

Institutional Sustainability

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INTERRUPED COMMUNICATIONS

This Graphic Arts Biennial exhibit in Tivoli Park shows lines of poetry in English, Slovenian and sign

language. The blurred image shows the confusion that arises across translations.

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MOOCS UNHINGED

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GARTNER HYPE CYCLE

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ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS PERSIST

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LURKERS AREN’T ALL THE SAME

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INSTITUTIONAL

SUSTAINABILITY IN

UNCERTAIN ECONOMIC

AND POLITICAL TIMES

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MOOCs For Institutional Sustainability Peer Learning and Expert Teaching in HE need different balances of institutional support, but both require recurrent funding.

MOOCs are not monolithic. They are shaped by their assigned positions within institutions. Economic positions are also political choices.

Cost Centers

Profit Centers

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Political Production: Profit /Cost CentersWe see ourselves as Profit Centers (Production)• HEIs as Growth Driver• Direct contributions• Investment + return• More likely to be fundedOthers see us as Cost Centers (Consumption)• HEIs as Service Delivery• Indirect contributions• Accountability + compliance• More likely to be cut

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SUSTAINABILITY

EXTEND BOUNDARIE

S

PARTNER

WITH ALLIES

ENHANCE

QUALITY

BIG DATA RESEARCH

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MOOCs as Innovation and Marketing Centers

“Marketing and innovation produce results: all the rest are costs.” (Drucker)

HEIs are innovation centers. They create ideas. They are also marketing centers because they directly connect innovation to learners. MOOCs may better link HEI innovation and learning …but be careful…a dangerous game…it opens the game to new players

INNOVATION

MARKETING

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Follow Up With The Maturing of the MOOC: Literature

review of Massive Open Online Courses and other Forms of Online and Distance Learning’ - UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Revisit SPOC niches (Small Private Online Courses)

Links to both political and economic development policy issues (e.g. skills gap, jobs war, generational quality)

Wikipedia, Google Trends

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SO WHAT IS MISSING?

MOOCS FOR GENERATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

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Innovate

Market

Local

Global

Generational Succession

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QUESTIONS FOR YOU

What are you hearing about MOOCs? Costs to be controlled

or Investments in the future?

What is missing from the conversations about MOOCs

that you are hearing?