Massive Open Online Courses have the potential to be the next BIG thing in the field of education. And they are available now, to anyone with the time to study and access to an internet connection. Oh, and did I mention they are free?!?!
Alison Smale reports, in an article published in the Business Day section of the New York Times, that professors from heralded universities such as: "Stanford, Harvard, M.I.T., Yale, Princeton," etc. (just to name a few) are teaching online courses in an endless variety of subjects. Start-up companies Coursera and Udacity are teaming up with tech-savvy professors as their courses span the globe reaching millions of users in hundreds of countries. The implications are astounding if you think about it. This is the globalization of education to the nth degree.
There have been precursors to this type of education. Distance learning with the help of audio and video feeds have been edging their way into campuses for years now. And online platforms, such as Blackboard, have become an ever-increasing presence across college campuses, too (i.e. SOC-202). In fact, more than a handful of required courses within the Teacher Education program, in which I am enrolled, right here at UNCG are only offered online.
The expansion of MOOCs may eventually begin to redefine higher education as we know it. The Times article suggests that there will always be a place for higher education institutions as long as research must be done and innovations must be made. But, the opportunity that MOOCs give to students around the world who may not ever have another chance to experience higher education is potentially, and "hugely transformative."
The courses are free for now, but don't assume that it will stay that way. The viability of sustaining this model won't last forever. Look for pricing fees to creep into the equation in the near future. In the meantime, World...get your learn on!
Jeff Chilcott
2/6/13
8:10PM
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