As technology grows, it is only natural that many other aspects of life grow with it. Education is one of the most notably different areas that technology has affected greatly. One thing that has changed higher education greatly is MOOCs, or massive open online course. Many professors use them, and some even rely on them exclusively. MOOCs have become an option for higher education, but those who complete them on their own only get knowledge, not a degree. Most MOOCs are free, allowing people to learn as they please.
There are many problems with MOOCs however. They only have a 10% completion rate, the majority drop out. Professors of MOOCs can’t interact properly with the students, and the students can’t interact with each other. Cheating is also a huge factor. A student can have other people complete exams or homeworks for them, and unless the MOOC literally spied on them, there is no way to prevent this. (Newson, 2013).
I think using MOOCs exclusively would be a bad thing. For one thing, there is nothing forcing the student to actually learn. There is no threat of bad grades, as everything can be searched for on the spot, or someone else can be over your shoulder helping. The use of MOOCs to assist a course however, along with an in class assignment to test how well the student studied the MOOC, would definitely be useful.
Basulto, D. (2013, October 8th). MOOCs going mainstream? This may be the year. Washington Post. Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/innovations/wp/2013/10/08/moocs-going-mainstream-this-may-be-the-year/
Newson, J. (2013, October 13th). MOOCs: Online courses might change face of higher education. News Record. Retrieved from: http://www.news-record.com/news/article_48f3fd9c-33b1-11e3-b180-0019bb30f31a.html
Simiens, G. (2013). MOOC Research Initiative: Grants Awarded. Moocresearch.com Retrieved October 16th, 2013 from: http://www.moocresearch.com/blog
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