technology
MOOCs and the
corporate world
Internet-based learning is here to stay; traditional educators in the realm of business need to adjust. By James Guthrie
Technological advances and the rise of online education models, in particular massive open online courses( MOOCs), are changing the higher education landscape. Just what impact this will have on the future of business education and professions is difficult to predict.
The uptake of MOOCs has been markedly rapid. In 2011, Stanford University, in the US, offered a free course on artificial intelligence, for which 160,000 students from over 190 countries enrolled in just a few weeks. Almost 20,000 students completed the course and received a Statement of Accomplishment. Although the experience did not provide course credits for actual degrees, it delivered a prestige credential adapted to the internet.
The paradigm shift accelerated when Harvard University partnered with Massachusetts Institute of Technology to launch edX in 2012. In Australia, institutions such as Australian National University, the University of Queensland, the University of Melbourne and the University of Western Australia all offer a MOOC through US-based outlets.
Education providers, students, professions and employers are watching
26 | Issue 8 2013 the virtual education space with interest. None more so than business educators, who recognise the challenges to overcome and the opportunities to seize. But what do MOOCs mean for future generations of business students?
With over 3 million pupils worldwide taking part in MOOCs, the educational opportunities for those students disadvantaged by geographic, financial or social factors are undeniable. This opens up potential to make future generations more educated than any before. If education is the key to social mobility, then MOOCs can make a major difference.
For both students and educators, MOOCS offer exciting possibilities in relation to peer-to-peer teaching and assessment, as well as access to leading global experts and teachers. In terms of on-campus education, MOOCs can provide universities with the opportunity and incentive to experiment with course delivery to optimise the experience. Routine tasks can be removed from face-to-face teaching, making time spent in the classroom more meaningful. This is particularly relevant for business students, whose skill set upon graduating must include teamwork, collaboration and oral presentation.
So what are the concerns? One issue is high attrition rates – in some courses the figure is 80 per cent to 90 per cent. Also problematic for MOOC providers is how to provide assessment and accreditation. Not only is plagiarism potentially rife, the sheer numbers of students make effective assessment difficult. And although it’ s not widely possible to gain a degree by MOOCs study now, if and when it is, will mainstream employers value a MOOC degree? Whilst learners in MOOCs courses need to be self-directed and self-motivated, which are valuable employment skills, can the business skill set outlined previously be taught online?
It appears that in one form or another, MOOCs are here to stay. The onus now is well and truly on traditional educators to adapt to the changing market and develop strategies to improve the learning experience for students.
One prediction for learning is that it will be self-directed and personalised, brought about by the open and continuous opportunities available to learn online. Future learning models may increasingly be about applying knowledge in contextspecific circumstances, and only when necessary. It’ s different from being in a lecture theatre or classroom. And because