{"id":45127,"date":"2014-03-10T12:29:53","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T16:29:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/?p=45127"},"modified":"2014-03-10T12:34:57","modified_gmt":"2014-03-10T16:34:57","slug":"reflections-on-i-failed-my-online-course-but-learned-a-lot-about-internet-education-larson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/danielschristian.com\/learning-ecosystems\/2014\/03\/10\/reflections-on-i-failed-my-online-course-but-learned-a-lot-about-internet-education-larson\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on “I failed my online course — but learned a lot about Internet education” [Larson]"},"content":{"rendered":"

I failed my online course — but learned a lot about Internet education<\/a><\/strong> — from readwrite.com by Selena Larson (by way of\u00a0eduwire.com)<\/a>
\nMassive open online courses, or “MOOCs,” require a lot of motivation\u2014and sometimes, a thick skin.<\/em><\/p>\n

Excerpts (comments via DSC):<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

He provided great insight, paired it with interesting required readings, and led Google Hangouts throughout the course, though only a handful of students were able to participate. Time zone differences and limited space ultimately resulted in a select few students receiving the opportunity to participate in this more intimate online setting.<\/p>\n

(From DSC:\u00a0 Last I knew, only 25 students can get into one of these sessions; this seems to be a major mistake to use Google Hangouts if you are talking MOOCs with thousands of students; Coursera should have required<\/em> that the professor use a different tool.)<\/span><\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

I’ll admit it: I had minimal motivation. Sure, I didn\u2019t want to waste $49, but I certainly didn\u2019t stay up all night finishing a 600-word essay\u2014the goal of receiving a course completion certificate just wasn’t appealing enough.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

The quizzes were easy\u2014we were given multiple attempts to get a perfect score\u2014but the essays were a different story. Since the professor was unable to grade them himself, each student was subject to peer reviews\u2014five of them. And each review impacted your grade.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

I failed my first essay. All but one reviewer gave me a failing grade, for reasons unknown.<\/p>\n

…<\/p>\n

In true Internet fashion, these peer reviews were totally anonymous. I couldn\u2019t discuss with my reviewer why he or she thought my essay was lousy, and I couldn\u2019t defend my link to Fox News. I felt uncomfortable and powerless. Stupid.<\/p>\n

(From DSC: I don’t have a lot of confidence in asking other students, who aren’t trained in teaching\/pedagogy\/grading, to effectively use rubrics to grade other students’ papers. Though one could turn right around and say that of many faculty members as well, who often lack training in education-related courses. But in the case of professors, they often build up such expertise over time.)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

How MOOCs Can Succeed<\/strong>
\n(from DSC, I’m paraphrasing below)<\/span><\/p>\n