tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4354832075755142157.post2795896402623889063..comments2013-09-24T09:11:44.386-07:00Comments on ACS Exploring MOOCs Relation to Liberal Arts: What are the advantages of MOOCs?Mark Lewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11308517561967709446noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4354832075755142157.post-11053769404534663252013-03-18T11:59:34.623-07:002013-03-18T11:59:34.623-07:00Great post, Dennis. I'm currently working thr...Great post, Dennis. I'm currently working through a fascinating (and challenging) Physiology course, and it has been very difficult to fold it into my life for exactly the reasons that you mention. And one would think that a college professor would have good study skills. Last month, Claudia shared a link to a study which found that "virtually every group of students fared less well (defined by the number of course credits they completed, and/or by their grades) in online courses than they did in on-ground classes." (See: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/02/25/study-finds-some-groups-fare-worse-others-online-courses). <br /><br />There are many problems with using course credits and grades as the sole metrics of academic accomplishment -- and Mark Lewis raises a good point about the value of lurking without completing -- but this data (combined with my personal experience) does make me wonder about how useful a MOOC-only curriculum would be for students who are just starting out. <br />Aaronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15273879334377294766noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4354832075755142157.post-85147229943076537742013-03-04T17:18:19.311-08:002013-03-04T17:18:19.311-08:00I really enjoyed this post, and the way it laid th...I really enjoyed this post, and the way it laid things out. I suspect there are a few potential benefits of MOOCs over books missing from the list (e.g., the possibility of interacting with a far-flung diverse global classroom), but it seems like you covered some important ones.<br /><br />It's also worth noting that there are a number of books incorporating interactive features now (e.g., http://interactivepython.org/courselib/static/thinkcspy/index.html ).<br /><br />With regard to you last point -- although I strive to encourage good study habits among my students, there is always a segment that continually starts homework/projects near the deadline, etc. While some may learn better study habits throughout college, I'm not sure that everyone does.<br /><br />I do think the ease of dropping MOOC courses may be problematic. In a traditional college setting, once the drop-add deadline passes, students are somewhat "trapped" in a course. No doubt this can be a bad thing sometimes, but sometimes it requires the student to buckle down and prove (to themselves? to the world?) that they can accomplish something that they didn't realize that they could. Then again, maybe it will just allow students to find a good personalized education path in a much more efficient manner, since they can sample so many courses in a short amount of time.Dr. Forrest Stonedahlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00667016992539153810noreply@blogger.com