In 2008, a course was made available to students both on-campus at the University of Manitoba and online. Some people consider this the first MOOC.
A few years later, Stanford University released three free online courses In October 2011. These courses were available to anyone who wanted to connect up and try them. In the years since, the number and range of free courses has exploded to thousands of courses in hundreds of subjects.
The term MOOC was coined by David Cormier of Canada’s University of Prince Edward Island, according to Wikipedia. The explosion of MOOCs caused the New York Times to designate 2012 as “The year of the MOOC.” But what exactly is a MOOC?
A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course
Massive because enrolments are unlimited and can have thousands of enrollments in a single run of the course;
Open because they are open to anyone who has access to the internet using a computer or mobile device;
Online because they are delivered via the internet, and
Course because they are of a finite length with learning materials and assessment items prepared before or during release of the course.
You can read more details of just how MOOCs work in this article.
How Do I Find a MOOC?
Several sites can help you find MOOCs to fit your interest or help progress your career. One useful site is Class Central www.class-central.com which was established in late 2011 and has grown alongside the popularity of the courses. It is a giant catalogue of online courses from a wide range of providers. Users can type their area of interest into the search field, or find courses by subject or university. If you have already taken a MOOC, you can review it on Class Central to help others make their choice. I am now part of the Class Central Help and Support team.
You can also go directly to individual course provider sites. Three of the largest are Coursera, edX and FutureLearn. In my experience, edX courses tend to be more challenging, Coursera generally less so, and FutureLearn possibly the easiest. However, individual courses may differ from this sweeping assessment. In October 2017, I wrote an article comparing these three major providers, which you can find here.
Have You Had a Bad MOOC Experience?
MOOCs are many and varied. Some keep students stimulated and fascinated from the first moment to the last. Some are great for a few weeks, then suddenly appear to hit a brick wall and become very difficult. Others appear so basic that students become bored. The key is to find a course that will interest you and be neither too hard nor too simple. When courses are free, it is a simple matter to enroll then drop the course and try another if it is unsuitable for you.
The very first course I enrolled in was an astronomy course. It was so heavy with mathematics and physics that I was lost by the second week. The subject was still interesting, so I continued watching the videos without attempting to pass the course or understand the complex calculations. A second astronomy course focussed on x-ray astronomy which I soon realized was not for me. Eventually, I found The Science of the Solar System. I enjoyed it so much, I went back and completed it a second time!
Another possible hazard is enrolling in too many courses at the same time. Browsing free online courses can be like shopping without needing money. It is easy to click Enroll for six or ten courses, but the ensuing avalanche of welcome and weekly emails can be overwhelming. It’s better to choose just one or two, then add more later if you have enough time and motivation.
If You are Wondering Where to Start
You may be interested in a particular subject. Try keyword searches on Class Central or course providers. Sometimes you need to explore several options before finding a course that suits you. Read the course information before enrolling. Although anyone can join any MOOC, some do recommend that you have prior knowledge in the field.
You can browse courses to suit your interests or sign up for email notifications of upcoming offerings. I have enjoyed courses in many different fields by simply trying them out, knowing I could stop if I was not interested in the material or the presentation style.
If you just want to try out online learning and don’t know what course to start with, Learning How to Learn could be useful. More than 2 million people from all around the world have enrolled in this course since its launch in 2014.
If you really want to complete a particular course and you are finding it a struggle, take a good look at why you are spending your time on it. Do you really want to do this particular course? Will it help your future employment prospects? If you had a bit more background knowledge, would you be able to complete the course? Some courses also provide supplementary resources, glossaries, and reading lists.
Sometimes students search the internet, Wikipedia, and YouTube for information. Remember, though, that although most information is correct, because the internet is open-source, anyone can post a page or video without verifying its accuracy. Most MOOCs are made by universities and other large agencies, so you can be confident that the information in them is reputable.
A Final Thought
Like many new experiences, online learning may be a challenge at first. It is not for everyone, but sometimes we just need to find the right fit so the door to new opportunities can open.
By Pat Bowden, published July 10, 2018.
