Presentation shared by author at the 9th EDEN Research Workshop "Forging new pathways of research and innovation in open and distance learning: Reaching from the roots" held on 4-6 October 2016, in Oldenburg, Germany.
Find out more on #EDENRW9 here: http://www.eden-online.org/2016_oldenburg/
3. State of MOOCs 2016
Online Course Report: numbers by Dhawal Shah
from Class Central.
4. Gartner Hype Cycle of key MOOC
events
Bozkurt, A., Keskin, N. & de Waard, I. (2016). Research Trends in Massive
Open Online Course (MOOC) Theses and Dissertations: Surfing the
Tsunami Wave. Open Praxis 8(3), 203–221 (ISSN 2304-070X)
6. Discussions happen… to improve knowledge!
Cartoon by Nick Kim: http://www.lab-initio.com/
7. Agency Goal
Who initiates
the learning?
Who
creates
structure?
Motivatio
n
Timeline Small
defined
goals
Big defined
goals
Specific
focus
Self-regulated
Learning
The
course/training
organisers
Formal, the
knowledge
institute
(training dep.
corporation,
university…)
More
extrinsic
than
intrinsic
Yes, specified
and part of
learning goal
Yes, task
specific
No Meta-learning
and
awareness
Self-Directed
Learning
Selection
curated content
available on
interest
Mostly
formal, some
informal
More
intrinsic
than
extrinsic
Yes, course
related
Yes / no Small %:
career,
interest
Choosing
between what
is available
Self-
Determined
Learning
The learner
internet and
beyond
All of us:
participative,
formal,
informal
Intrinsic No, lifelong
learning
Yes Yes The sky is the
limit: human
agency
8. A Self-Regulated Learning MOOC research
• GUSCO-school (Flemish school)
• Academic year 2015 – 2016
• Three classes in ‘vrije ruimte’ (free space): 2 English groups,
1 French group – 42 students, 3 teachers
• 2 hours per week
9. Process increasing autonomous learning
Three major parts:
• GroupMOOC: introducing MOOC, the elements,
platforms, interactions… Class/group progress
• EigenMOOC (OwnMOOC): students choose from a
selection.
• Evaluation & production: evaluate the whole
process and build an intro for next year’s students
GroupMOOC OwnMOOC
Evaluate and
Produce
10. Instruments (open science/access)
In class:
• Adapted SAM scale view here (Scale for measuring Attitudes and Skills) –
used by teachers
• Weekly logbook – used by students
Outside class:
• Self-regulated questionnaire view here: monitoring self-esteem,
motivation, digital literacy
11. Key results
Students:
• More fluent language use
• Daring to speak
• Lot to learn about learning! Meta-learning enhanced
Teachers:
• Flipped teacher role: from teacher to guide-on-the-side
• More online savvy
• Daring to let go! Role shift gave a feeling of uncertainty
12. A self-directed learning MOOC research
project
What characterises the informal self-directed learning of experienced
adult online learners engaging in individual and/or social learning
using any device to follow a FutureLearn MOOC?
(Full thesis here)
• Which individual characteristics influence the learning experience?
• What are the technical and media elements influencing the learning
experience?
• How does individual and social learning affect the participants’
learning?
• Which actions (if any) did the learners undertake to organise their
learning?
13. 3 FutureLearn courses
3 FutureLearn courses: 1 September – 15 November 2014 (4 – 6 week
courses: Science of Medicines, Decision making in a complex & uncertain
world, Basic science: understanding experiments)
Target population: 56 participant selected, all experienced adult online
learners
14. Method: 3 phases for collecting data
• Phase 1 - expectations: using an online survey delivered to
all participants one week prior to FutureLearn course.
• Phase 2 – keeping learning logs: self-reported learning logs
kept by the learner during the course.
• Phase 3 – reflections: structured one-on-one interviews
after the course had finished.
Expectations Experiences Reflections
15. Results: self-directed learning data
emerged 5 components, 2 key learning
inhibitors/enablers
Intrinsic motivation
&
Personal learning
goals
Technical &
media elements
Individual &
social learning
Individual
characteristics
Organising
learning
Context (people
& content)
16. Agency Goal
Who
initiates the
learning?
Who creates
structure?
Motivati
on
Timing Small
defined
goals
Big defined
goals
Specific
focus
Teacher/profess
or/guide…
Self-
regulated
Learning
The
course/traini
ng organisers
Formal, the
knowledge
institute
(training dep.
corporation,
university…)
More
extrinsic
than
intrinsic
Specific
time
related
to task
Yes, task
specific
No Meta-
learning and
awareness
Teacher present,
possible guide-on-
the-side
Self-
Directed
Learning
Selection
curated
content
available on
interest
Mostly formal,
some informal
More
intrinsic
than
extrinsic
Specific
to
learning
content
Yes / no Small %:
career,
interest
Choosing
between
what is
available
Background
facilitator
Self-
Determin
ed
Learning
The learner
internet and
beyond
All of us:
participative,
formal,
informal
Intrinsic Lifelong
learning
Yes Yes The sky is
the limit:
human
agency
Guide to those
who want to
17. Self-determined learning
• “One core difference is that we are much more explicit
in the assumption of human agency as a universal
human characteristic.”
• “Information is now available to just about anyone
with the right technology.”
But human agency & tech is laden with symbolic capital
(citations from Stewart Hase:
https://heutagogycop.wordpress.com/2015/12/05/self-
directed-learning-and-self-determined-learning-an-
exploration/ )
18. Self-determined learning: plan a project
Intrinsic
motivation
&
Personal
learning goals
Technical &
media
elements
Individual
& social
learning
Individual
characteristi
cs
Organising
learning
Context
(people &
content)
19. What are MOOC boundaries?
• Technical & media elements: tech is not without
assumptions and embeds regional powers (mLearning)
• Individual characteristics: self-esteem, socio-economic
background
• Organising learning: depends on learning skills and daily life
(2 jobs to pay the rent?)
• Context: gatekeepers say which content rules, curated
content by ‘top’-uni’s, cultural convention, Northern
references, colonialism
• Individual or social learning: preferences, and societal
acceptance
20. This is not about critical science, this
is about history …Carl von Ossietzky
When German democracy was coming under siege (1924):
• “Whoever has learned from the events of the past five years
knows that it is not the nationalists, the monarchists who
represent the real danger, but the absence of substantive
content and ideas.”
21. Self-determined learning is LifeLong
Learning
SDL includes self-regulated and self-directed learning, and
embraces kindergarten to retirement and beyond
22. Is self-determined learning possible?
Do all citizens, from birth, have the
agency to self-determine their
learning, their life long?
23. How can we, academics, support
self-determined Learning?
Giving guidance to enable personalised learning:
• Digital literacy
• Critical thinking
• Digital skills
Do learners have the agency to actually learn what
they want?
25. Self-determined (call for) Action!
• We, the intellectuals, are the brain of society
• Yet, our voices are only sporadically heard
(dry voice)
• If we fail, societies brain fails
26. Kardashians: Age of nonsensical opinions
Social media helps opinions at this moment
https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/12/how-technology-disrupted-
the-truth
27. Are we academics slowly socialised
into the no-argument Age?
Where is our voice?
28. 1968, almost 60 years ago
• University professors, students, citizens entered societal
debates
• Where are we – the academics, the professors - now?
29. Divide and conquer academics?
The joke of the 2 academics…
The need to create stepping stones, in between
ourselves, and towards all layers of society.
30. We – Academics are at risk
• Buried by increased paperwork: trying to get funding and
writing reports validating expenditures
• Precarious jobs: 1 year contracts or early researchers (early
is flexible term)
• Decreasing budgets: more people for less project money
32. What do we earn?
• Zero hour contracts (UK, the Guardian), teaching paid per hour.
• See here http://gawker.com/the-horrifying-reality-of-the-academic-job-
market-1776914525 and http://gawker.com/the-misery-of-adjunct-
professors-keeps-higher-education-1772267323
33. When academics loose impact,
society and education looses
democratisation
The Democratisation of education is in decline (Dutch:
Luc De Schepper, dean of University of Limburg, Belgium)
(OESO reports) 1980’s 2016
Uni students from parents who have 1
diploma of secondary school
51% 40%
Uni students from parents without a
secondary school diploma
30% 22%
34. Change does not happen overnight? But
by being ferociously present in society
(think multi-writers)
35. Making our voices heard …
vibrating society
Teachers/professors Guide-on-the-side
Societal presence
supporting learning
36. Learning in open range or fenced
land?
Self-determined learning needs self-determined action.
We must reclaim and regain our place at the core of society.
Stepping up to our role as Masters of the Mind.