Rethinking Online Learning:

Educational, social and economic

directions

James W. Pennebaker and Samuel D. Gosling

University of Texas at Austin

Funding from UT Course Transformation Program, College of Liberal Arts, National Science Foundation, Army Research Institute. The views, opinions, and/or findings contained in this report are

those of the authors, and should not be construed as official positions, policies, or decisions of the UT Course Transformation Program, College of Liberal Arts, the National Science Foundation or the Department of the Army, unless so designated by

other documents. Note that this statement is required by the Army Research Institute.

The New Online Alphabet

BOCs – Big old classes

MOOCs – Massive open online classes

SMOCs – Synchronous massive online classes

Big Old Classes (BOCs)

The Studio Classroom

The Studio Classroom

The Control Room

SMOC Montage

Clicks: Information search by course grade

The future of SMOCs

Collaborative learning

Training people to think

Research opportunitiesSmall group dynamicsThe psychology of communitiesLearning and memory

The 10,000 person classroom: We can teach each other’s students

Challenges for Chairs

Getting it off the groundConstituencies: faculty, administration, graduate and undergraduate offices, continuing education, registrar, tutors, technical offices (IT groups), developmentStudio and broadcasting

Educational issuesTAs, RTF and education internsMentors

Business and research opportunities

Faculty considerations

Contactswww.PsychologyLive.org

www.psy.utexas.edu/pennebaker

www.psy.utexas.edu/gosling

Samg@austin.utexas.edu

Pennebaker@mail.utexas.edu