MOOC Production Guideline 1
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Contents Introduction: 3 General Considerations when beginning a MOOC: 4 Getting Started: 5 Timeline: 6 Course Design: 7 Development: 9 Course Communication: 11 Quality Assurance: 12 Sources 13 3
Introduction: Welcome to the MOOC production Handbook. This handbook is designed to help you create your first MOOC within the context of COMPETEN-SEA. MOOCs can take many forms, but ultimately they share some common traits and constraints. Naturally, capacity is a major consideration for MOOCs. MOOCs are Massive, that is they have the potential to reach many more participants than is traditionally possible in a brick and mortar classroom. Some MOOCs reach hundreds of thousands of participants, but what is most important is not necessarily reaching an enrollment of thousands at any one point, but the ability to scale a course so that increasing the participants exponentially does not increase the workload for the facilitator exponentially. This can be done several ways such as with the help of tools, such as automatic feedback response systems, or by leveraging the number of participants to solicit quality peer feedback. MOOCs are also by definition Open. Within the context of MOOCs Open is a controversial term for some people open is complete and non-negotiable, open to anyone without restrictions such as fees, membership or location, open use of all materials and open to learners establishing their own goals and learning plans. For others Open simply means fewer restrictions such as not needing to be a member of the sponsoring organization or only charging a few to participants who require a certificate. What is clear is that MOOCs are open to more people who wouldn t otherwise have the chance to take the course. This is great opportunity but it adds the challenge of having participants with widely varying backgrounds and motivations. As Online courses MOOCs can transcend multiple barriers, such as geographical location, language(with help of translations) and time constraints. However, this also makes it significantly more difficult to build community as learners may not have the chance to interact with one another synchronously or may not even share a common language. The MOOCs design therefore needs to consider ways to build positive group interactions into the course and establish connections between users. 4
Finally, MOOCs are Courses meaning they have a planned curriculum with assessments. However, many MOOC users do not utilize MOOCs as courses. Many of them see MOOCs as digital textbooks where they can go to find the specific information they need at that particular moment or they do view them as courses, but choose not to fully participate instead relying on the massive number of other participant to be active instead. Here again the designer needs to carefully consider not only the intended use of the MOOC, but how a significant minority of participants will ultimately use it. These characteristics set MOOCs apart from traditional classroom experiences and even from standard distance learning programs. They offer many benefits, primarily increased capacity, but they also pose some very real challenges to designers. In recent times multiple MOOCs have tended to be divided based on their pedagogical approach, often either through a behaviorist/cognitivist lense(xmoocs) or a constructivist/connectivist lense(cmoocs).both of these approaches have positive and negative aspects. xmoocs tend to be more structured and easier to implement asynchronously. In contrast, cmoocs offer a higher level of learner engagement and community, but can be more difficult to design and require higher levels of involvement from participants which requires some level of synchronous participation. Of course, there are countless variations of these designs depending on the goals and emphasis of the designer. This guideline aims to help you get started with designing and implementing your first MOOC. We will cover some general considerations when designing MOOCs, an overall timeline of MOOC development and production, communication within the MOOCs and finally quality assurance. 5
General Considerations when beginning a MOOC: 1) A classroom experience cannot be replicated online. Even if you are covering the same information in a traditional class and in a MOOC the teaching and learning experience will vary considerably. Instructors should be aware that planning and executing a MOOC looks very different from traditional teaching. 2) Everything takes longer than imagined. Instructors tend to underestimate the amount of time it takes to produce a MOOC one estimate has MOOC preparation averaging at 400 hours per course and three times the amount of effort compared to a traditional course (Mesquita 2015). In particular, instructors underestimate the time needed to produce learning videos. Depending on your experience and available resources, it is reasonable to assume that you will spend around three hours producing ten minutes of video. 3) Be aware of interdependencies and be consistent. Make sure that all resources referenced in videos are available when and where you say they will be. For example, if a reading is mentioned in a video the link to that reading should be immediately available and easily located. If for some reason the reading has been removed from the course plan then the video should be edited to remove mentioning the text. Otherwise students will become frustrated looking for resources that are not actually provided. Additionally, make sure that the connections and sequencing between modules and lessons is clear and well defined. 4) Take technological limitations into account. According to the feasibility study internet penetration ranged between 50 and 70% and most individuals used a mobile device to access the internet. Additionally, some of the target audience members (such as single mothers in Malaysia) report having limited or no technological experience. In these cases it is extremely critical to provide learner guidance and be aware of accessibility issues. 5) Complete the entire course and a quality review before going live. Although it is tempting to continuously add to an existing MOOC in order to shorten release times, once a MOOC is running it becomes increasingly difficult to make changes and adjustments. Therefore, it is 6
best to complete the MOOC in its entirety and review it from several perspectives (Design, content, coding, accessibility etc.) before the initial launch. Getting Started: Establish a Timeline : Many people begin preparing their MOOC nearly a year in advance. Depending on how much time you can devote to the MOOC at any given point many steps can be completed parallel to one another thus saving time, for instance content production and learning how to use the chosen platform. Of course, the exact amount of time needed depends on the scope of your project as well as the resources available to you. On the following page, you can see a sample timeline for designing and producing a MOOC. Set the parameters: Decide on the overall learning goals for the course, your personal teaching goals, and establish a target audience before beginning. Clarifying these items upfront will help keep you focused throughout the design and development process and will make alignment easier. Identify resources: Begin to investigate what resources, including possible team-members, are available to you. Most MOOCS involve large support teams across disciplines often including a content expert, a video production expert, an educational technologist, and teaching assistants. In addition, in may be necessary to acquire additional resources and equipment, this should be done as quickly as possible. 7
Timeline: 8
Course Design: Learning Objectives: Begin by establishing course objectives and gradually refine the objectives for individual units and even individual lessons. By the end of this process, you should have a basic course outline of what information will be covered in each lesson and how the lessons fit together. Later each activity can then be linked to a specific learning goal and assessments can be designed to mirror these goals. This helps keep the course aligned and helps students understand the value of what they are doing and how it connects to the course and their personal goals. Video Style: Most MOOCs are heavily reliant on video recordings and there are numerous ways to style learning videos, including: speaking directly to the camera and superimposing images later, audio voice over of a slide presentation, presenting in front of a whiteboard or tablet, animations, and screen capture. Whatever you choose you should begin gathering and learning to use the necessary equipment early on. Cases and Examples: It can be helpful to think about examples or case studies, which tie into each unit s learning objectives early on. Examples help students understand how the knowledge they are gaining can be used outside of the classroom to help them reach their personal or professional goals. Use these examples as anchorages in assignments and activities to deepen student understanding and increase motivation. Design Interactions: Most MOOCs consist of relatively simple interaction structures such as student-to-student on a discussion board, or student to Instructor via. E-mail. However, it can be extremely beneficial to encourage higher levels of interaction among students. Such interactions need to be well thought out and organized in order for them to add value to the course. For example if students are to provide each other with peer feedback then distribution needs to be planned, a feedback rubric must be provided and deadlines set. These interactions should be scripted and supported by an instructor or moderator. Teaching Presence: The work of a MOOC is not done when it goes live. The MOOC requires maintenance and attention throughout the course. The instructor should maintain a presence and address students questions and concerns as quickly as possible. It is especially important for the instructor to be very active in the MOOC in the first few days. At this stage 9
students often have questions and concerns that need to be addressed immediately. In addition developing, or failing to develop, a sense of community early on influences student participation and satisfaction. It is of course, also possible to setup a moderator that takes care of more basic questions and addresses technical issues. 10
Development: Getting to know the platform: Take the time to learn how to use the platform, including from the student perspective and basic troubleshooting long before the launch date. Take advantage of online-tutorials as well as learning from colleagues already familiar with the platform. Try out and practice with all of the functions you intend to use for the course. Videos: Use the learning objectives and course outline to break your material into chunks that can be explained in five to ten minutes. These can be prepared as scripts or outlines as you prefer. Make sure to include the examples that you thought of in the design stage. Produce corresponding visuals, such as slides or animation. Minimalistic slides, with little text, work best as many students will view them in a reduced size and quality. Once your videos have been produced make sure they are accessible to all students by including closed-captioning, alternate text for images, and making all materials available for download and use offline. Materials: All materials should be licensed under an open content license. Since MOOCs are open to anyone, many items that are available for classroom use at not available for use in a MOOC. Check the copyright status of all materials that are to be used. Make sure that links are still active and that materials can be downloaded for offline viewing. Assessments: Use formative assessments to help students, and instructors, measure and understand the overall learning progress of participants. Not all assessments must be graded; they can also be used as a learning tool or a method of self-reflection. Summative assessments can then be used to establish mastery. Most assessments within MOOCs use closed questions, which can be automatically graded. This allows for students to have instant feedback and reduces the workload for the instructor. Another method of assessment is implementing peer feedback cycles for more complex learning tasks. This allows for open-ended responses and additional interaction among peers without greatly increasing the facilitators workload. Learner Guidance: Since students cannot ask questions in real time it is important to provide complete clarity within the MOOC. Beginning with, and constantly referring back to, a syllabus with a course outline can go a long way in keeping students informed. This document allows students to have the most important information gathered in one place. The syllabus should include the grading policy, deadlines, and course expectations. Activities should be prefaced with clear instructions as to 11
the expectations for that particular activity and an explanation as to how this activity helps them meet learning goals. Navigation should be clear and easy to use allowing students to quickly reach the page or information they are looking for. Finally, students should have a set and easy way to reach out for help if needed, weather this is then the discussion board or help desk ticket. Course Promotion: Decide how the course will reach interested students and develop promotional material ranging from a basic course description to a promotional video for use on social networks. Course information can be distributed through email lists, social media, professional networks, events, and institutional press releases. Make sure the following information is clearly presented to potential students; prerequisites, estimated time commitment, course start and end dates, and how to register. 12
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Course Communication: Although most course communication will occur once the class has begun, it is advisable to make a plan ahead of time to ensure smooth communication. E-Mail communication: An E-mail distribution list can be produced from the registration information and used to keep in contact with students. At a minimum we recommend sending the following E-mails: Course Reminder Email: sent at least one week before the course launch to build anticipation and excitement Welcome E-mail: sent on the first day of course including an introduction to the course and the team. This is a good opportunity to gather data about participants in a short survey. This data can later be used to help learn about participants and measure the success of the course. Weekly Updates: summarize the most important information from the week and preview what is to come in the coming week Course completion E-mail: summarize the experience, thank students for their participation and outline next steps including a timeline for receiving certification if applicable. This is a good opportunity for a post-course survey to learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the course. Landing Page: This is the first page that students see when entering the course and it should be friendly, welcoming and most importantly informative. Make sure this page includes the most important information and is easy to navigate. Discussion Board: The discussion board is where students interact with each other and the instructor/ta. The board should be clearly organized and tasks should be distributed. For example, the TA could answer logistical and technical questions while the instructor answers the content questions. 14
Escalation plan: A plan should be made for what to do in the case of an offensive or inappropriate post. This plan should include how and to whom students can report such a post and what are the consequences are for the student responsible for the posting. Quality Assurance: Review for Content: The instructor or TA very familiar with the course material should review for any errors in content, including calculations and typos. They should also make sure all complex terms are clearly defined and answers to questions are correctly coded. Review of Platform functionality: A team member familiar with the platform should check to make sure all navigation functions work correctly, all links are live, all items are labeled, and assessments operate correctly. Review for Grammar and Detail : Ideally completed by a native speaker of the course language. Identify and correct any typos, spelling/grammar errors, and check for consistent formatting. 15
Review for Accessibility: Ideally completed by a team member who is NOT a native speaker of the course language. Identify and clarify any idioms or vocabulary that is unlikely to be familiar to international students, and check to make sure basic accommodations such as closed captioning and alternate image text function properly. Additionally, check to make sure all necessary materials can be downloaded for offline use. Beta Student Review: At least one beta tester should be established to review the course from the student perspective in its entirety. Sources Kruse, Anna. (2016). Making a MOOC at TUM: A Handbook for Instructors and Course Teams. München, Germany: TUM Medienzentrum. Mesquita, Anabela. (2015). Furthering Higher Education Possibilities through Massive Open Online Courses. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference. MOOC Production Guidelines at the University of British Columbia( 2014). 16