MOOCs and Transitions:Pathways in and out of learning and work

Andrew Deacon, Jeff Jawitz, Janet Small & Sukaina Walji

Center for Innovation in Learning and TeachingUniversity of Cape Town

14 June 2017

Outline

• MOOCs and transitions

• MOOCs in a course landscape• Goals of UCT MOOCs Project

• Course landscape in higher education

• Transitions of MOOC takers• Case: Climate Change Mitigation

• Learner stories

Massive

• Scales so very large numbers can join

Open

• Open for anyone to enrol, often free

Online

• Everything is online

Course

• Organisedas a course

M O O C

MOOCs occupy “in between” spaces‘third spaces’ which are neither formal nor informal but draw on both the skills of

formal learning and the informal identities that have a kind of authenticity (Farrow, 2014)

Traditional formal courses

MOOCs

Informal learning from books, web, …

High engagement, but only reaching

small numbers

Lower engagement, but reaching large numbers

https://philosopher1978.wordpress.com/2014/09/02/liveblog-catherine-cronin-keynote-at-altc-altc2014/

Transitions in and out of learning and work

• Transitions can occur when people move • between work and learning,

• between different disciplines of knowledge and

• between different levels of learning

• Related terms for transition• life-course changes, turning points, branching points, …

• Transition tends to be conceived in three ways (Gale & Parker, 2014)

• as induction, development and becoming

MOOCs in a course landscapeVision

Goals of UCT’s MOOC project

• To showcase the teaching and research excellence of UCT

• To give exposure to African content and knowledge

• To profile key postgraduate programmes and research areas aligned with the university’s strategic goals

• To support students in academic transitions

• To make UCT’s knowledge resources globally accessible

• To develop models and expertise in online learning that could be deployed in mainstream degree programmes

e.g. most degree programmese.g. flip class

Workplace learning

opportunities

Workplace learning

opportunities

Workplace learning

opportunities

Showcase teaching and introduce topics with high-profile ‘rockstar’ presenters

Introduce fields and support students in undergraduate study

Develop skills and introduce topics for postgraduate study.

Showcase research and special interest topics of interest to postgraduate level

Showcase professional careers for continuing education and qualifications

Inwardly focused gateway courses

Outwardly focused showcase courses

Within the Higher Education Landscape

Becoming a changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation

Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

Julia Scientific Programming

Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics

Education for All: Disability, Diversity and Inclusion

Medicine and the Arts: HumanisingHealthcare

What is a Mind?

Extinctions: Past and Present

Transitions of MOOC takersResearch

MAPS project countriesMAPS: Mitigation Action Plans and Scenarios

Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

The course considers how one might lift societies out of poverty while also mitigating greenhouse gas emissions. It explores the inherent complexity of developing country

governments wanting to grow their economies in a climate friendly way.

20%

11%

19%

2%

28%

20%

Climate Change Mitigation in Developing Countries

Overall Coursera has

5% African learners

Climate Change Mitigation

• Harald Winkler (Energy Research Centre)

• Coursera, launched Dec 2015

• 6 weeks

• Over 12 900 learners, 6 800 active learners

• 460 course completers

• 19% Africa (5.7% South African), 11% South America

Potential data points

Joiners

Completers

participation data

surveyStart of course

interviewssurveyEnd of course

Intending to transition

Describing transitions

Start: Reasons for doing MOOC (n=258)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

I'm taking this course todo my current job better

I'm taking this course toimprove my career

prospects

I'm taking this course tosupport current or future

studies

I am taking this course tosupport a university

application

Agree Neutral Disagree

…

End: Sharing certificates

End: Your favourite part of the course? (n=84)

“The entire course as I knew about climate change but not about the challenges of climate change in developing countries”

“My favorite part is the realistic approach, based on MAPS which is a real case working with all sectors and policy-makers, apart from being a beautiful project with lots of brilliant minds”

“Hearing about how work you did influenced policy through 'back channels' but didn't end up with much credit”

“Learning about the systematic approach to solving "wicked problems" I liked the opportunity to peer review other student's work and gain a perspective much different from my US-centric perspective”

“Reviewing other colleagues’ submissions as it gives a glimpse into so many different points of view”

Learner stories

• “I was preparing a strategic environmental assessment at the time of undertaking the course and found there were lessons that could be drawn from [it].”

• “I have been part of the climate change policy setting process in my country Rwanda in a senior position in the Ministry of Natural Resources .... I took this course in order to get insights on how mitigation is being handled in developing countries.”

• “It has help me learn how to engage with other colleagues outside my field of work.”

• “Being a Physics student [in Nepal] I always have a deeper insight to the interrelationship between physics and environment so I have specialized in Atmospheric Physics in the final year of my master's study. This course has added another brick in my educational career.”

‘lessons’ and ‘insights’ applied to work immediately

‘lessons’ and ‘insights’ applied to work immediately

‘how to engage’ so as to understand the

work of others

‘interrelationships’ supporting transitions into interdisciplinary

fields

Conclusions

• Why MOOCs? – offer flexibility, expanding the course landscape• MOOCs run largely automatously & scale well

• MOOCs showcase teaching and learning

• In absolute numbers, reaches a wide audience

• Why transitions? – offer insights about changes people make in life• Knowing about needs of people in transitions is expected

• For practical reasons. consider only those who found value

• Those in transition also have questions not easily answered

Future research

• MOOC-takers Research Project• Asks how do MOOCs support transitioning in and out of learning and work

• Goal is to inform work developing online courses

• Funding to interview MOOC takers

• Project activities• For all UCT MOOCs

• Focusing on people from the region (South Africa and Africa)

• Survey MOOC completers from Africa

• Invite people to be interviewed