I read a good blog by Matt Walton the other day – FutureLearn, MOOCs and digital disruption to higher education
It’s a really interesting look into some of the thoughts behind MOOC development and provision.
There are several parts I found particularly interesting. One being where Matt stated:
“The innovation in user experience of a MOOC is that they create an event and introduce scarcity and a sense of jeopardy into an on demand world.”
The idea being that a deadline, and the pressure that brings, will motivate people to push on with the course, and that educational resources without deadlines can go unused.
It’s an interesting thought and one that I can see being true for some people. But I’m not certain what proportion of potential MOOC users that would be.
I started one of the FutureLearn MOOCs – The Secret Power of Brands – and was impressed with what I saw. Unfortunately my working life and home life are currently full of scarcity, deadlines and pressure. Adding more of the same with the MOOC was a bit too much, and a particularly busy few days dealing with a project at work and a sick toddler at home meant I quickly fell out of the loop with my MOOC. I knew I wouldn’t get back on track. My course was over.
Does this mean I lack motivation?
Well, I currently subscribe to Treehouse who do tech online learning. Not free, but reasonably cheap. My study time there ebbs and flows, fitting in around my life. The learning is going well. As is my learning on Duolingo, the fantastic free app that teaches you a foreign language. I find them both a pleasant escape from the pressures of work, and feel a nice sense of achievement when each new target is reached.
I suspect there are many ‘cash rich, time poor’* learners, looking to develop themselves, who want to study, but in a manner that fits around their lives. And they will be willing to pay for that opportunity.
Of course, if MOOCs are seen by their providers as being ‘on ramps’ to traditional courses then the experience of deadlines would be useful in ‘weeding out’ those who may not be ready for a more taxing and in-depth course.
I hope they’re being seen as more than that.
Anyway, it will be interesting to see what develops, but I think non-deadline, free-form learning will form a big part of the future of online learning.
* I’m actually ‘cash poor/time poor’, but you know what I mean.
steveparkinson101 