MOOCs for Credit

           As someone who falls more in-line with the constructivist point of view, in my opinion, learning occurs through learner experiences, and how those experiences are connected with prior knowledge.  As such, the best learning experiences are those in which the learner has the opportunity to engage with the content material and interact with others.  I do not necessarily think that the definition of learning changes meaning based upon the type of learning environment in which it occurs.  Learning within a MOOC environment occurs in the same manner as learning in a traditional class setting.  Learning is learning, and I think learning can occur almost anywhere, when designed properly. With little actual MOOC experience, I do worry about the rigor that is available in MOOCs.  If a MOOC course is simply watch a video and pass a test, then I would place little value in the learning experiences. I think there is a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of these MOOC instructors to ensure that they are generating a constructivists learning environment.

            The issue of course credit seems to be a pivotal one for MOOCs as they move forward.  Although I would like to think that people will attend college simply for the love of learning, truth be told, many students (probably even myself) would not go if they were not able to obtain the necessary credentials needed for their career.  The reality is that credit for learning is important.  I think this is why MOOCs have such a low completion rate to this point.  I believe that in order for MOOCs to become a fixture in the online education environment, a solidified credentialing structure will need to be established.  To me, this is what makes this new push for awarding transfer credit for learning through MOOCs so appealing.  I think this is a positive step in the right direction for MOOCs; although think there are several hurdles that will need to be cleared. 

            While reading for this week’s assignment, I became particularly interested in reading about those institutions which are awarding transfer credit to students who can demonstrate prior learning (Rivard, 2013).  The prior learning portfolios that demonstrate student knowledge is a fascinating concept, and I have never heard of it being used quite like this before.  Fain (2012) described a process known as prior learning assessment which allows students to receive credit for college-level learning outside of the traditional setting.  While I think this is great, I can foresee a series of hurdle that could be problematic in the quest towards offering MOOC credentials.  As Krause (2012) pointed out, the “credit for prior experience” mentality is one that utilized by those institution which he labels as diploma mills.  To me, it appears like it will be difficult to determine the level of rigor in these assessments, making it difficult to determine whether to award credit. 

References

Fain, P. (2012, June 15). Making it count. Retrieved from http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/15/earning-college-credit-moocs-through-prior-learning-assessment

Krause, S. (2012, June 15). Moocs and “prior learning assessment”making it count. Retrieved from http://stevendkrause.com/2012/06/15/moocs-and-prior-learning-assessment/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/15/earning-college-credit-moocs-through-prior-learning-assessment

Rivard, R. (2013, August 8). Rubber hits the road. Retrieved from http://stevenhttp://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/08/researchers-wait-see-if-students-want-transfer-credits-moocsdkrause.com/2012/06/15/moocs-and-prior-learning-assessment/http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2012/06/15/earning-college-credit-moocs-through-prior-learning-assessment