When I found out I would be teaching the
first AP Computer Science course in my district, I was a little concerned. It had been two years since I had taken a
computer science course; technically
I did know how to program in Java, but I wasn’t confident I could pass the AP
test. I needed a way to re-master the
content so I could focus on planning my lessons. Luckily, I found the Introduction to Java
class on Udacity, a popular MOOC, or Massively Open Online Course. After completing the class, I was prepared to
teach my own Java course.
MOOCs
like the Java class I found on Udacity offer many benefits to users. By definition, these classes are free and
have no admission criteria (McGuire, 2014).
That means that any student with Internet access can participate and
learn. MOOCs also give students flexibility;
many open online courses allow students to complete the work at their own pace. Finally, MOOCs give students freedom to
select classes based on their own interests.
This freedom leads to students that are self-motivated and interested in
the class material, unlike traditional required courses that many college
students half-heartedly sit through.
The most important
element of MOOCs, I think, is that they give everyone with Internet equal
access to education. MOOCs have “no admissions requirements … so anyone with Internet access
can get started” (McGuire, 2014).
Students who dropped out of high school can take courses they regret
missing, while people interested in switching careers can take online classes
to learn new skills. Most universities
have “improved access and outreach goals” (Kassabian,
2014). The courses are almost a form of
advertisements for universities, showing people their level of excellence when
it comes to education. The benefits to
users, however, is that anyone can
take the class, regardless of high school GPA, SAT scores, location, age, or financial
situation. I think it’s fantastic that
so many people can take high level classes if they want to learn new skills and
information.
Of course there are setbacks to the open
online courses. The classes have no free
one-to-one option, so students that need interaction with a professor might not
do well in MOOCs. Skeptics have also
pointed to the low number of students who complete the courses as evidence of
their ineffectiveness. “The for-profit MOOC companies have down-played course
completion rates, which tend to be less than 20 percent” (Means, Bakia, and
Murphey, 2014, p. 64). The low
completion rates are probably due to students that sign up just to see what the
site has to offer.
While many MOOCs are
aimed at college level learning, there are many applications for MOOCs in the
high school setting. I have actually
recommended the Udacity programming class to students who were unable to take
AP Computer Science with me this year.
MOOCs can be used to supplement course work, or replace brick-and-mortar
classes when scheduling becomes a conflict.
MOOCs could also be a great tool in a work experience class or
club. Many of the courses offered online
are designed to prepare learners for future careers. A work experience club could be a place for
students to take MOOCs in their field of interest to see what might be right
for them. If they finish classes, they
could even get certificates, making them more marketable when they look for
jobs. These are just some of the many
uses for MOOCs in high school.
Sources:
Kassabian, D. W. (2014).
The value of MOOCs to early
adopter universities. Retrieved from
http://www.educause.edu/ero/article/value-moocs-early-adopter-universities.
Means, B., Bakia, M., & Murphy,
R. (2014). Learning
online: What research tells us about whether, when and how. New York: Routledge.
McGuire, R. (2014)
The best MOOC provider: A review
of Coursera, Udacity, and Edx.
Retrieved from http://www.skilledup.com/blog/the-best-mooc-provider-a-review-of-coursera-udacity-and-edx/.
