Workshop activity 1: Mapping the context

Joshua Underwood
10:10pm 28 June 2012 (Edited 10:11pm 28 June 2012)

see below

Joshua Underwood
10:10pm 28 June 2012

I'm using Chrome on a Mac, I can't see Yishay's embeded figure above at all and I can't read the smaller text on Simon's lattice model. Can anything be done about that?

Rebecca Galley
9:05am 29 June 2012

Hi Josh - I'll forward the problem to the developer team. In the meantime I've put hyperlinks to both models in the intro text at teh top of the page. I'd be really interested to hear what you think of them. Rebecca

Yishay Mor
1:14am 2 July 2012

Hi Rebecca,

I've embedded the scenario template, but its very narrow. I wonder if there's a way to control its layout?

thanks,

Yishay

Gráinne Conole
10:42am 25 July 2012

I have participated in two of George Siemen's MOOCs. The first time I didn't even realise it - he just asked me to do a webinar and the next day there were lots of google alerts from people's blogs referring to my talk and the associated papers George had pointed them to! The second time was in Feb again I did a presentation but as it was week 27 of the MOOC participation was low. I did respond to the few comments people posted on cloudworks and via their blogs. 

Yishay Mor
10:42am 25 July 2012

Task 1 (EoR part 1)

I was supposed to failitate a week in the MobiMOOC. In the end, unexpected circumstances meant that I couldn't dedicate the time for that. Luckilly, the organisers had allocated two facilitators per week, so the programme didn't fall apart.

The MOOC used two main channels: a google mailing list and a wiki (on wikispaces). Although I wasn't able to participate actively, I could follow the discussions on the mailing list and gain a sense of the activity.

Diana Laurilllard
10:45am 25 July 2012

A narrative ffrom the participants' point of view

Why I should be interested in this course? – what I might get out of it, how it relates to me and my work

Then I start using it, listening, watching, reading and trying to make sense of what it is aiming to do and how well this fits my own situation, asking myself what I might contribute

Beginning to see how some part of the course does relate to my issues – how can I be sure they are addressed – is there an opportunity for me to negotiate a way of working on the issues of most importance to me?

As I start taking part I realise there are some others on this community who share my views, ideas and concerns, so I'd like to work in a smaller group with them - how do I do that?

We find a way to do that, but seem to be going off track a bit - are we applying the course ideas appropriately? How do we check this out with the rest of the community and with the tutors? I'm still not quite getting what I need to solve my most immediate problems.

Brock Craft
10:46am 25 July 2012 (Edited 11:02am 25 July 2012)

Task 1 (EoR Scenario)

Martin (45), is an Senior Lecturer in a traditional university. Has a perspective ont he overview programme design and knows what is involved with running a programme. He is not familair with online learning but intrigued by the idea of a MOOC. Also Aware that he is going to have to be ready to adapt. Has received a directive that everyone programme will have a blended aspect in the nex t5 years. He has found out about this learnig design MOOC and signed up to see what it's all about. Has used online tools for interaction but not fo learning. He has used a VLE but only templates that others have prepared.

EoR Catgories:

Knowledge and Skills:

• Used computers for much of his career
• Practicalities of academic work
• Understands learning design, curricula, learning outcomes
• Variable understanting learning, teaching, and assessment strategies
• Unserstand academic administration, policies and procedures
• Understanding of quality, quality assurance, and enhancement
• An outdated knowledge of what it means to be a student (student's experience, but might not admit/accept this)

Environment

• Office at Uni with a reasonable WiFi network, but firewalls might limit his access to some resources
• Home office with broadband connection
• Home environment that is will not interfere with MOOC work
• Institutional recognition of the importance of ongoing CPD

Tools and People

• Laptop computer with camera and Skype
• Mobile smartphone, Tablet Device
• Library and Digital Library access
• IT depeartment that is effective and suportive
• Colleagues to ask questions of
• A Learning Devolpment Unit that supports staff development, training, etc.

Filters

• Time and workload
• Connectivity
• Motivation
• Sketpticism/thinking that it will not be beneficial
• Lack of support from the institution, in spite of a mandate
• Lack of management's understanding of what a MOOC is
• (Potential positive filters): enthusiasm for trying it out (intrinsic motivation), push by department to try it out (extrinsic motivation)

Gráinne Conole
10:47am 25 July 2012

Scenario: Structure the MOOC around topics which are each presented in a bound timeline - say one topic per week. Introduce each topic and clarify what resources and tools are associated with it. Perhaps start with a synchronous presentation or an asynchronous one. Point participants to relevant resources - for example papers or chapters. Give some clear activities for example participation in a discussion forum or asking them to reflect on their personal blog. Have a central place to aggregate all the outputs associated with it - perhaps in the Cloudworks Cloudscape for the MOOC. Either set up some facilitation from the team or divide participants into peer groups for peer support.

David White
10:48am 25 July 2012 (Edited 11:09am 25 July 2012)

Scenario: Stumbling across or being drawn-in to a MOOC which is of interest (DS106).

Attracted by the crowd/activity - peer support/inspiration. Other people (community?) are the main 'resource' - Peers direct each other to relevant resources.

"Drive-by" assignments - dipping in and out. Lack of overall structure seen as positive - no need to do eveything.

Creating 'beyond-text' resources as part of assignments encourgaed collaboration. A range of skills and therefore people needed to complete tasks.

"Outcomes" not too important.

Club or society model? - Interest driven... More like a hobby.

Direct = learning outcomes - Indirect = being part of a 'club'/community

Drawn in by the indirect and the creativity.

Access to other people is a form of filter as is the course design. From a learner POV: confidence, and available time.

Needs space for 'chaos' and serendipity.

Gráinne Conole
10:50am 25 July 2012 (Edited 10:52am 25 July 2012)

Tools and people: Cloudscape for the course, personal blog and Twitter, other participants, MOOC design team

Knowledge and skills: Some experience of teaching, reasonably proficient at using social and participatory media, in terms of the MOOC knowledge and skills is what the MOOC is about i.e. an overview of learning design research

Environment: online, informal, time bound to the duration of the course - i.e. 8 - 10 weeks in Autumn 2012

Diana Laurilllard
10:55am 25 July 2012 (Edited 11:02am 25 July 2012)

Environment - my current work insofar as it relates to learning design, career prospects, pressures on teaching, opportunities for new ways of teaching, resources limitations, new types of students,

Tools and People - opportunities for new ways of teaching, rather old technologies, some colleagues who are dismissive of technology, conventional technologies are dominant and well provided for, some good innovative colleagues who are technicallly able but overworked

Knowledge and skills- resources and intentions of the course; the representation of knowledge in the field; the opportunities provided by the course to practice new skills

Learner characteristics - lots of experience of teaching, but no training in how to teach; lots of subject knowledge in a fast changing area that I keep up with online; trying to keep up with new technology skills, but aware of falling behind

Yishay Mor
11:00am 25 July 2012

Task 2 (EoR part 2)

Knowledge and skills:

• Other facilitators and participants personal experiences
• Resources they find on the web (open resources, press articles, blog posts, scholary papers)

People and tools:

• The MOOC leader
• Other facilitators
• other participants
• people not in the MOOC but in participants / facilitators daily circles.
• Mailing lists, wikis, blogs, forums, facebook, shared documents

Environment:

• Institutional environment
• MOOC community ("CoP", with core and periphiral participants)

Giota Alevizou
11:29am 25 July 2012 (Edited 11:46am 25 July 2012)

Relevance, fun interface and a structure that allows mentoring and peer interaction both synchronously and in ones own time are key to attrition... Knowledge and skills are also paramount; it appears that people that have substantial digital and networked literacies emerge as leaders and can act as mentors in MOOCs. So I guess the 'environment' and 'community' are key to learning design.

I wonder if someone has done a systematic study on what MOOCs are successful and why (errr aside from the huge propositions of legacy instituions like Coursera/Udacity)...A fun, alternative course (e.g. the intimately known ds106) with clear, yet fluidly adaptable syllabus (to allow student agency), fostering the development of strong digital personas? A short-hands on coursse that promises some dimension (managable) of professional development, and some sort of accredidation (see https://p2pu.org/en/schools/school-of-webcraft/)?  

Ben Samuels
1:09pm 25 July 2012

I've participated in several moocs that each had very different approaches.  I was fairly active in Change11.  I enjoyed the model of a new presenter and topic each week.  The part that was most effective for me was the weekly+ synchronus sessions.  I find there is something very powerful about meeting in real time with others online around a shared interest.  It adds a nice social aspect which is also fun.  I found the lack of a dedicated space for asynchronus participation a challenge.  It seems nice to be completely decentralized but this creates an undue barrier to participation in my opinion.  Ideally for me, people should be encouraged to use their own blogs or whatever for participation but there should also be a central space for interaction that ties it all together.

I participated somewhat in David Wiley's Intro to Open Education. I liked the material and the structure and particularly am intrigued by the gamification element and the use of badges to reward achievement but found the lack of any sychnchronus sessions unfortunate for the reasons stated above. 

I participated fully in First Steps in Learning & Teaching (FSLT) even having a personal tutor assigned to me and completing assessed work to earn a certificate.  Although not very massive, I think FSLT would be the closest mooc I've experienced to what you are planning for this OLDSMOOC.  It was very well planned out, and did a nice job combinging synchronus and asychronus activies.  

I also participated for a time in the big MIT AI mooc and also in Kurt Bonks mooc that he in conjunction with Blackboard as well as snooped around several others.  Here are a couple of things I'd suggest might contribute to making the OLDSMOOC a success:

-in the beginning acknowledge and give permission and blessing to lurkers and partial participation

-It sounds like you'll be getting fairly large numbers (even though there might be low levels participation and high levels of "drop outs") so consider how you might build in personal support networks.  Perhaps think about recruiting volunteers and supporting the development of relatively small groups for some tasks

-think early about what kind of resources/aretefacts could be created during the course by and through the participants.  This includes the recorded sessions, discussions, bibliograhies, wikis, etc.. but also the social structures that emerge.   

-maybe build in ways for people to connect on existing projects and develop new projects

Peter Bryant
4:07pm 25 July 2012

any interesting perspective from a librarian/scholar in line with our tables more philiosophical discussion.  I have also scopped it

http://chronicle.com/blogs/innovations/whats-the-matter-with-moocs/33289