The driving goal for this Tier 3 IITG project was the integration of the Open SUNY Metaliteracy Badging System with Coursera’s MOOC platform. We proposed that merging these two innovative and flexible learning models would provide an exciting prospect to implement metaliteracy competencies across a wide and diverse audience. Coursera’s analytics also provided the opportunity to gather valuable data about the impact of the badging system on the learning experience, especially in regards to student motivation. As we set out to build our MOOC, however, we encountered both technological and pedagogical barriers to our original course design. The first of these barriers was that full integration of the badging system in the way we had envisioned was not possible with Coursera's current functionalities. The other barrier we encountered was related to the incompatibility of our original assessments with the automated nature of MOOCs. The assessments we had designed for the badging system are mostly open-ended, reflective assignments that cannot be automatically graded, but rather must be reviewed by an instructor. While we wanted to maintain the integrity of the original assignments, instructor grading of massive numbers of submissions was not possible. We decided to adapt the assignments to a peer-review model, which involved careful construction of rubrics and explicit instructions for student reviewers to follow as they graded their peers. These challenges presented an important turning point in our project. Do we modify our content according to the platform, or do we push the limits of the platform in order to accommodate our content? Our ultimate solutions involved a little bit of both. We discovered that Canvas, another major player in the MOOC world, provides tools that enable a more robust integration of the badging system. However, we didn’t want to give up the opportunity to host a MOOC on Coursera, due to their high profile in the MOOC arena, and their selection as the platform of choice for SUNY. We decided to proceed with the creation of two MOOCs, which would be offered in succession on the two different platforms, and would allow us to take advantage of the unique strengths offered by each. This panel will offer insights about the collaborative development and facilitation of both the Coursera and Canvas MOOCs and the extent to which we were able to integrate the digital badging system. We will discuss the process of deciding how to incorporate the Metaliteracy Badges, how determinations were made about video production and use, and the unanticipated challenges and strengths of this combined model that featured structured modules and competency based learning. We will also discuss completion rates, and offer student feedback on both MOOCs. The development of MOOCs in both Coursera and Canvas presented the unique opportunity to compare the advantages and drawbacks of both platforms.

1. Designing Innovative
Online Learning
An Investigation of Digital Badges
Integration with Two MOOC Platforms
Michele Forte, Allison Hosier, Trudi Jacobson,
Tom Mackey, Amy McQuigge, Kelsey O'Brien,
Jenna Pitera, and Kathleen Stone

2. MOOCs
• 3 MOOCs: connectivist, Coursera, and Canvas
• 2 IITGs: first to establish metaliteracy learning
collaborative and explore badging; second to
integrate MOOC and badging
• Original “c-MOOC” not part of first grant but
developed same time as digital badging
system

3. Empowering Yourself in a Connected World
Watch Promo Video

4. Metaliteracy: Reinventing Information
Literacy to Empower Learners
(Mackey and Jacobson, 2014).
“Metaliteracy expands the scope
of traditional information skills
(determine, access, locate,
understand, produce, and use
information) to include the
collaborative production and
sharing of information in
participatory digital environments
(collaborate, participate, produce,
and share)” (p. 1).

5. “Metaliteracy is
envisioned as a
comprehensive model
for information literacy
to advance critical
thinking and reflection in
social media, open
learning settings, and
online communities.”
Jacobson and Mackey, Proposing a Metaliteracy
Model to Redefine Information Literacy,
Communications in Information Literacy 7(2),
2013.

6. 6
Figure developed by Mackey, Jacobson and Roger Lipera
Mackey and Jacobson (2014)
Metaliteracy: Reinventing
Information Literacy to
Empower Learners

7. What is a digital badge?
o Record of an
accomplishment
o Corresponds to
knowledge shown or
abilities proven
o A component in the
competency-based
education movement
o Methods of gauging
accomplishment varies
o For metaliteracy
badges, reading by
humans important,
given nature of the
learning
Image Source: Girl Guides of Canada, CC-BY

9. Our Vision
• Achieve goal of IITG to “integrate” digital
badging and MOOCs
• Coursera’s Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI)
was not available as originally promised
• Did not want to give up on Coursera
environment to explore Canvas
• Developing two MOOCs offered innovative
teaching and research opportunities

11. Design Elements
• “Well-oiled machine”
• Fixed Template
• Guidelines and procedures,
help center
• “Blank canvas”
• Apps as building blocks
• “Sounding Board,” support
forums, DIY

12. Poll:
Have you taken
a MOOC?
Canvas?
Coursera?

13. Collaboration
Design
• Content
• Assessments
• Videos
• “OER’d” ourselves
Facilitation
• Team-based by weeks
• Weekly announcements
• Discussion forums
• Team emails

14. Coursera Set Up and Design

15. Coursera Set Up and Design
Access to
YouTube

16. Learning Environments
• 5,365 enrollments (3,201 on
day one)
• 10 week course
• Broader metaliteracy scope
• Discussion forums very rich
and active
• 288 enrollments (closed after
week 1)
• 6 week course
• Focus on digital citizenship
• Discussion boards used
mainly for troubleshooting
and graded assignments

17. Gamification Elements
Home Page of Canvas MOOC

18. Gamification Elements
Levels of the Digital Citizen Badge

19. Gamification Elements
Weekly Challenges and Achievements

20. Animated Celebration of Achievements

21. Records of Achievement
Statement of Accomplishment Digital Citizen Badge

22. Student Achievements
• 20 earned Statement of
Accomplishment (>70%)
• 18 earned SoA “with
distinction” (>90%)
• 10 earned Digital
Citizen badge

23. Watch "Global Contributor"
Participating as a Global Contributor

24. Global Access
Picture a student
at your campus/in
your classroom.

25. Global Access
Coursera Students
– Over 5,000 students from 142
different countries
• United States: 29%
• India: 6%
• China: 5%
• United Kingdom: 4%
• Russian Federation: 3%
• Others represented: Australia,
Brazil, Germany, Spain, Mexico,
France, Netherlands, Singapore,
Romania, South Africa, Pakistan,
and many more.

26. Global Access
The use of images
(Global Contributor video)

27. Global Access

28. Global Access
Expanding the discussion
of copyright.

29. Global Access
Peer review of
assignments

30. Learner Comment
“Especially when it comes to spelling and
grammar, I think we have to bear in mind that
we're dealing with quite a few foreigners. Some
of which (like myself) have lived in English
speaking countries. But others haven't. And it's
not quite fair, to rate someone with -say- zero,
just because they haven't learned another
language in-depth.”

31. Learner Comment
“Simultaneously to the thematic challenge I had
the linguistic one. So I was not only able to learn
a lot of new content , but also to improve my
english skills.”

32. Video Designs Principles
• Variety of styles
• Variety of content
• Variety of lengths
• Did not replicate content

33. Ideas We Had
• Go Pro camera
• Going outside; on location
• Having an intro and content for each week
• Multiple user-generated videos uploaded to
common server (in the spirit of social media)
• Most interested in providing alternative to
Courersa’s “professor-behind-the-desk”

34. Course Videos
Studio Dialogs Interviews Animated

35. Metaliteracy YouTube Channel
Metaliteracy Learning Collaborative

36. Lessons
• Subtitles in different languages
• Comfort
• Different tools
• Time
• Cost
• Distance

37. Watch “Creating and Sharing a Social Identity”

38. Pedagogy
• Responding to student feedback
• Teaching impacted by on-going feedback and
comments
• Teacher as learner/learner as teacher
• Collaborative decision-making

39. Watch "From Learner to Teacher"

40. Peer Assessments
• MOOC-centric feature brings challenges
• Peer Assessments are central to metaliteracy
• Peer Assessments scale for MOOC
environment
• Less instructor “control”; expanded learner
empowerment

41. Learner Comment
“I am quite unhappy with the results I have been
given from my fellow peers who have reviewed
my assessments. I'm not unhappy with the
overall results, but only that of the which states
"Is the response will written, without spelling or
grammar errors?"

42. Learner Comment
“One of the things I liked about this MOOC was
that we were required to grade and comment
upon two students’ assignments. Knowing my
peers would be looking at my work made me put
a little more thought into it. Also, I was
interested to see how other responded to the
same questions.”

43. What We Learned
• Exploration of 2 MOOCs
• cMOOC expectations
• Reach
• Understanding of what it means to “integrate”
digital badging and MOOCs expanded to
include integration of content in both MOOCs
(and not just systems)

45. Learner Comment
I want to share with you how happy I am. Today I
received my statement of accomplishment. …It was my
first MOOC ever, and prior to the start of the course I
knew nothing about Metaliteracy. I am thrilled I can
apply most of the content to different areas of my life
such as work, language learning, and practically most of
my everyday activities online. I am a non-native and
some weeks were more demanding but thanks to all the
hard work and thinking I am certain I learnt a lot.
Thanks so much!

46. Questions or comments?

51. Learner Comments
“I have been preaching this to my friends and
family.”
“I rarely use social media, but the students I
teach are addicted…This class helped me learn
some of the protocol I'd like to pass on to the
students.”

56. Learner Comment
“I would like to offer my deepest gratitude in you
taking the time to teach me and many others
what it truly means to be a digital citizen. I
would also like to thank you, for you have
provided me with education that I would not
have had access to if I had not taken this course.
You have been an excellent professor.”

57. Learner Comment
I want to share with you how happy I am. Today I
received my statement of accomplishment. …It was my
first MOOC ever, and prior to the start of the course I
knew nothing about Metaliteracy. I am thrilled I can
apply most of the content to different areas of my life
such as work, language learning, and practically most of
my everyday activities online. I am a non-native and
some weeks were more demanding but thanks to all the
hard work and thinking I am certain I learnt a lot.
Thanks so much!